[Crazed]

Did you take pictures of your baby/child before placing him?
My ason is 19 - the only photo his bfamily has while he was with them (for the first 2 weeks of life) is of his sister looking into the basinet - he is not visible. My son's life in photos started the day we brought him home at 6 weeks. He was in forster care for 4 weeks.
His bmom said she didn't know how to operate the camera.

[Mommy24]

Dayle~ Unfortunately I dont have a single pic of my bson. Does it mean I didnt love him, care enough to think to bring a camera with me to the hospital? NO. I did good to remember to bring the neccessities. I hate that I don't have pics of him from the hospital, but I can say honestly for me I just didnt think about it. I was an emotional mess, I guess I assumed someone( the hospital, his parents) would take pics. Though it is something I would tell an expectant mom thinking of placing today

[Crazed]

Please don't think I was pointing fingers. I just wish I had a record of that time in his life>

[Mommy24]

I do understand~ I wish I had some too

[quantum]

I wasn't 'allowed' to see my bson, or even know it was a boy! But I managed somehow to get pictures from his first few weeks from the social worker who handled my case.
Those pictures have been with me around the world for nearly 22 years, I can't wait to share them with my bson!

[SuddenlySusan]

Originally Posted by Mommy24

Dayle~ Unfortunately I dont have a single pic of my bson. Does it mean I didnt love him, care enough to think to bring a camera with me to the hospital? NO. I did good to remember to bring the neccessities. I hate that I don't have pics of him from the hospital, but I can say honestly for me I just didnt think about it. I was an emotional mess, I guess I assumed someone( the hospital, his parents) would take pics. Though it is something I would tell an expectant mom thinking of placing today

In 1971, I was sent home from the hospital without one piece of paper to acknowledge that I had a baby, whom I surrendered. Nothing. No copy of relinquishment. Not one shred of evidence. Amidst all the emotional turmoil, having a camera to record one of the saddest days in my life was certainly not on my mind.

In January of this year, I was reunited with my bson. This week he sent me a photo album with pictures dating from 5 days old to last month, at almost 36 years old. I will treasure these photos always.

And, I agree that if I have a chance to speak with a young woman who is considering surrendering her baby, I would urge her to take as many pictures as possible...including having someone take pictures of HER WITH her baby.

Peace,
Susan

[Crazed]

I can't imagine what bmoms go thru at the time they hand their baby over.
I do know that my arms ached to hold my baby after a mc in the first trimester.
My son's bparents were married and took him home for two weeks.
He has never mentioned earlier pictures but his sister gave him a copy of the one of her looking into his bassinette - he keeps it on his keyboard.
Thanks for your posts they have helped me to understand.

[amyshaw]

I don't have a picture of my daughter, but I sooo wish I did. I only got to see her for about 10 seconds after she was born. Then they wisked her away to the nursery, and kept her hidden behind a curtain. I was taken to the medical floor (away from OB) so I wouldn't have to be around other mothers. I went to the nursery to try to see her one last time, but the nurse there knew I was going to relinquish and wouldn't allow me to see her. I hadn't even signed the paperwork yet, so I'm sure she couldn't do that, but I was 17, and naive. I'm sure the doctor (friend of my parents) had alot to do with it. All I have is the memory, but I've never forgotten!

[Baloney-Girl]

crazed, I'm a birthmom and I spent 5 days in the hospital with my son and took dozens of pictures. he's 20 now and although his aparents picked him up right away and he has pictures from day 6 onwards, he cherishes the ones of me and him during our time together. I also sent ones of me during my pregnancy so he and his parents could 'see' him then.

[InBlindFaith]

Dayle - The Agency I went through sent me pictures of DD during her first six weeks of life, while she was with the Agency's Foster Mother. The last picture taken was on placement day. I have cherished those pictures over the last 18 years. I'm not sure if her parents recieved copies of them too. I hope they did...if not I scanned them so they can have copies too

[josh1788smom]

I took dozens of pictures of my son. I had him for 5 weeks before my parents and everyone around me totally wore me down and convinced me to call my dad's cousins to come get him. The day they came, I kept him in my room and took an entire roll of pictures of him. When he turned 18, I gave him my favorite picture which was taken over my shoulder in the hospital. He is very percefully sleeping in my arms. I hope he treasures that picture as much as I have for the past 18 years. I thought of having it copied before I gave it to him, but I didn't. I may ask him for it so I can copy it sometime. It is my favorite. It was our special happy time.

[lahdh4]

While I didn't personally take pictures of her, the social worker from the hospital and the social worker from the agency brought in a camera and took 4 pictures of her and I. I still have them and I cherish them. J went to a foster mom for about a week while bdad and myself went through profiles and signed the papers. I recieved 2 emails from foster mom with about 8-10 pictures in each email. They are in her photo album and I don't know if her parents received a copy of the email but if not they don't have any pictures of her until she is about 3 weeks old.

[thanksgivingmom]

I have two pictures of DD. They were taken by the social worker at the hospital and they are polaroids. They are of me holding DD and feeding her. About four weeks after she was placed I got a printout of a picture of DD and her amom. I just heard there is a new picture that I can go pick up today!!

But like the other bmoms have said, a camera isn't the first thing you necessarily think of. Then, when there was a camera I felt like an outsider in the NICU holding DD and feeding her. Like all the nurses knew I would be leaving her forever and were silently judging me for it. I didn't feel comfortable asking them to take pictures for me.

[L@@king2]

Originally Posted by crazed

Did you take pictures of your baby/child before placing him?

YES!! And am SO glad I did!! I received two pictures when I went in to sign the relinquishment papers - 18 days after her birth. The first picture the lady took of her - she had her eyes closed, so I asked if she could take another one... and she did! So I got TWO pictures out of that!!

I also just recently - when I found out my bdaughter's REAL name - I went and researched where she went to high school, and since I had a friend living in the same city - she went to the high school and copied her high school picture. So I have one of her when she was 17 or 18 years old... now waiting for one of her 20 years laters (38 years old) - but I doubt that will happen soon, as she has asked that I NOT contact her, until she contacts me... But it sure is nice to have at least a few pictures of her! I'll never regret that!

[missingMaggie]

I had three polaroids taken by the foster parents. I never saw my bdaughter in the hospital. I couldn't look, for fear I would take her home. I cherish those polaroids...although they are now (22 years later) all smudgy.