23 March, 2021
"Children are not things to be moulded, but people to be unfolded." - Jess Lair
One day (pre-Covid19), I happened to visit an upscale maternity ward of a hospital. After greeting the exhausted and recovering mother, I was told the nurse is getting the baby ready for a photoshoot. Poor I, belonging to another era, for the life of me, couldn't understand what a photoshoot has got to do in a maternity ward. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity, and in walks, the professional photographer with a battery of fancy equipment and two helpers in tow. The baby is brought in, all bejewelled and only wearing a diaper. Merrily she was laid down on a prop, in this case, a cane basket; mind you, it was towards the end of winter.
Everyone fussed around the child; some perfect and some not so perfect shots were taken. The nurse took her to CHANGE into what was a tight, fancy, brand-named hairband. Again she was laid at various surfaces pictures taken. The photographer was packed off with all smiles and happy banter with promises of images of a lifetime.
I was a keen observer to all this, wondering a bit, was the child comfortable, was she cold? Were the hands of the nurse soft enough, so on and so forth. Do we as parents, grandparents pause even to think that the child was in the womb for nine months, protected from the outside world. As soon as the child is born, she becomes an object to be admired and shown off.
As I said earlier, I am a bit old school, so I remember children being wrapped tightly in clothes and not brought out for 40 days. Is it alright for a mother to think that the child is her property because she has brought her into this world and can do whatever she pleases with her? I wonder hard.
The drool-worthy images flooding social media come with lots of perils. Paediatricians warn the parents of the dangers involved in putting the child through various positions of sleep.
The parents must know how a particular sleeping position, being used for a perfect photoshoot, can be life-threatening for a child. A newborn is still developing; the airways are still in the process of being opened. It is not safe for a child to sleep on his stomach too. The more these potentially dangerous position pictures are seen by people, the more 'normal' it becomes. There is a danger of people trying these at home with their newborn, putting the child's life at risk.
Hire someone who specializes in newborn photography.
By
Vandana Bhasin
Early Years Program Facilitator
Learners International School
Worked as a trained Montessori Directress, having experience as a Montessori trainer too.
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