Nicole & adeline
If you've been following me for a while, this mama will look familiar to you. This is Nicole and her beautiful daughter, Adeline. When Adeline was born, she was having a hard time putting on weight. Nicole sought help from a lactation specialist at the hospital, where she learned that Adeline has a cleft palate. This explained why she was having a hard time latching and was not able to properly feed.
If you don't know (because honestly I had no idea as I'd never heard of it before), a cleft palate is when the roof of your mouth has a large hole/opening. This causes problems with feeding, as the opening prevents the mouth from creating suction to properly nurse. Nicole began exclusively pumping to be able to provide Adeline with breastmilk from a bottle.
Despite this difficult journey, Nicole has fought to find answers for Adeline and to provide her with the best care and life possible. I am in awe of her strength, all while also raising a wild and strong-willed toddler, all during a pandemic.
July is Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month and for Nicole's birthday, she is raising money for Stanford Children's Hospital, who has provided amazing care to Adeline during her cleft journey. We took these photos to celebrate this occasion, and to document their beautiful relationship and bond.
If you would like to contribute to Nicole's fundraiser, you can do so by clicking here.
You can also follow Adeline's story on Instagram: @cleft_baby_dietitian
Nicole is wearing a dress from Laura Griffin Photography's client closet.
