Every couple thinks their new baby is the most beautiful, but a photo of one baby in the US is going viral for extra-special reasons.
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Patricia and Kimberly O'Neill's newborn daughter London was photographed with all the needles needed through the seven rounds of IVF it took to conceive her. The new mothers say it took four years, three miscarriages and 1616 shots, using this photoshoot to commemorate the journey.
Photographer Samantha Packer wrote on Facebook that it was the first time she'd been asked "to do something like this".
'"I was honoured and wanted to create something special!" she wrote.
London was born on August 3 and the photo was taken when she was a week old.
"Kimberly decided as soon as I started shots that she would save the needles and that we would do a photo at the end of our journey," Patricia told BuzzFeed.
"I never anticipated there would be so many needles."
While some Facebook commenters voiced concern over having the baby surrounded by needles, Patricia said each syringe was capped and had a plastic shield around it to protect everyone, including the tightly-swaddled London, from the needles.
"Being only a week old, she did not have the strength nor coordination to get out of the swaddle," Patricia said.
"We were right next to her the entire time and she was a good distance from them, although it doesn't appear so in the photo."
Patricia also told Buzzfeed she hopes the photo will inspire other hopeful mothers.
"We want it to bring hope for women that are hopeless in this journey and a voice for women that are afraid to speak of it," she said.
Newshub.
