The Hartline’s Newborn Lifestyle Home Session Featuring Baby Deacon | Nashville Newborn and Nashville Family Photographer Dolly DeLong Photography

The Hartline Family just welcomed Baby Number 4 and it was wonderful getting to help capture some lifestyle home photos of this new family of 6! Check out how they perfectly decorated Baby Deacon’s nursery which was a curation of modern elements mixed with pops of colorful joy! Scroll down to see all of my favorite images + get some inspiration for your nursery decor!

Was the baby on “schedule”?

-He was induced just a couple of days overdue (40+3).

If you are willing to share, what is the little one’s birth story? 

-My last two inductions were very quick, so this time I expected the same. However, my body had other plans! With my last baby, my doctor broke my water and contractions started immediately. He was born about three hours later. This time, she broke my water and …. nothing happened! We walked literally miles in the hallways trying to get things going to no avail. After a few hours of that, I asked if I could go ahead and have Pitocin to help get things moving. Because I didn’t plan on having an epidural, they allowed me to change my Pitocin as I wanted. We started it and I was so excited to finally be in labor… except again, NOTHING HAPPENED! It was so strange. I had Pitocin with my first two babies and both times just a tiny bit was more than enough to get the baby out. This time I just kept having them bump it up – 1, 2.. 3… 4… 5.. 6.. I finally had one painful contraction when we got to 6. Then nothing for a while. Apparently, though my body got the message because around 8:30 pm I started having regular contractions and I was ELATED. I’ve never been so happy to be in pain, ha! Two hours later, Deacon was born and I could not have been more relieved. After going in at 7 am for our induction, he came into the world at 10:39 pm. I’m glad my body finally got the memo! 🙂

How did you feel when the baby was born?

So relieved. Between the Pitocin and him being bigger than any of my babies I had without an epidural, and not eating for so long before labor, it took all my strength getting him out and I was so tired and ready to hold my baby. I thought the whole pregnancy that it was a boy, but I also wanted a boy so I felt like it had to be a girl (which would have been wonderful, too!) because who gets what they want? So seeing it was a boy and feeling the relief of not being in labor anymore was overwhelming in the best way.

How did you choose the name? Does it have a special meaning?

Our other kids have names beginning with A, B, and C so we knew we would use D this time. My husband suggested Deacon early on and I liked it but it felt too popular. Upon further research, I learned it’s not actually very popular at all… I guess the show “Nashville” led me to believe otherwise. 😉 We also really wanted to honor our fathers somehow but using their names was proving to be difficult. We were both raised in conservative churches and church was and is a huge part of our life. Historically, “Deacon” means servant and denotes people in the church who serve specific volunteer roles. Our dads were both deacons at different points growing up. We loved that the word reminded us of them, and their example to us of godly men. Atlas means strength, in reference to the myth of Atlas holding up the world, and we felt it paired well with Deacon’s big brother’s middle name (Archer). We pray Deacon will be a godly servant of great strength in our broken world.

Who do you think the baby looks like more?

He definitely favors his daddy, just like his oldest sister and brother! However, since he’s been home we’re seeing a little more of my side of the family in him… maybe his eyes or forehead?

Who is the better diaper changer?

Ooh good question! It was a two-man job for awhile there but I’m going to say Logan… somehow with little boys, I end up using 700 wipes it feels like. Hah!

What do you hope they grow up to be like? What is your dream or prayer for their life?

I have prayed for peace over this sweet boy since I found out he was in my belly. The stress of this year and finding out I was pregnant unexpectedly just a week before everything shut down due to Covid felt like a lot to carry and I prayed for the Lord to shield him from that. He brought me so much joy and peace during a really anxious time. I pray he will be servant-hearted but confident and strong and able to stand up for what is good and right while still being grace-filled and gentle. I hope is filled with the love of the Lord and knows his worth.

How has your life changed since having a newborn? (aka moving from 3 to 4-has that been drastic?)

It actually has been such a smooth transition. I’m sure the other shoe will drop at some point, as it does, but truly it has been so sweet bringing him home. I think not having the schedule we normally do (preschool and working outside the home) has helped. Even with Logan working, he’s home and we have so much family time and it doesn’t feel like we’re ever hustling to get somewhere. Other than a little more screen time than usual for the other kids, and a little less sleep for me, life doesn’t feel all that different! (Yet!)

What was your favorite part of your session with Dolly DeLong Photography?

I loved all of it! Getting my hair and makeup done was such a nice treat and one less thing for me to worry about doing myself. I am so glad we got photos of the whole family, the nursery, just Deacon, and just me and Deacon and Logan. It was perfect!!  It’s amazing how I felt like such a mess and you captured us so beautifully! I joked with my good friend after our session that when I was nursing Deacon in between photos I thought to myself, “Maleah made it look so effortless!” and she laughed so hard and said she felt like a total mess during her own session (in NC). She mentioned so many of the same things I felt – being so swollen, trying to sit up straight on a bed with such a weak core after pregnancy, the baby not cooperating, etc… and then I got my photos back and somehow you made us look effortless too!!! I am just amazed.

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