Honest opinions if these just born preemie reborn photos are triggering?

I’m starting to worry that my pictures of Little Monkey are triggering for some people. I had him on the favorite kit challenge parade part 2 but took him down, just in case he was. I will post the pictures of him here, but hopefully the title is enough of a warning for people to stay away if he is triggering.

To be clear, no one has said anything to me about this, it’s just something I started to worry about after posting his pictures. I’ve painted just born babies before, but they were full term babies. I’ve never painted a just born micro preemie before. Brand new/just born newborns and preemies are so beautiful to me, and I loved making Little Monkey. I painted him to represent a freshly born, first day of life preemie, but I’m wondering if he should come with a warning in case he triggers people. I don’t want my art to cause anyone pain. I have really thick skin so please give me honest opinions. Thanks!

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I wouldn’t think he would be triggering. He is a realistic well painted live preemie baby. If you painted a stillborn then I might be worried about it being triggering for people, but this is a lovely baby and I don’t see anything to worry about.

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He’s alive! That’s not triggering. What’s triggering is when people paint preemies that look dead. I was looking on google the other day for pics of Milla by Bonnie Brown. There’s one that looks like a corpse. It was disturbing to look at. But Reborns that look like alive, realistic preemies are a sign of hope to me. The fact that they can be saved when they are so little is amazing! :heart:

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My real life preemie turned 10 yesterday. This video popped up on my Facebook memories. He was pitiful. But he was alive! And now he’s a big healthy boy!

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How many weeks was he? Mine was 32 and never had translucent skin

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Three of my four children were born prematurely. Two at 32 weeks, and one at 34 weeks. One of them never left the NICU sadly :sleepy: With that being said, I personally didn’t feel seeing your beautiful little monkey as a trigger. It’s an honest representation of what a very preemie newborn looks like.

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Thanks so much @quiltsabunch!

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He’s a beautiful baby! I was born at 33 weeks so I have a special place in my heart for preemies :two_hearts:

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Thanks Katina. I looked up the baby you mentioned and wow, that is definitely a representation of a still born baby.

Realistic, alive looking preemies are a sign of hope for me too, that’s really the how I felt the whole time I was painting him. Hopeful and optimistic for the future in spite of trials, that’s what preemies make me feel.

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He is so handsome! I love the picture of him as a baby too, so very very precious! It is so wonderful how such tiny babies can grow and thrive!

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I know you’re question wasn’t directed at me, but isn’t it fascinating the different skin tones preemies have! I looked up many photos of preemies as reference pictures and there really is a variety of skin tones depending on age, etc. It seems like the older they get the less of a reddish color they have. (But I’m no expert, just a Google photos user searching for reference pictures.)

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I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, I’m really glad to know Little Monkey was not a trigger for you. :heart:

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He was 35ish weeks. His pics don’t look so red. But the video certainly does. :woman_shrugging:t2:
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Thank you! Being a former preemie yourself is a really unique perspective on this! :two_hearts:

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Such a beautiful baby, I just love preemies! :heart_eyes:

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So another question. I have some props I’m planning on using for his full photo shoot after he gets hair. Would using props such as a breathing tube make a difference on whether or not the pictures were triggering?

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For me I would say go ahead and use your props it won’t change my feelings on your beautiful baby

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Nope! That would be an excellent addition. That little monkey looks like he is so young he would definitely need assistance to breathe.
Here are the stages baby Caedmon went through during his 7 days of NICU.
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He went through he nasal tube phase for a minute too. But he kept pulling it out. :woman_shrugging:t2:

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He looks like BB Darren in the last picture.

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I include a lot of hospital props with my preemies…and I sell the props separately. I had several grandchildren that were in the NICU for a while, and I find that if you have a baby like that the equipment and rawness of the baby are quickly diminished by your love for the baby. It’s like you don’t even see it. I think people that buy my babies feel this way too. I have gotten negative comments, like “why would anyone want to buy a sick baby?” The people who are triggered are usually ones who have never experienced the joy of a preemie. JMO

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