Baby Sutton, born in Texas with a cleft lip and palate, has captured the hearts of thousands of people after her parents booked a newborn photoshoot with photographer Shannon Morton. When Morton shared a photo of the 9-week-old girl on her Facebook page, featuring Sutton sleeping soundly while adorned in a cream sash and matching flower headband, the image unexpectedly went viral. As a result, Sutton's parents created a Facebook page called "My Cleft Cutie" to share updates about their daughter's life and offer support to others in the community who may be experiencing similar situations.
Despite the challenges Sutton faces due to her condition, she has already undergone one surgery to repair her cleft lip and nose, with more procedures still to come. Her journey has inspired many people to come together and offer comfort to others in need. For those interested in learning more about Sutton's story and following her progress, the "My Cleft Cutie" Facebook page is a great place to start.
This is the first photograph of baby Sutton, posted by photographer Shannon Morton, that immediately went viral on Facebook
Bored Panda has reached out to Shannon Morton, the artist behind the viral photo of baby Sutton, to find out more about this heartwarming story. First, we wanted to know how Courtney and Gavin Gardner, the parents of this little girl, decided to choose Morton for their photographer. Shannon said: “I originally met Sutton’s parents at church. I knew about their story before Sutton was born. I was able to meet with them before she was born in order to prepare for her session and think through how best to care for her during the picture-taking process.”
Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography
Baby Sutton was born in Texas with a cleft lip and palate
Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography
Shannon posted the first photo of the 9-week-old girl with the caption: “So. Many. Smiley babies in the studio recently! This is sweet Sutton, the cutest little redhead!”
Then, we were interested in the photoshoot day. Presumably, newborn photoshoots may be challenging and stressful for everybody - the photographer, parents, and most of all - the baby. We were curious if that was the case with Gardner’s family. Shannon told us: “It was actually incredibly tender. She was a sweet and sleepy baby. Sutton slept for most of her session. In those moments when she needed to eat, Sutton’s mom would so gently and lovingly lift Sutton’s head and feed her from a bottle. My assistant and I worked to provide the most beautiful pictures of Sutton in order to honor her and her parents!”
Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography
By now the post has received 726k likes and 6.8k comments from the Facebook community
Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography
Neither Morton nor Sutton's parents, Courtney and Gavin Gardner, expected such a big response from people online
Next, we asked about her initial reaction to her post going viral overnight. Shannon said: “I aim to post a picture or two of every baby who comes to my studio for pictures. It was Sutton’s turn, but I definitely did not expect the response she got. Both her parents and I were so wonderfully surprised as the likes and comments came flooding in. The warm reception and words of love and encouragement came in a steady stream for almost a week. It was so beautiful to see how baby Sutton drew people together!”
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
A huge interest within the community encouraged the Gardners to create the "My Cleft Cutie" Facebook page
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
"My Cleft Cutie" is a place where the parents share updates about their daughter's life
Lastly, asked for more insights about that special photo shoot, Shannon told us: “After 12+ years of professionally photographing newborns, I can tell when a baby will smile. I can’t and don’t guarantee that I’ll be able to capture a smile because a baby may not smile or it may be too quick for me to catch or I’m not ready with my camera. What is so sweet about Sutton is that she smiled three separate times, and we were able to capture all three for her parents!! What a gift from God! I think that’s one of the details that makes that first picture of her so special - her sweet smile!”
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
Each post’s comment section gathers hundreds of people sharing their personal stories and experiences with a cleft lip and palate
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
The page is a place where the whole community offers comfort to others in similar situations
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
Little Sutton has already gone through the first surgery to repair her cleft lip and her nose
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
At the moment, the baby girl is still recovering after her first surgery, but her mother shared there are more procedures coming with time
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie
Despite this very challenging beginning in life, Sutton is still a very happy baby and her cute face is cheering up everyone around her
Image credits: My Cleft Cutie