João Linneu's photographic series 'JJ VFF VV' offers a tender and raw documentation of the birth of his son Valentín, capturing the physical and emotional thresholds of pregnancy, complications, and premature birth. The project began when his partner Fernanda Fajardo experienced bleeding in the first semester, leading to a diagnosis of a high-risk pregnancy. 'The doctors told us not to buy anything and instructed me to stay in bed from that time on,' Fernanda recalls. 'I was 36 years old; this was my first pregnancy. I was in the dark, full of fears and doubts.'
Loneliness and Lightning
During Fernanda's hospitalization, João found himself alone at home, able to see the hospital from their window—a rare coincidence in São Paulo, a city of 21 million. To cope with loneliness and boredom, he spent time photographing lightning strikes during summer thunderstorms. 'Out of about 10 rolls, I managed to get about four lightning strikes. One of them, right around the hospital area,' he says.
The Birth and First Moments
When Valentín was born prematurely in December 2014, weighing only 1.32kg, João was allowed in for just a few minutes before the delivery. Afterward, the baby was taken for care, and João was told to leave. Fernanda spent hours alone in a corridor waiting to recover from anesthesia. 'This photo is the first moment João saw me without Valentín in my belly. We were not allowed to see our son until that evening, hours later,' she explains.
Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo does not permit photos in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), but the couple managed to take a secret photo when a nurse left the room. 'We wanted to show him to our family. Looking at this photo helped me express milk at night,' Fernanda says.
Kangaroo Care and Apnoea Episodes
During kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact), Valentín would sometimes forget to breathe, turning purple. Nurses would massage his diaphragm to restart his breathing. 'Premature babies often do this; they should still be in the womb and not have to worry about breathing,' Fernanda notes. These apnoea episodes prolonged his hospital stay beyond the expected adjusted age.
Pumping and Isolation
When Fernanda returned home without Valentín, she continued to pump milk at night despite the hospital not allowing her to bring it to him. 'I learned that melatonin and prolactin increase during the night, also increasing milk production. But I continued to wake up in the middle of the night to pump and discharge the milk in the toilet,' she says.
Return Home and Further Hospitalization
After three months in the NICU, Valentín came home in March 2015. However, six months after birth, he needed to be hospitalized again. 'We couldn't believe we were back in a hospital,' Fernanda recalls. During that trip, doctors performed a lumbar puncture to collect spinal fluid. A nurse gave them a rhyming book about a boy named Valentín riding a bicycle, offering a moment of solace.
Fernanda describes a moment when she tucked Valentín inside her shirt to prevent further blood draws: 'I wanted to have a skin-to-skin moment with him. We couldn't believe we were back in a hospital.'
Healing and Legacy
Valentín is now 11 years old and aware of the photographic record of his entry into life. The project, available from Void, represents an unprecedented collective portrait of lived experience, revealing a sensitive visual language for circumstances often shrouded in silence.
