If you’re on the fence about booking maternity photos or in-home newborn photos, I want to talk to you the way I’d talk to any of my friends sitting across from me with a cup of coffee; you're tired, excited, overwhelmed, and trying to make good decisions in the middle of a life-changing season.
Because here’s the truth: you won’t get this time back.
And I say that not from a marketing standpoint, but from personal experience.
I Missed So Many Moments, and I Don’t Want You To
When I had my first baby, I didn’t schedule newborn photos right away. I told myself I’d book them “after we got settled,” or “when things calmed down,” or “when I felt more like myself again.”
Spoiler: you never really feel settled at first. And things don’t calm down.
Life just keeps going.
By the time I finally booked the in-home session, I find myself not caring as much as I should have. I remember not caring what my house looked like, not picking out outfits for everyone to wear, and not feeling confident about any of it.
And honestly?
I made terrible outfit choices for both my husband and myself.
We wore something too casual.
I wore something that didn’t feel flattering. (think spit up and milk stains on a gray tank top, seriously what was I thinking)
I was tired, hormonal, and trying to pretend I wasn’t. I was going on a week of unwashed hair and was too tired to even put my contacts in.
Do I still treasure those photos? Absolutely.
But every time I look at them, I also feel that tiny sting of, “I wish I had done this sooner. I wish I had prepared differently. I wish I had let myself show up as I truly was.”
Then my second pregnancy came…and I didn’t memorialize it at all.
Not one maternity session.
Not even a real bump photo that wasn’t taken in bad bathroom light or with a toddler hanging off my hip.
You can’t go back and recreate those moments.
You can only learn from them and encourage someone else not to make the same choices.
Photos Anchor Your Memories
When you’re pregnant or freshly postpartum, you think you’ll remember everything.
The way you carried your belly.
The glow (or the swollen ankles, let’s be real).
The tiny kicks.
The quiet mornings when the world still felt like it was holding its breath with you.
But memories blur.
The days blend together.
Life moves so quickly, and babies grow even faster.
When I look back, there are entire chunks of my second pregnancy that feel like they slipped through my fingers; not because they weren’t meaningful, but because I didn’t give myself the gift of slowing down long enough to document them.
That’s what photos do:
They freeze time so that you can come back to it again and again, long after your baby is walking, talking, or starting kindergarten.
Newborn Photos Aren’t Just Photos, They’re Proof You Were There Too
Another thing I didn’t think about the first time around: I’m never in the photos when I don’t intentionally plan to be.
I’m the mom behind the camera.
The one taking the cute pictures.
The one capturing the milestones.
But who is capturing me?
The way I held my baby.
The way my eyes softened when I looked at them.
The way I clung to those early days even when they were hard.
If you don’t plan for newborn photos, you’ll blink and the only photos you have from this season will be OF your baby not WITH your baby.
Your kids deserve to see you in those memories, too.
If You’re Unsure, Here’s What I Want You to Know
You don’t have to feel beautiful, or ready, or “camera perfect.”
You don’t need the perfect home or perfect outfits.
You don’t need to lose the baby weight before the photos.
You don’t need to have it all together.
These sessions aren’t about perfection.
They’re about presence.
They’re about showing your children:
“This is how much we loved you, even at the beginning. Even when we were tired. Even when we didn’t know what we were doing.”
I Took More Photos the Second Time and It Was WORTH It
With my second baby, I made different choices.
I took more photos of him.
I slowed down.
I picked the cute outfits, made sure the homemade blankets were in the shot, and made use of the semi-clean spots in my house.
I let myself be in the frame more.
And I’m so grateful I did.
Because now, I see my own growth as a mother.
I see my connection with him.
I see the way he fit into my arms, something he’s already outgrown :(
I see the life we were creating, one sleepy smile at a time.
I want that for you too.
You’ll Never Regret the Photos (Only the Ones You Didn’t Take)
So if you’re unsure, if you’re hesitating, or if you feel guilty about spending money on yourself…let me say this gently:
These moments only happen once.
Your baby will only be this tiny once.
You will only become a mother to this child once.
And one day, you’ll be so grateful that you paused long enough to capture it.
