A to Z of your Newborn Session
So you are expecting a baby?!? Or maybe you just had a new baby! Have you booked your newborn's first session?
There are so many questions about the first session! What is expected? What do I bring? The most common concerns from the parents is.... What if my baby poops during on the photographer.....
A is for Appointment... Contact me anytime during your pregnancy and we tentatively book your newborn session on your due date.... I know that won't be the actual date but that gives me an idea of how many babies I will have coming in around that time.
B is for Binky .. Studies show that babies need to suck to sooth, please bring a pinky to use just in case we get in a pinch.
C is for Calm...Babies can sense when mom is nervous. Babies can sense when I’m nervous. It is so important to remain calm and relaxed before and during the session. I sit at the computer and stalk all of my favorite newborn photographers to get my ideas running. Even if you’re running a few minutes late (one of the biggest causes of anxiety before a session), it’s okay. I’ve planned for a little wiggle room. It’s more important that you arrive relaxed then it is to feel anxious that you’ve arrived a few minutes late.
D is for Diaper.... Put baby’s diaper on loosely right before coming to the session. That will help minimize any marks on the baby’s skin from the elastic in the diaper.
E is for Eating.....You can diet AFTER the newborn session! It is imperative that you eat enough calories to help establish your milk if you’re nursing. Lots of milk = full tummy = happy, sleepy baby.
F is for Feeding.......Before you arrive at your newborn session, feed your baby a full feeding plus some! Or, feel free to feed the baby once you arrive at my house. The term often used is milk drunk! We can stop as many times during the session as needed to fill baby back up if they’re running on low.
G is for Gassy.......Make sure and burp your baby after her very full feeding. A gassy tummy can make a very cranky baby. If your baby tends to be very gassy you can also try avoiding caffeinated beverages {gasp} for a few days before the session. Dairy has also been thought to be the cause of a gassy baby. Sometimes just being posed on their belly in those squishy newborn poses will help work the bubbles out on their own.
H is for Hot....It’s going to be warm….very, very warm during your newborn’s session. My goal is to get the studio up to about 84 degrees. I have heating pads under the props, heaters throughout the room, and the studio heat is on. Please wear layers as it is easy to remove them as we go.
I is for Instagram and social media – I am completely fine with you snapping pictures of your baby while I have posed and posting them on social media, just remember to tag me first…and let me know when your going to snap a shot, so I can suck in and smile lol! I love it when you tell your friends what a great time you’re having – real time – during your newborn session!
J is for Jumping in – I recommend for the parents to wear a very simple black or white long sleeve shirt. I sometimes throw you in a picture when I need to sooth the baby. Then at the end of the session, I can get some of the baby and parents. Also, I LOVE black and whites portraits with mom and dad!!!
K is for Kids– If you want siblings in the session, please let me know in advance. I hold the sibling shots off to the end of the session. If someone is available to bring the siblings over to the studio toward the end of the session, it makes them so much happier (it’s quite boring for a 2 year old to sit in a warm, quiet environment for 2 hours), it also helps the session go smoother. I do however have a few toys and cable TV available to help entertain your other children.
L is for Location – 90% of my newborn sessions are shot in my home studio. I have a small newborn studio in the basement of my home. It is easier for me to do the photography here since I have so many blankets, props, heaters, lighting, etc. But if you are interested in an at home session, please let me know!
M is for Mom – Your job during the session is to catch up on any reading, sleeping, or social media! If you opt to be in a few of the pictures, those will be done towards the end of the session. I have even had a few moms take a cat nap!
N is for Naked – I LOVE naked babies! Their naked little butts, the little fat rolls on their backs.... Oh, if only the fat rolls on my back were so adorable!! Don’t worry, I take every precaution to make sure that all private areas of the baby are hidden.
O is for Outfits – My style of newborn photography is sleeping babies! I have a closet full of outfits you want to use in your session. If you have an outfit that has special meaning to you, please bring it. My style of photography is very simple, I prefer to not use very "frilly" outfits for the newborn sessions. I love to save them for their older sessions like 6 month or a year.
P is for Props – I have many, many fun props, baskets, fabrics, wraps, hats, headbands, bows, backdrops etc. If you have something special you would like used in your session, let me know in advance so I can create a set up for you prior to the session. I don’t want to spend precious time setting up backdrops and sets.
Q is for Questions....... Ask away... Just like your teacher used to say, " No question is a dumb question"
R is for Rocking – You may see me rocking, and rocking, and rocking and rocking your baby. While I rock, I’m watching your baby for the signs that they are entering the deep sleep that I need for a lot of the newborn poses. On average, it takes about 20-30 minutes of swaying and rocking to get baby into a deep, deep sleep. Sometimes I even rock in my own sleep!!
S is for Supplies – I don't have very many supplies that a newborn needs like wipes, newborn diapers, burp clothes, binky wipes, so please bring them to the session. I do however have lots of blankets and props.
T is for Time – Expect your newborn session to take anywhere between 1 1⁄2 -3 hours. Babies are on their own schedule with eating and sleeping, so it’s my job to just be patient with them and enjoy rocking them to sleep!
U is for Unpredictable – I think we all know that babies are very unpredictable. I’m VERY good with babies. I’ve had a few of my own, and I’ve been studying them for the past 4 years. I’ve learned a lot of little tricks to soothe your newborn, I actually enjoy “dancing” your newborn to sleep, and it eliminates the hand-off when mom gets baby to sleep and hands baby to me … and …. baby ends up waking up. Sometimes babies just are not in the mood for their photography session, I usually try as hard as I can to get some as many pictures as I can, but sometimes after trying, we may need to reschedule for another day.
V is for Value – What do you receive for your investment? Your session comes with 20-25 edited images on a gallery. Expect an approximate 2 week turn around time from the day of your session to the day they are on your gallery. You can purchase downloading rights to the high resolution files if you wish!
W is for Wet – The one thing I can almost guarantee will happen…. I will be peed on multiple times in a newborn photography session! I am prepared for that. Towels, wipes, rags all within easy reach for a quick clean up!
X is for eXcrement – Guess what, your baby will poop. Probably more than once. Sometimes once per set-up! I’m used to it, I expect it, I dress for it! I wear old, gross tee shirts that I can throw away when they get pooped on! Everybody poops!
Y is for Young – I like your baby to be UNDER 14 days old for her newborn photography session. It seems that once they hit 14 days old they start to get baby acne, they aren’t as deep of sleepers, and they aren’t as flexible. This doesn’t, however, mean that if your baby is over 10 days old that we won’t do a session. No matter the age, babies are beautiful. We just might have to work a little harder to keep baby asleep!
Zzzzzzz – If we follow the A-Z, hopefully we will have a lot of Zzzzs and an amazing newborn photography session! I recommend giving baby a bath right before the session and try to keep them awake as long as possible.... I love tired babies.....Zzzzzzzzzzz