So you’re expecting a baby?! Maybe you’ve just had a new baby. Have you booked your newborn’s first portrait session? There are so many questions surrounding that first session. Can I bring my own outfits? Can I be in the pictures with my newborn? What is expected from me during the session? The most common question of all: What if my baby poops on the photographer during the session?
We all know how many letters there are in the alphabet, and that can make for a very, very long read! I know that you are exhausted from being pregnant, or from just having a baby, and I know that if you sit still for longer than 10 minutes, you’ll slip into a sleep deprived coma! So if you need to, take a day or two to read this post..
I now present to you.....
The A to Zs of your newborn session!
Appointment – Start looking into booking your appointment after your first trimester to ensure we can fit your newborn in! Once you deliver, shoot me a message and we’ll finalize your appointment! I have learned that babies sleep best 14 days or under so please try to get something booked in this time frame.
Binky – Babies need to suck to soothe. Sometimes the difference between nailing the pose and missing it is as simple as that binky.
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 set my studio up the night before a session so that the morning you come in I’m not feeling rushed or anxious. 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.
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. Although, most of the time I do leave the baby’s diaper on to protect me and you.
Eat – 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.
Feed – Before you arrive at your newborn session, feed your baby a full feeding plus some! The term often used is milk drunk! We’ll take as many pit stops during the session as needed to fill baby back up if they’re running on low. See “milk drunk” below..
Gassy – Make sure and burp your baby after her very full feeding. A gassy tummy can make a very sad baby. If your baby tends to be very gassy, you can look into options like gripe water. 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.
Heat – It’s going to be warm….very, very warm during your newborn’s session. If I’m not sweating (which will happen) it’s not hot enough. Dads are usually the most uncomfortable out of everybody in the room. They are welcome to escape the heat and sneak out for the remainder of the session if they want.
Instagram – Please..if you snap a cell shot and send it on it’s way to the interweb… 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!
Joy – I admit, J was a hard one to find… I specialize in newborn photography because they bring me so much joy. There is nothing in the world as soothing as holding a brand new baby as they drift off to sleep. Every single baby leaves their mark on my heart, thank you for trusting me with your little slice of joy!
Kids– If you want siblings in the session, please let me know in advance. I try to do the family shots at the beginning of the session, this way, dad can leave with the kids after. . (it’s quite boring for the youngins to sit in a warm, quiet environment for 2 hours and be quiet).
Location – 99% of my newborn sessions are shot in my home studio. Having you come to my studio where all my supplies are stored and organized so I can find them quickly is imperative to a successful session! I try and schedule all sessions in the mid morning.
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 at the beginning of your session and then you get to relax.
Naked – Some of the portraits you see on my facebook page are of sweet naked babies. Don’t worry, I take every precaution to make sure that all private areas of the baby are hidden.
Outfits – My style of newborn photography is sleeping, naked baby! If you have a closet full of outfits you want to use in your session, please take inventory and pick ONE of your favourite outfits. We’ll use it at the end of the session if baby is still sleepy. Each time we change an outfit, we wake up the baby and run the risk of not getting them back to sleep. This is the main reason I ask to not bring in outfits from home.
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 sleeping time trying to think of a set. and if you have gotten any ideas off of the beloved Pinterest, please feel free to send them to me so I’ve got a better idea of what you’re thinking.
Questionnaire – Once baby is born and we know the gender, I will send you my Newborn Pre-Session Questionnaire. This questionnaire helps me mold my session to fit your style and colors. You can fill the questionnaire out and email it back. The sooner you submit the questionnaire the better!
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.
How we doing so far? Information overload? Any questions? PLEASE feel free to ask away. I’d love to help.
Supplies – I do ask that you bring your own supplies and extra to the session. It’s hard for me to keep up in my small space will all the different diapers, wipes, binkies, water bottles, snacks etc that all moms use these days. However, if you need anything please feel free to ask. You are my guest and my client, I’d love to get whatever you need to feel more comfortable and relaxed during our time together.
Time – Please try to keep your baby up as much as possible for up to 3 hours before the session. This ensures they are zonked right out for when we start. Expect your newborn session to take anywhere between 1 1⁄2 -4 hours pending the package you picked. 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! Don’t stress if your baby doesn’t fall asleep right away, you’re not the only one!
Unpredictable – I think we all know that babies are very unpredictable. I’m VERY good with babies. I’ve been studying them for the past 6 years. I’ve learned a lot of little tricks to soothe your newborn. I’m going to very respectfully ask you to sit back and let me do my magic unless I absolutely need you to help. I will sometimes ask for assistance or to be a spotter, but other than that, I got this.
Value – What to you receive for your investment? It’s simple. Your session comes with a high resolution CD (or emailed if that works better) along with a print release to use the photos however you would like!
Wet – The one thing I can almost guarantee will happen…. I will be peed on multiple times in a session! I am prepared for that. Towels, wipes, rags all within easy reach for a quick clean up!
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 t-shirts that I can throw away when they get pooped on! All of my fabrics are specially made for newborns, they are all washable and get washed between each session! Everybody poops!
Young – Your baby needs to be UNDER 14 days old for her newborn session. It seems that once they hit 18+ day 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 14 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 session! Z also stands for how many dads fall asleep during their newborn’s session!
I hope it wasn’t too much information, but just enough. like I said, please feel free to contact me with any questions!