Hellobee

When we had our first daughter, Ohana, I was the quintessential first time mom and had everything planned and prepped, including her newborn photo shoot. The photographer who took my maternity pictures was hired and on stand-by. She told us that newborn photos were best taken between 7-10 days after birth, so we had her come exactly one week after Ohana was born. We cranked up the house heat and put a space heater in the room so the baby would be comfortable naked while she took photos. I was bleeding, stressed, and sweating. I still looked like I was about 6 months pregnant so I was horrified when the photographer asked what type of family photos we had in mind. Somehow I just thought the photos would be of the baby….not me! After she mentioned it, however, it seemed crazy to not have family photos taken. I very quickly put on some makeup and grabbed an outfit – but not just any outfit. Oh no. I grabbed the worst outfit. An old, ill-fitting, scoop neck white t-shirt and black yoga pants. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? My boobs were spilling out the top and the white t-shirt clung to my swollen belly horribly.

Ohana Sweet angel sleeping through her newborn shoot 

The photo shoot took several hours, and I distinctly remember thinking “when is this going to be over?” Ohana thankfully slept nearly the whole time otherwise it could have been much much worse. But being only a week after birth, I was quite attached to that little baby and just having her out of my arms for a few hours was very unsettling for me. I remember pacing and feeling anxious even though I was right there the whole time. I just wanted to hold her and I wanted the photographer (whom I love) out of my house. Except for the photos I am in, of course we got beautiful photos and I am so grateful to have them. However, the process was not ideal.

When I was pregnant with Romi, Missus Scooter and I talked about not having a newborn photo shoot. After all, I am pretty good with a camera and I could surely snap some pictures of our naked, sleeping baby that would easily rival a professional. We were second-time parents and it seemed extravagant to have a newborn photo shoot for kid #2. But after she was born, she was so perfect and we were in love and we wanted to capture these wonderful moments. Romi was about 2 weeks old when I reached out to our photographer. She said was super booked and it would be several weeks out.

We ended up having our “newborn” photo shoot when Romi was 8 weeks old. And it was unexpectedly better than I thought. Here are my pros to waiting several weeks to have newborn pictures taken.

Oh hello Romi!

Pro: I was better prepared. Any time you add a member to the family, there is an adjustment period and it’s probably best not to add any more stress to that scenario. For me, I was very well adjusted to being the mother of two at 8 weeks postpartum. I was not anxious or unsure of myself. I felt comfortable in this role and I was much more at ease. Additionally, my body was back to normal and I was not self conscious about being included in the pictures. In fact, I was looking forward to it this time around (actually thinking about my outfit helped too).

Me actually liking the way I look!

Pro: Romi had personality. Newborn photos are adorable because they are literally capturing the magic of a newborn. However, most of the shots are of the baby sleeping because that’s what they’re up to at that age. And while I love me a sleeping baby pic, you probably only need a couple of these and you get the gist. Hardly feels like a good use of several hundred dollars. Because we waited until Romi was 2 months old, she was awake for more than half the shoot and we got to capture a little bit of her personality (including some smiles)! She also fell asleep so we got the sweet sleeping pictures. While this would have only been possible because she was a bit older, she was still young enough to look like a teeny baby.

Both  girls showing personality

Pro: I knew my baby. Having spent every moment with Romi for 56 days, I knew her really well. I knew what would make her cry/piss her off and what positions she would be comfortable and at ease in. I knew how to get her to look at the camera and how to make her smile. These little things made a huge difference in the type of photos we were able to capture as well as the overall experience.

Super chill baby

Pro: Romi was more hearty. Being 2 months old, Romi was not as delicate and sensitive as a newborn. This was great because we were able to take pictures in several locations at our home – including our outdoor shower in the backyard! We were also able to take pictures of Romi both in an outfit and naked without any melt downs or worries about temperature. When we did newborn pictures with Ohana, we shot in one location (her nursery) and she was pretty much naked the whole time in fear of jostling her around too much.

Missus Scooter and Romi loving the outdoor shower!

Pro: Limited time. This can be done no matter what the age is, but it’s one of the things we did this time around that made a huge difference. We strictly told our photographer she had one hour with us and we stuck to it. Any longer than this and everyone in our family (baby, toddler, parents) would have started losing it. An hour felt totally do-able.

Right about now, Ohana was completely melting down…thankfully this was our last shot!

Photo shoots can be stressful, especially with the ultimate wild card: kids/babies! But having beautiful professional images are a wonderful way to document a little slice of your history in a unique way. I am always so happy to have taken pictures after they are done and I see the images and this time was no different.

Did you have a newborn photo shoot? How old was your LO when you had pictures taken?