Five Reasons To Do A Maternity Photo Session

I get a lot of newborn inquiries from people who tell me they “don’t need a maternity session,” or they’ll “do photos when the baby gets here.” I get it…you might not feel your best, you don’t feel like showing off your body after gaining pregnancy weight, you don’t see the reason for doing two sessions so close together, and maybe you think you won’t do anything with the maternity photos.

You don’t get many opportunities to do a maternity session, and many people regret not doing it. There are lots of reasons to skip it, but I’ll give you five reasons why you shouldn’t…

1. Remember this fleeting time before your baby arrives.

Your baby will be here before you know it! Things will get crazy. Maternity photos happen during the calm before the storm. The last days when it’s just you and your partner, or the last days of being a family of 3 (or more).

Some people say they don’t need maternity photos because they will take photos when the baby gets here. But that’s not what this is about. It’s not about just taking photos. Yes, you will do those family photos with your newborn soon, but you should also document your life and your family as it is right now. Those memories deserve to be remembered. Think about how a photo session before your baby gets here will look…and how the images will allow you to look back and remember the time before the baby, and memories of your life in this moment. That’s worth capturing.

2. Document your body and your pregnancy journey in photos.

Pregnancy can be a magical, beautiful experience (some would even say a miracle). But everyone has their own journey…some are easy, and some are incredibly hard. They all deserve to be documented…whether you love being pregnant or hate it. Whether you gained a ton of weight or barely gained any. Whether you had previous losses, or none. Whether you like showing off your pregnant belly, or not. Whether you’re a first time mom or have other children. Whether you got pregnant easily, or it took years and many rounds of IVF. Whether you’ve been going through another journey at the same time, or not.

You have a life growing inside of you that you can feel kick and hiccup, and you can actually see your little one moving around. That’s pretty amazing. You may miss that when it’s gone…but photos can preserve those memories.

Maybe you gain some weight during your pregnancy…that’s because YOU ARE GROWING A HUMAN INSIDE OF YOU. That is absolutely not a reason to skip maternity photos. You look beautiful no matter what, and should feel proud of everything your body has accomplished to bring your baby into the world. Your body should be celebrated and photographed.

If you are someone that has been through infertility, IVF, or have had recurrent pregnancy loss…your journey to pregnancy definitely deserves to be documented. You have been through so much to get here, and these photos are important. They show your strength, resilience, and dedication. It’s an extremely tough road, with so many emotional ups and downs. But you made it to the end of your pregnancy…somewhere you probably never thought you would be. You absolutely deserve to have photos capturing this part of your journey.

Maybe you went through pregnancy while also going through cancer. If that doesn’t deserve to be photographed, I don’t know what does. It’s amazing what our bodies are capable of.

Maybe everything about your pregnancy was perfect and happened just as you always imagined it…you deserve to have your pregnancy documented as well.

Every journey is different, but they all matter and they all should be celebrated and remembered through photographs.

3. Get to know your maternity/newborn photographer.

I find that there is a little bit more of an ease to a photo session with families that I’ve worked with before. Everyone knows each other, I know what to expect from the family, and the family knows what to expect from me.

If there are kids involved, they are less anxious and more relaxed because they’ve already met me. So instead of being shy, and hiding behind mom and dad, they are excited to show me their new baby brother or sister…or their new toy. Either way, they have met me, so I’m not a stranger!

The maternity session is kind of like a trial run before the newborn session in a way. You will learn my way of shooting, and we will become familiar with each other. I really do think my sessions with families I’ve photographed before have a different feel to them...so a maternity session before a newborn session is always a good way to go.

4. Bonding.

Maybe there was some tension between you and your partner during your pregnancy (hormones!)…if so, doing these photos can really help strengthen your bond again. It’s a great reminder that you are bringing a new life into the world TOGETHER.

In addition, it’s a good way for your partner to also bond with the baby. Many partners don’t feel an attachment to the baby until after it’s born, which is very different than mothers who are carrying the baby and develop a bond while pregnant. This can help your partner feel more connected to the baby.

It’s also a great way for your other kids to connect with the baby. Some kids may have a hard time knowing that there will be a new baby joining the family and taking away attention from them. This is a great way to get them involved and excited about the baby coming. It shows them that they are not only included, but they are an important part of this whole experience.

5. Decorate your home with your maternity portraits.

I did a family session at a client’s home years ago, and they had a few maternity photos beautifully framed and up on the wall in their baby’s bedroom. I thought it was a really cute spot for maternity photos…I don’t know why it never occurred to me before, but the nursery is a perfect spot for them!

Wherever you decide to hang your maternity photos, as your child grows they will learn that it was them inside moms belly in the photo, and I bet they will love having those photos around. If you read my blog post, The Importance of Printing Your Photos, you know that having family photos up in your home can boost your child’s self esteem (click the button below to read more about that…it’s so interesting), and I can imagine maternity photos can have the same effect once they realize the reason for the photos was that they were in your belly!

5. Before and after maternity and newborn photos.

Lastly, for the social media people, or just photo lovers in general…it’s always fun to have before and after photos. I love the 2 images below of this beautiful mama pregnant with her second baby, and then the same image taken a few weeks later with her holding her newborn. If you go to my Instagram account you can see a fun reel I made with these photos.

So there you have it. Some great reasons to do a maternity session. Are you ready to book yours? If so, click the link below!