The Moment You Don't Recognize Yourself
The moment you're able to get your tired body off of that extremely uncomfortable hospital bed and you waddle into the bathroom and catch a glimpse of yourself, you hardly recognize who you see looking back at you.
You somehow look different than you did when you arrived. You turn to the side to look at your stomach, half expecting to see a baby bump there, but it's no longer there. It's not as big as it was, but it somehow feels cold and empty, and your hands move around your stomach. You feel the stretch marks that each tell the story of how you grew your baby. And then you remember: you scheduled newborn photos for next week. And you don't feel like yourself, and you wish you would have not scheduled that session.
Can I Tell You a Little Secret?
If you're facing newborn photos when you don't feel like yourself, I want you to know that most moms feel this way, and I hope that brings you comfort. You're exhausted. Your body feels foreign. And you're comparing yourself to all those perfect postpartum photos you see on Instagram—the ones where mom looks rested and radiant and like she never even had a baby.
But that's not what this is about. This is about the real, messy, overwhelming beauty of right now. But I'm here to gently remind you that you don't have to show up perfect. All I want is for you to show up exactly as you are, love on your baby, and I'll handle the rest.
You Can Simply Just Be + Show Up For Newborn Photos
I know you're probably wondering what "I'll handle the rest" even means. Here's what newborn photos when you don't feel like yourself actually look like with me:
When you show up, I already know how you're feeling because I was there too once, and I worried that my outfit didn't fit this strange body I was standing in. But I will do my very best to be sensitive to how you're feeling, and we will take it slow. I won't make you feel rushed or worried, because during a newborn shoot, the person who really runs the show is your baby—and they can't even stay awake. So we follow their lead. And you'll be able to settle in and relax.
It's not going to feel posed, and you won't feel the need to be perfect. You'll simply hug and snuggle your baby, kiss their tiny feet and hold their tiny hands. We can talk about your delivery and how you didn't think you could do it, or how you were surprised that you handled it as well as you did. Or it can simply be silent and we just focus on the baby and give you space to rest and be taken care of.
What You'll See When You Look Back
Once you get your full gallery back, you'll look at that person in those photos and be so thankful you decided to be present and show up for this session. You'll be able to look at yourself the way the people in your life already see you. You'll see the way you hold your baby, so gentle and natural. You'll see how tiny they were - those little hands, those wrinkly toes. And you'll remember that overwhelming feeling of how much you love them, even when everything felt so hard.
You won't ever want to forget how simple life was in that moment, and the love you felt—an overwhelming feeling of love you'd never experienced before. I want you to be proud to see yourself in these photos, because you did something amazing and it should be remembered. Because the moment your child started their life, your motherhood journey started too, and they both deserve to be documented.
Don't worry about perfection or making sure you feel like yourself right away. I want you to show up exactly as you are. If this brings you peace of mind, let's work together for your postpartum newborn photos. (Book here)
Come on over to Instagram where I share the real and the raw of motherhood - you'll find more encouragement, behind-the-scenes moments, and reminders that you're not alone in this.
