Why Maternity Photos Are Important
I took a weekly photo of my belly every week of my pregnancy, for both pregnancies. Every single week, for 40 weeks, then for 37 weeks. I don’t remember where I got the idea, but these images are some of my most treasured photos. I can look back at what I was wearing, the house we lived in, a tiny toddler poking out from between my legs. I can see the exhaustion on my face the day before I went into labor with twins.
They aren’t fancy. Occasionally my husband would take the photo, but most are a selfie in a dusty mirror. I took a lot of them after a run or working out, so I’m sweaty and gross. It was the early 2010s, so they’re on low resolution cameras.
I am so, so thankful for these photos. I am the photographer of my family, so that means that while we have a lot of photos, very, very few of them have me in them. While at the time it feels like it may never end, pregnancy is *such* a fleeting time, and I am so incredibly thankful that Past Me knew this was important enough to document.
While of course, I would love to be your maternity photographer, I am not telling this story to convince me to be the photographer for you. I am telling you to have your maternity photos taken – by me, by someone else, by your spouse, by you in front of a mirror.
If that’s not convincing enough, keep reading!
You. Are. Beautiful.
I felt like garbage during my second pregnancy. Once I finally got over being nauseous, I was sweaty and hot. Once I wasn’t so overheated, I was in huge amounts of pain. My emotions were running unchecked, and I was terrified of life with two newborns.
Looking back now, I am blown away by my strength and tenacity. There were TWO PEOPLE inside my belly, and I was still living life! Yes, I was exhausted, but dang, I was awesome. At the time, I did nothing but lay on the couch, feeling worthless. Looking back now? I can’t believe I grew those babies!!
Professional maternity photos means you have a reason to buy that pretty dress for one night, do your makeup, and curl your hair (which is thick and gorgeous thanks to pregnancy). All I need you to do is show up, and I will handle the rest. I will put you in beautiful light, pose you to look your best, and will make you feel absolutely stunning (which you are!).
For your children.
My kids cannot believe I was ever pregnant, and definitely not with them! One of my favorite pastimes for waiting rooms is to pull out my phone, open my photo cloud, and show my kids photos of when they were babies. Pregnancy photos? Absolutely blow their mind! Not only were they inside my belly, they can’t believe that I used to look different (mostly younger. They can’t believe I looked younger).
While maternity photos are for you, they are also for that sweet baby in your belly!
Once in a lifetime experience.
Pregnancy is such an out-of-this-world experience. I had moments where I would be in the grocery store, feeling my baby flip and turn and hiccup, and couldn’t believe that every other person in there was just going about their daily life. I was creating a new human being, one the world had never seen before.
And that’s you! You’re doing that! You are growing a sweet baby, nothing the likes of this world has ever seen before.
Trigger happy memories.
As mentioned at the start of this article, going back through my pregnancy photos brings back such a wave of emotions. I can remember what our house looked like, how I felt in those photos.
There are studies showing that photos help us retain and build memories around positive experiences. Viewing these photos brings back those positive emotions, and helps cement them in your memories.
I only offer stress-free and relaxed maternity sessions. I am available by email and phone prior to your session to sort out any outfit/location/weather concerns. I will make both you and your spouse comfortable in front of the camera, as crazy of an experience as this can be! I absolutely promise you that you will look back on your photos from your session and remember a gorgeous evening with your spouse, enjoying the last few weeks of your pregnancy. Think of it like a date night!
You won’t regret it.
I’ve seen this floating around quite a bit of social media, which is sort of what prompted this post: you won’t regret having these photos, you will only regret not having them taken.
Speaking from ten years in the future, I can tell you that Future You will want these photos. Again, they don’t need to be professional images. They can be a selfie in the bathroom. They can be once a month. But you need to take the photos.
More info.
If you do decide to have professional maternity photos taken, you can find more information on my maternity session info page. I would absolutely love to work with you!
