The most painful, gruesome & MAGICAL days of Motherhood

When most people think of newborn photography, they picture freshly bathed babies sleeping peacefully in perfectly coordinated baskets and furs. Although that posed session creates gorgeous portraits to hang as giant canvases on your walls, it shouldn’t be your baby’s first experience with a professional photographer. Choosing that as your initial newborn session completely overlooks the first days when you actually welcomed baby into your family. Fresh 48 sessions document the magical days where you are secluded in the hospital bonding with your newest little love.

But I will look like an exhausted, still pregnant mess…

Moment of truth here: I did not hire a photographer to do Fresh 48 sessions with my babies and I regret it ALL. THE. TIME!! I had all sorts of excuses- one being vanity. The thought of being in photos right after giving birth knowing I would look and feel like crap sounded terrible. But in hindsight, I wish I had photos of me snuggling my new babies in the hospital bed to remind me of all the emotions I felt towards them those first couple days. Although baby might be the main star of their birth story, mom is a pretty important supporting actress!

But I can use my phone to do it myself…

As a photographer, I thought I could document those first days myself. WRONG! Postpartum recovery…hello! I was generally too sore, too exhausted, too hungry, too immobile to focus enough on the task. I have a few images of each child that I quickly took between feedings (or right before discharge), but I don’t have a collection of images that tells a story. It would be amazing to have photos that showed their unique hospital stays, like the layouts of the hospital room, the uncomfortable couches my husband slept on, the wooden bassinets where they slept their first nights, and the views out the windows overlooking the city skyline. Some of my kids were born in different states and that’s not represented at all in their hospital photos.

So, “do as I say, not as I do.” Although I thought I would remember every little detail of those days, they are sadly starting to fade…especially after having three kids where those details jumble together. I’d strongly encourage you to consider a Fresh 48 session during your hospital stay to document all those first details. Even if you’re not feeling photo worthy in the aftermath of a long labor and delivery, those first days are so special and something that can’t be recreated once you’re home.

If you want to capture the precious beginnings of your baby’s life, message me for information about my Fresh 48 sessions: https://erinmassiephotography.com/contact/

For information about my studio newborn sessions, go to my newborn-photography page: https://erinmassiephotography.com/newborn-photography

And for both Fresh 48 and Studio newborn sessions, read this blog post about how to choose a newborn photographer: https://erinmassiephotography.com/choosing-a-newborn-photographer/