Feed, feed, feed!

• Make sure your baby is freshly “milk drunk” as we like to call it ;) Trust me, everyone will be much happier including the baby! And the more “milk drunk,” the sleepier the baby!

Patience.

• Patience is key, especially in this case. It’s hard to predict what your newborn will be feeling like the day of the shoot, but just hope that they are calm and sleepy! These shoots can last for hours depending on what the baby’s temperament is like that day. And of course, the #1 priority is catering to your baby’s needs, so you may have to pause to feed, burp, change their diaper or rock the baby to sleep before capturing that perfect shot! I felt like we spent a majority of  the shoot making sure Alessandra was comfortable and only about 10% taking the actual photos! 

Getting photo-shoot ready

• Let’s be honest..the first week after birth isn’t the prettiest..living in sweatpants, unwashed hair, spit stains..mama’s out there, you know what I’m talking about here! It’s hard to get back into the groove of things right after birth and doing your hair and makeup is the last thing on your mind. But if you want to be in your baby’s newborn shoot, this is the perfect time to give yourself a much-needed pampering session! Take a couple hours to go get your hair and makeup done or get an in-home service (like the Glamapp) to come straight to you! When it comes to clothing for the shoot, the more simple, the better. I wore a classic, loose white blouse and leggings, we only shot from the waist up so I didn’t have to worry about my bottoms.

Have your essentials packed and ready!

• Soothie pacifiers and the Baby Shusher will save you!! Even if your baby is well-fed, burped and freshly changed, she or he will more than likely go into a crying spell at some point and you want to come prepared! The Baby Shusher is a little travel sized object that literally makes a shushing sound which is very calming to the baby, and the Soothie pacifiers will mimic your nipple and not leave any marks on the baby’s face that would be hard to remove from the photos. 

Snacks, snacks, snacks!

• Make sure you have a ton of snacks for yourself for shoot day. It’s hard to anticipate just how long you’ll be there, could be hours, and after not sleeping much, you’ll need little energy boosts to help you get through! The shoot is usually more tiring stressful for the parents than it is for the baby! 

Power Through

• A newborn shoot is challenging enough to go through just days after giving birth, so the last thing you want is to put more stress on yourself. As much as I wanted to get the perfect shots, I was getting really stressed out seeing her cry, having to feed in front of everyone, her pooping on the photographer lol, and at points, just wanted to take her home! But just keep in mind, babies can also feel stress from their mamas, so the more calm you are, the better it is for everyone. The photographer reassured us to stay relaxed and stay positive. And together, we powered through! 

Hope you loves enjoy these photos as much as I do!! And if you’re a mama-to-be or are planning to have a baby in the future, I hope you enjoy these photos and can use them for inspo! As semi-stressful as the day was, we will love and cherish these photos forever and get to remember what a sweet little peanut she was!

XO, Jessi