When Is The Best Time To Have Your Newborn Photoshoot? | Shelby Township, Mi
You’re a pregnant mom in the Shelby Township, Michigan area and you’re trying to figure out
when you should have your newborn baby’s pictures taken, right?
I’m here to help answer that question (and more!) for you.
First, congratulations on your pregnancy! If you’re searching to learn about newborn photos, you’re likely in your second or third trimester, eagerly awaiting for baby to make their arrival and for you to be ready.
Second, you’re doing it right by trying to figure this out in advance. Once baby makes his/her arrival, life gets a little crazy for a few weeks, and quite frankly, becomes a blur during those first sleep deprived weeks. It’s nice to have it organized in advance. For my more relaxed mamas out there, I see you and I feel you! You blinked and you’re about to deliver your baby and you’re just trying to find a good newborn photographer that can safely pose and work with baby while you relax a bit and half watch and half scroll on Instagram. I’m here for you, too!
So, the first answer is…
you should have your newborn baby’s pictures taken within 2-3 weeks of birth.
Some photographers will do sooner, some won’t do later than two weeks, but my rule of thumb is 2-3 weeks.
For those who like to know the details as to why I think 2-3 weeks is the perfect time, I’ll fill you in!
Reason #1. After baby is born, it can take a week or a little over for your milk to come in, for both you and baby to get the hang of feeding, to perfect that latch, to figure out which bottle baby prefers, and so forth. Although rarely talked about, feeding is one of those first challenges as a parent and that’s okay.
To have a successful newborn photoshoot, we need baby to have a full belly, so take those first two weeks to get the feeding process down! There are some exceptions and sometimes I will photograph a newborn before the two week mark, if the parents really need it. There are some cultures that have traditions around the newborn baby that we’ll schedule around, or maybe its Dad’s work schedule playing a role. I can be flexible around your needs and what’s best for your family.
Reason #2. You’re recovering from birth, and frankly, need a little time. You’ve just given birth, your body needs some time to heal, you’re trying to figure out feeding, you’re sleep deprived, and maybe you have older kiddos that are transitioning into newborn life. Two weeks is still pretty quick, considering all that you have going on.
Usually when my clients come in, the newborn session is a breath of fresh air because it is a relaxing experience for you. You get about two and half hours to literally relax on the studio couch and watch me work with your baby. Half the time the dads will nod off and catch up on a little sleep while mom drinks a cold frappucino from the studio refreshments and catches up on social, while posting some behind the scenes of her new little babe being photographed!
Reason #3. After the 3 week mark, baby tends to stretch out more and a little less poseable. I know they still seem so tiny and small, and indeed they are, however they tend to be in less of their curled up newborn pose.
DON’T FRET if you cannot have your newborn photography session done between 2-3 weeks.
Sometimes situations come up and things happen; that’s okay. Maybe baby had to go to NICU, or has jaundice. We can push back the newborn photo shoot, no problem! I’ve worked with ‘newborns’ up to 11 weeks old before. We can make it work!
I hope you found this helpful and as a good starting guide for your newborn session! Now, what other questions can I help you with?
xo,
Chelsie
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Chelsie Maurer is an award winning photographer specializing in Maternity, Newborn, Child and Family sessions serving Birmingham, Chesterfield, Macomb, Oakland Township, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Troy, Utica, Washington Township, West Bloomfield and the greater Metro Detroit areas. Her photography studio is located Downtown Utica, Michigan.