10 Pictures Every New Mother Needs

Becoming a new mother is an experience unlike any other. The love for your new baby is wrapped up in sleepless nights, constant feeding, hushing, rocking, and soothing. These new little babies are completely reliant on their mothers for everything. While some “unicorn babies” exist, this is usually an emotionally and physically exhausting time in a new mom’s life. It’s easy to wish the sleepless nights be over and wish that your baby would mature faster because you just need a little sleep– and a shower!

When you finally come out on the other side of that newborn haze, you realize how quickly it all went. Suddenly that little tiny baby who fit under your chin is a walking, talking toddler. They are running away from you and demanding snacks every time you turn around. It’s easy to forget that tiny wrinkled person they once were.

Because a new mother has enough on her plate to worry about without anticipating the details she might miss once they are over, here is a list of 10 pictures every new mother will want to look back upon. These are moments and details I ensure that I capture during my newborn photo sessions.

1. A Picture of Herself with Her Baby

Trust me, I know you don’t feel your best. You just carried another human in your body for nine months! You feel tired and lumpy. But you are so beautiful and you are your new baby’s entire world. Someday, your baby will appreciate nothing more than looking back and seeing you snuggling them as an infant. My job as your newborn photographer is to worry about getting the most flattering angle but I promise you all you’ll see is the love.

2. A Picture of Her Babies Together

If this is not your first baby, you absolutely need a great portrait of your big kid(s) holding your newborn. It’s the number one picture my clients ask for and the first thing I attempt to capture when we begin your session! The older the biggest sibling, the easiest this is to get. With siblings 2 and under, it can be a challenge but the master bed tends to be a great spot to manage to get them into the frame together! My piece of advice is to go with whatever makes your big sibling happy. If they want to hold their new brother or sister in their playroom- work with that! Their whole life is changing right now and they often feel like they have no control over anything. I am happy to let them choose the location for their portrait (within reason) if that’s what will make them feel confident and comfortable.

3. The Top of Her New Baby’s Head

Yes, the top of his/her head. One of the most common questions I hear mothers asking one another is ‘did your babies have a lot of hair when they were born?’. Everyone is curious to see what your newborn is sporting out of their head. Many times, the hair they are born with is not what they will keep. My 5 month old had a full head of dark reddish hair. Fast forward 5 months and he’s completely lost it all and is now white-blonde. If I didn’t have a picture of the top of his head, I might not remember 5 years from now!

4. Nursery Details

First-time moms tend to put so much time and effort into dreaming up, designing, and assembling their child’s nursery. It’s fun and exciting and the one thing you feel you can “have ready” before you welcome a child into your life. The day you go to the hospital in labor, it will probably look pristine. Your changing table will be well-stocked. Little clothes carefully folded in the drawers and neatly hung in the closet. Your crib sheet will be free of spit-up stains. Your nursery won’t always look like this…. In the middle of that 2:00AM feeding and diaper change, you might not take as much care to put things away carefully. Before it becomes a functional workhorse of a nursery, take some pictures!

5. Mom With Her Kids + Dad With His Kids

6. The Littlest Details

Many people focus on their newborns adorable face, but don’t forget their other features! Those wrinkly toes with their scraggly nails will soon fill out. That belly button with the umbilical stump will soon be a fresh new belly button. Those skinny chicken legs will soon have rolls.

7. Your Newborn’s Whole Family

If you’re hiring a newborn photographer, they are obviously not going to forget to take the full family shot. But if you’re a new mother with a camera, make sure you have someone take a picture with you in it too! You’ll have lots of visitors post-birth who will be happy to snap a picture of your newly expanded crew.

8. Your Baby With Eye Contact

Everyone takes those newborn baby pictures when they are sleeping. They are so cute and peaceful, it’s like they’re begging to be photographed. But don’t forget to take pictures in that first week when your baby is awake! Document their eye color, their slight cross-eyed-ness.

9. You Doing Normal New Mother Things

It’s sometimes easy to take a selfie of you and your baby. But give someone else your camera and have them document you doing your Mom thing! Rocking your baby, feeding your baby, burping him, changing a diaper– it’s all so important! These things can all feel so monotonous but you’ll miss them someday.

10. Your Baby In A Diaper

You’ll get so many cute newborn-sized outfits gifted to you. Probably more than your baby will even wear! Make sure you also photograph your baby in the outfit they were born in…that’s right, their birthday suit. You’ll want to remember if you had a skinny newborn, a chunky one, their cute distended belly, their wrinkles, even that newborn rash!

Happy Photographing!

XO- Lyndsay

Are you an expectant parent in the Boston area?

Let’s chat about documenting your new baby in the comfort of your home.

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