From Maternity to Mommy

When I was pregnant, I felt a bit insecure about my size and my huge tummy, and I would shy away from anyone who wanted to take a photograph of me. Today, when I think back about my pregnancies, I wish I had more photographs. More images to help bring my memories to surface. OK, so maybe I do not want to remember much of the first five months when I could barely survive the nausea, but I sure do wish I could feel the flutter of my little girls wiggling around in my tummy. If it was as I remember, Ava would lay around almost all day and move slowly with a few big rolls and somersaults every once in awhile. And Olivia... Olivia would be doing gymnastics all night long in there as if she was planning on winning a gold medal on the floor exercise.

I think this is one of the reasons I love doing maternity sessions. I do not want other mothers to miss out on capturing these moments. I want them to feel as beautiful as they look. A few years back, I worked as a nurse in the birthing center. It was an amazing experience for me. I loved helping parents and families through the experience of welcoming a new child into the world. I found myself near tears every time I heard the first breath of a newborn. Now, I love helping families preserve those first moments forever through photography. I am LUCKY!

A few months ago I had the chance to have a session just like this with a family of three getting ready to expect number 4.... a boy! After we took some great family images, just mom and I headed out to the beach for some great maternity portrait shots. We had a beautiful day in February, and we took advantage of it. This mom was such a trooper... even though it looks beautiful, it was still a bit chilly... thank goodness she had some extra hormones to help keep her a bit warmer!
There are so many great images from this maternity session, it was hard to pick out which ones to share. These however are a couple of my favorites. I love this one because I can see the excitement and curiosity on the face of soon to be big sister...I can see the quiet confidence in a daddy's smile...
... and the calm security of a mother's hand as she holds her tummy and new babe.
Not only was I blessed with the opportunity to have this maternity session, but just days after it was over, I was invited up to the hospital for a newborn session. It is always an honor to come shoot a newborn at the hospital, but this time was especially amazing. This family waited to introduce their new prince to his sister until I was there to take photos of the meeting!

Hospitals can provide some rather challenging situations for a portrait session, we are always somewhat limited with lighting and location, but every time I do one of these sessions, I realize how amazing they are. We always end up capturing once in a lifetime images. This time however, we had everything on our side... a brand new baby boy, a gorgeous family, and a beautiful city... When you look at these images, most of them you would never guess were at a hospital.

How much would you have given to have this be a view out of your hospital window! I was totally jealous! I am actually pretty surprised that I got this shot through a window!
I love this image of daddy with his new son.
It was so fun to watch everyone explore this new little guy.... look at his cute lips and the shape of his tiny knees, he is a complete miracle.I love the swirl on the top of a newborn's head....OK.... check out these big eyes. I love this little girl. She entertained me all day with her silly smiles, her unicorn, and the sweet kisses she gave her new brother.And last but not least... some family photos. I love these images. I love how dad is looking at his new son while mom is looking at her little girl as a "big girl" for the first time.
This next image I love for very similar reasons.... this time the momma and daughter are looking down at this beautiful new baby in awe while daddy is loving his girls.I wish you all the best as you begin your life as a family of four with this little guy. Enjoy the sleepless nights, the first smiles and giggles, the tiny toes and soft cheeks... Thank you for sharing this special time with me!