You’ve Booked Your Newborn Session, Perfect! Here’s What to Expect!
Congratulations on booking your newborn session with us! We’re thrilled to be a part of capturing these precious moments for you and your family. Here’s a detailed guide on what you can expect during your session:
All Set for the Session
You don’t have to worry about bringing anything for the session itself. I provide all the props, drops, wraps, headbands, and more! I will build your setups based on your preferences that I gathered on your questionnaire when you book. My residential studio has its own private restroom, a diaper changing station stocked with wipes and diapers from newborn to size 1, and a cute baby fridge stocked with cold water bottles in case you need a refresher.
Warm Welcome
Newborn sessions take place starting in the morning. Upon arriving, I will meet you at parking and lead you to the studio. Feel free to come in and make yourself comfortable! The studio will be kept warm, so that when it’s time to start the session, your baby will stay nice and cozy, the warmth helping them stay sleepy. Unless previously discussed for scent sensitivity, a diffuser with natural lavender oil may be running, filling the air with soft calmness. Baby’s come with a lot of STUFF! Definitely take a seat and unpack, where we’ll chat a little before the session starts. We’ll get a feel for how your little one feels so we can best maneuver the session. Sessions can often last anywhere from 2-4 hours, we’ll move along at baby’s pace, leaving room for soothing, feedings, burping, diaper changes, and more. Depending on how long the trip was, we may “top-off” baby with a feeding before starting.
Useful Tips, Tricks, and Reiterations
Here are some tips and tricks for a smoother session:
- Watch What You Eat: If nursing, avoid spicy foods 24 hours before the session to prevent gassiness in the baby.
- Keep Baby Awake: Try to keep your baby awake as much as possible before the session, and consider giving them a soothing bath to keep them alert.
- Feed Baby Beforehand: Feed your baby about 30 minutes before the session to ensure they are full and comfortable.
- Stay Hydrated: Bring snacks and water to stay hydrated during the session, as newborn sessions can last several hours.
- Bring Pacifier and Brush: A pacifier can help soothe your baby during posing, and a brush can be helpful if your baby has a lot of hair.
- Be Prepared for Feedings: Plan for 2-3 feedings during the session, and consider supplementing with formula if needed.
And of course, a lot of these suggestions are just that: suggestions. Yes, these tips will make for a smoother session, however, baby’s make their own plans. Life isn’t always perfect, and schedules don’t always line up. Maybe baby didn’t sleep well the night before, maybe their feeding cycle got all wonky, or are even cluster-feeding. It’s OK! We can work with it the best we can! Just keep in mind that if these tips aren’t followed, it’s possible we might not capture desired images.
Capturing Precious Moments
During the session, feel free to take behind-the-scenes shots with me! I absolutely LIVE for these photos if you don’t mind sending them to me, but please refrain from taking pictures of just the baby in their setups. I hear the photographer is pretty good at their job. ~.^
Wrapping Up
After the session, I’ll help you pack up and walk you out to your vehicle. If you need any help carrying anything, I’m happy to help! A proofing gallery will be sent to you within 3-4 business days. These images are lightly edited, with a handful of fully edited images to showcase what a finished product will look like. From the gallery, you can choose the images you would like to move forward with for editing. I understand that MY favorite images are not always my clients favorite images, and I want to make sure my clients are getting the images THEY love, putting my clients FIRST. After choosing your images, the editing process can take up to 3-4 weeks, but of course, I will be trying my best for the fastest turnaround.
We can’t wait to capture these special moments with you and your little one! If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. Thank you for trusting us with your newborn photography session.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What happens if my baby is super upset and we just can’t move forward during the session? Baby’s typically have simple needs; either they’re hungry, they are gassy, they need a diaper change, or possibly need soothing, Will your baby cry during the session? Almost guaranteed. Baby’s cry. However, I have a LOT of my own tricks up my sleeve to help sooth baby. If, we exhaust all the options, and you baby is just NOT having it, perhaps they are having trouble passing gas and they just can’t get comfortable, in the end, we will not push it. I will suggest we close the session and try to reschedule within the next few days. Newborn sessions take place between 10-21 days, so we usually have some wiggle room to work within.
Will I be in the same room to see how the session is going? Absolutely! Being a mom, I completely understand having this perfect little miracle, and it being strange having someone else hold them sometimes. I get it! I would never ask or expect for you to NOT be able to see how the session is going. You will 100% be in the room during the session, and if you’d like, you can even help as well. Lots of parents love being involved with the session.
What if my baby has jaundice? Or has a lot of baby acne? Not to worry! Baby acne is always smoothed out. I can also easily correct jaundice skin tones as well in post-editing if you’d like. There are SOME flakey skin that will likely be left in to some images, as long as it is not overwhelming. These locations are usually found on hands and toes. I leave these in because these are detailed shots, the little things you’ll want to remember.
What is my baby is or has been cluster feeding on the day their newborn session is scheduled? Cluster feeding can be hard on both mom and baby. Mom is definitely not getting a lot of sleep and baby feels like they are attached to you for 24 hours. Cluster feedings generally occur within the first 10 days, which is why we usually schedule your newborn session AFTER this time. The good news is that your baby is gaining weight and going through the normal changes of being a newborn! This is one of those time that will drastically change the way your little one looks and grows soon, and you’ll SEE it in their cute little chubby fingers and toes. However, cluster feeding is not an ideal time for newborn sessions. The posing of newborns require that I handle their arms, hands and fingers, and during cluster feeding times, even when baby seems to be sleepy, if anything remotely gets NEAR their mouths, they will root for it to try and eat or nurse, even their own hands! If your baby seems to be cluster feeding and it feels like they are eating every 30 minutes or less, it is HIGHLY recommended we reschedule. A lot can change for newborns within a short amount of time, so even if we can move the session a day or so, that can make a huge difference.
