The following words are written by a lovely client of mine about her own personal experience. Its honest and raw, its not dressed up and its not trying to hide anything away. And I am so glad she wrote it for me.

I’m sure some of you will be able to relate, and I’m sure someone will read it and realise there is help out there. Its just making that first step to ask <3


Motherhood. It’s all dinky clothes and baby snuggles, right? Nope. Motherhood throws you in at the deep end of nappies, sleepless nights and being entirely responsible for a small human, right when society tells us we should be at our happiest. It’s enough to make you ill.

When I gave birth to my first child, she was both planned and longed for. I held her moments after she arrived and waited for that much-quoted rush of love to hit me. It didn’t come. What did arrive the following afternoon as we brought her home was a wave of mild panic. I had never been a mum before, I liked things predictable and ordered. I was out of my depth.

I got through the first few days on adrenaline, but after that the sleep deprivation started to bite. My daughter only wanted to be held and wouldn’t sleep on anything that wasn’t breathing. When my husband went back to work after his two weeks paternity leave I sobbed as he left the house, knowing I had to get through nine hours alone. Pretty soon I was avoiding leaving the house, in tears every day and struggling to sleep. I even (and this hurts like hell to admit) began to refer to my firstborn as ‘it’.

When my daughter was about two months old, I happened to confide to my best friend that I was having trouble sleeping, and hallucinating baby cries in my dreams. I’d hear them, jolt awake ready to hold her, only to find her sleeping peacefully next to me. My friend’s next words changed everything ‘I think we need to get you some help for postnatal depression’.

Simply naming it was a revelation – why had I not noticed what I was suffering from before? I wasn’t crazy, or a terrible mother. I was ill. The next day she literally held my hand as I called my health visitor and began a four month route out of my depression. I started to venture out of the house, and my health visitor set me up with a baby massage course to help us bond. Gradually I noticed I was crying less. At seven months old when my daughter first slept through the night, I did too.

One in seven new mums will experience some kind of mental health challenge. So will one in ten dads. I want people to know that this is not unusual and you don’t have to accept these feelings. There is support out there, from phonelines when you just need to chat, guides on how to discuss your feeling with your GP and social media pages when it’s 3am and you need to know you’re not alone. Contact your health visitor or try www.pandasfoundation.org.uk if you need a starting point.

Planning for your new arrival is super exciting, and there is such a lot to do! From the nursery, to your hospital bag and much more.

Planning for and booking a photography session for your new baby, whilst choosing to find the Find the best Newborn Photography Sessions near you is a huge decision.

There is so much to consider when weighing up the options that are available to you.

In this blog post I’m going to address some key areas of consideration that will help you make an informed decision.

Choosing the Best Newborn Photography Sessions: Things to Consider

Training: How Much Experience Does Your Photographer have?

This is probably the most important thing to check for – an experienced newborn photographer will be able to handle your baby safely while they photograph them. 

Keeping your baby safe is the most important aspect of a newborn photoshoot, so it’s essential to ensure that the professional you choose has plenty of experience and expertise in handling newborns.

A professional photographer should know how to pose and support your new baby in a way that is safe and comfortable for them. They should also be aware of how to settle and calm them if they become upset at any point.

Reputation

An established newborn photographer will have plenty of reviews for you to read and check them out.

Opinions matter. And it is worth taking some time to read these and hear what other new parents have to say about your baby photographer. You are going to want to make sure that you like what you see, or I’d recommend moving on pretty swiftly! Take your time and do your research.

You can see reviews from my clients here.

Style

When looking around for your newborn photographer, the first thing you will do (most likely) is check out their images – if you like them, you’ll keep looking. Obvious, right?!

It’s really important to choose a photographer whose style you love. It’s a truly unique experience and it can’t be repeated later.

So are you considering posed newborn photography sessions with props?  Or maybe a lifestyle shoot?
Only you can decide that but having a clear idea of how you want your finished images to look will really help you in deciding which newborn photographer to hire.

Posed newborn photography sessions will likely take place in the photographers studio, so also make sure that you are happy to travel to them for this. Posed sessions have a lot more “stuff” than a lifestyle session. There will be props, as well as a lighting setup to account for. If you specifically want a photographer to come to your home, this needs to be checked very early on, as not all will offer this.

Lifestyle photography sessions are more likely to take place in your home, so you’ll need to be prepared for a good old tidy up to make everything photo worthy on the day of your session. Definitely something to be aware of if you are anything like me!

Price

Ok I saved the big one for last. Probably not the most popular topic here..

When it comes to newborn photography sessions, you really do get what you pay for.

A professional and insured photographer who specialises in newborns is not going to work with you for £50 – and whilst low prices may seem tempting, they are likely too good to be true.

That being said, I understand that everyone has a budget in mind when setting out to buy a product or service.

Choosing the Best Newborn Photography Sessions near you.

What About Sweet Baby Photography? What Do I Offer?

At my photography studio I offer posed newborn portraits, they are baby led to ensure your newborns safety and comfort throughout. All my photoshoots take place within my comfortable studio in Sawtry, near Huntingdon.

I’ll offer you a variety of beautiful poses and setups while I monitor your baby’s wants and needs throughout. We will take our time, and you can expect to be with me for 2-3 hours while we complete everything.

After your session you’ll be invited back to the studio to view your edited images, this is normally around 7-10 days later. At this point, you’ll select the package that suits you the best.

If you want to find out more about how I work or get booked in with me, please feel free to get in touch here or visit my newborn page for more information.