Fresh 48 Tips For Mom| NJ Newborn Photographer

Covivd-19 has definitely affected all of our lives one way or another. For expecting parents, there were a lot of new changes. Dad may not have been able to attend those highly-anticipated doctor visits. Especially the Nuchal, which is so fun! Mom may not have had her usual support during delivery. (Some moms want more than one.) Baby showers were canceled and instead celebrated through ZOOM! And so on. As a NJ Newborn Photographer, unfortunately Fresh 48 Sessions are still not permitted at the moment.

As a Mom who did give birth during the pandemic last year, I did miss having a Fresh 48 photographer document my family like I had with my first child. I was still able to capture my own photos but it doesn’t beat having a skilled photographer capture them for you, especially when you had JUST given birth!!

So for all you Moms-To-Be that want to document those first few moments of your baby’s life at the hospital, here are my tips on how to prepare YOURSELF before capturing your own Fresh 48 Session. Take what you want and leave what you don’t!

Moms, by the time you are ready to take photos you are probably exhausted at that point. So my goal for sharing these tips is to make it a POSITIVE and LESS STRESSFUL shooting experience for you!

10 TIPS HOW TO PREPARE YOURSELF (MOM) BEFORE PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR OWN FRESH 48.

(*Note that these are tips based off of a hospital setting and you can use whatever camera you have! Something is better than nothing!)

Tip #1

Rest Mama! It’s hard to smile or even get creative with your photos if you haven’t had a decent few hours of rest. It will show through your images and maybe even taint your shooting experience, and I’m sure that’s not what you want to remember.

Tip #2

Eat and drink well. It’s so important to take care of your body after having just given birth. Your body just went through so, SO much! Taking photos is still a physical task and can even require a significant amount of prep work and time, so you’ll want to load up on some good energy foods and plenty of water!

Tip #3

Fill out all of the paperwork as soon as you can so you can focus on the fun stuff! Completing the forms ahead of time can free up your mental space so that you can shoot with less stress and maybe even have some room for a little creativity.

Tip #4

Try to clean the room as you go, or better yet, have your significant other help you! Hospital rooms after delivery tend to get cluttered pretty quickly. If you have an idea where you plan to shoot, for example by the window, you can always just keep that area clutter free. If you have multiple areas that you want to shoot, then just designate one area where you can place all of your belongings so that it’s less preparation and moving around for you.

Tip #5

Plan for some PREP TIME before the photoshoot. With my first child I did not realize how LONG it would actually take me to do just about anythinnnngg! I mean I moved reaaally slow! Which is all completely normal as our body is still healing. But I underestimated my prep time and didn’t do some things that I wanted to such as put on some light makeup or tidy up the room more.

If you don’t mind seeing the clutter in your images or even just looking more natural, then that’s awesome! You can save yourself a lot more work and time! But if you do want that cleaner look or you would like to just fix yourself up a bit (Hey, look good, feel good!), then you may need a little more prep time than normal.

Tip #6

Get ready in increments and rest briefly in between. At least that’s what I had to do! This way you’re not so overwhelmed or exhausted by the time you’re ready for your photoshoot. They say “Giving birth is like going through surgery.” It’s very common that people can’t just jump right back into performing their usual daily activities right after surgery. The same goes for delivering a baby!

Tip #7

Be flexible and give yourself GRACE! I almost didn’t take my own Fresh 48 photos. I wound up having a spinal leak from my epidural which caused major headaches anytime I would get up. It made it very difficult to do any physical activity, even breastfeeding! Thankfully, I opted for the spinal patch and it relieved my condition the next morning! (But I was warned that there are cases where the spinal leak symptoms can still linger!)

All this to say, I had plans to take alllll these photos but at the end of the day, something came up and I almost didn’t even shoot my own Fresh 48 photos for my baby. So if you wind up not getting any or all of the photos you wanted, just remember to give yourself some grace. Sometimes you just can’t do it all. And that’s okay!

Tip #8

Shoot when there is a lot of NATURAL LIGHT! Aim for that morning light if you can! Turn off all the indoor lights. They can give off unwanted tones or shadows that are not flattering.

Tip #9

Set up a tripod (and make sure you know how to use it beforehand) or have a nurse capture a family photo of everyone! Trust me, you WANT this photo! Selfies are great, but there’s nothing like seeing your cute family and the new addition from that outer person’s perspective!

Tip #10

Lastly, prepare a SHOT LIST beforehand. You can grab some inspiration off Pinterest. Just try to stick to a reasonable list keeping in mind that you are still recovering! I wish I had done this because my creativity certainly was competing with my need and want to sit down and rest that day. A shot list will do all the thinking for you and ensure you don’t miss out on any of the images that you really wanted. (For me, I forgot the umbilical chord shot! I love those!)

My Workflow!

So, I tidied up the night before, right after my spinal patch. (My husband would have done it, only my toddler decided to get sick that same night so my husband left to check on her! Life, I tell you!) That night I made sure to get some decent rest. Took my shower early (around 6am) before all the nurses and doctors made their rounds. Rested again. Ate breakfast. Rested some more while more healthcare visits came. (And there are A LOT!) Finished getting ready. Had my husband prepare the baby while I set up the tripod. And started our session. Before I knew it, it was already past noon! Time flew but I was definitely more prepared and less stressed this second time around! And I looked and felt good! 😉

YOU’LL DO GREAT!

Best of luck, Mom! I am praying for your safe delivery and a healthy baby! Please don’t be too hard on yourself! You have just brought life into this world! You are AMAZING! Attempting to shoot your own Fresh 48 Session is MUCH easier said than done. If you can have Dad help out with some of the picture-taking that would be so awesome! But otherwise, you got this!

WANT YOUR FRESH 48 EDITED?

So you took great photos. You waited for the right light. But they still don’t have that WOW factor you’re looking for. If you want them professionally edited bright and clean similar to my editing style, shoot me an email and we can work something out! =)

INTERESTED TO BOOK A NEWBORN HOME SESSION WITH ME?

While hospitals may still have restrictions with Fresh 48 Sessions, you can still have beautiful images of your baby when you opt for a Newborn Home Session with me. Click the link to read more about it!

I would be HONORED to capture this special moment for you, your baby, and your family! As a mother of two babies, I know all about wanting to capture every moment, especially while they are still so tiny! Please fill out my contact form so that we can get you started!

XO,

MaryRose

For more tips, stay connected with me on Instagram! @maryrosevegaphotography