What to Expect During Your Newborn Session
So, you either just booked, or you are interested in booking your newborn session with me! YAY! First off, let me say congratulations to your growing family. This is such a big deal, and I know how anxious for your baby to be here you must be. I remember sitting on the what to expect website and read week by week what my baby looked like, every single symptom I had during pregnancy, and the best diaper brands. For first time mamas this is such a new and exciting time, but also a time of uncharted waters and new experiences, yet wanting to know what to expect. Hopefully, this blog will help clear the air a bit on what to expect during the first session with your new baby.
Once we have gone through your consultation, we will book you for one week after your due date. I only book a certain number of newborns per month to ensure all of my babies are photographed between 5-12 days after birth. We will keep in close contact to adjust our scheduled day in case we need to move our appointment if baby is born early or late.
Now, here we are! It’s the morning of your session and you’re heading to the studio. We have planned every detail for your dream session down to what you and hubby will wear. You’ll walk through my door to a warm and dimmed lit room, most likely Mumford and sons or low fi music playing. In the current state of the world, I of course will be wearing a mask, and wash my hands for the 5000th time that day (I am not complaining, I have allllwaysssss kept clean even before COVID). We will greet, and I will make you feel as if you were back at home. Dads, please take a nap. Mommas, grab an iced coffee or a body armor in the fridge (body armor is so so good for breastfeeding mothers, I lived off of it with my second baby).
We are all settled in, baby may have eaten one more time, and I will take over from there! I have my table set up with my big light stand next to it with about 15 blankets on top of it. Now, I will do my table flow posing like wrapping baby, doing the cute bum up pose, and taking breaks if needed for feeds, diaper changes etc. The table poses will typically take up the first 1-1.5 hours of our session. We will typically take a small 10 minute break to top off feedings, drink some water, and set up for props. You may peek around the light in awe at how your sleeping newborn is curled up so perfectly on the table as I capture the tiny details of them.
We will then move onto prop posing. This is the cute honey bucket, bowl, box, crate etc (pretty much if i can fit a baby in it, I use it). While using a spotter at all times, we will safely get the shots that you will cherish forever in about 45 minutes.
And of course, the grand finale (this is actually the beginning if there are toddler siblings) are the family poses. I will direct, adjust hair, baby, and arms to the perfect pose. This is a huge breath of fresh air for moms specifically, since being in front of the camera with a newborn is a new experience and relying on me to help you feel the most beautiful as a new mom/dad will help you fall in love with these portraits forever.
All together, expect about 2-3 hours for our session. During this time so many new mamas get to breath for the first time in a week. I take pride in being the first one other than immediate family who handles your baby for more than just a few moments (much more than your pediatrician does)! I am certified in newborn handling and safety, and have the title ‘The Baby Whisperer” because I know how hard it is to keep them asleep at times.
I hope this guide will paint a picture of how exciting and stress free my sessions are. I have so much fun, that I typically forget how much of a mess I am making, and my studio looks like confetti in headbands and outfits went off! We will laugh, chat about your birth story, and discuss the exciting next steps which is our ordering appointment. I will try to write a new blog at least once a month to help my clients get a better feel on how I operate.
Thank you for reading!
Karli Braaten
