As a rule of thumb, I tend to do maternity sessions for clients around 30-32 weeks of the baby’s gestation. This is for most mommies the best time to shoot their growing belly because it is big enough to show that they are pregnant, but it is not too big and therefore mommies are not too uncomfortable for all the different poses I have them do!
I especially like doing maternity sessions when we get to include a big brother or sister-to-be because it adds a bit of adventure to the session. Have you seen a toddler sit nicely for any long period of time? Probably not! So, that means for these types of sessions that we are active the entire time and I’m challenged to come up with clever and fun ways to get these little guys to stay engaged. Siblings also add another special element to these types of shoots because most times these are some of the last captured moments mommy has with their big kid(s) until the new baby brother or sister arrives. It’s a special time together right before another transition comes!
In a recent maternity session with some returning clients, I was hired to do a session right before their newborn son was born. Literately, right before he was born, I think about 6-7 days before he arrived in fact! Mom wasn’t sure she could squeeze in the session so late in her pregnancy, but we found the time in both our schedules and she was over the moon when she saw these photos with her little cutie before his brother came. She was so glad she did them, even at 39 weeks and about to give birth, because it’s so important capture these life moments! You’ll never get these moments back. Get in the photos, mommies, make those memories! You’ll never regret it. Don’t wait to take photos with the ones you love!
