Your body is changing, your clothes might not fit, how could anyone possibly recommend that having someone take your pictures right now is a good idea?! Well I’m here to tell you that it is an AMAZING idea, and one you should definitely consider. I almost cancelled my photoshoot, but I’m so glad I didn’t. If you’ve read my posts, you know that I struggled with my pregnancy, from my mental health to my body image, but even going through those struggles I would do a maternity shoot all over again. Read on to find the reasons why, plus see some of my favorites from my shoot!

1. It feels good to look good

In preparation for your photoshoot, it’s likely that you will get your hair and makeup done or get your nails done, buy an outfit or two (or three or four if you’re like me) that make you feel pretty, and just do a few things that you probably wouldn’t do if you weren’t going to be having someone take your pictures. All of these things will make you feel more like yourself at a time that you might not be feeling very much like you. For my shoot I took my time doing my makeup, put some lashes on and had my nails done and I felt like a million bucks even though I wasn’t generally feeling that great at the time. Just that little bit of extra self care and pampering made me feel so much better.

2. To remember, even if you’re not sure you’re going to want to

If you’ve read my past posts you know I was not a fan of being pregnant. I didn’t like how I looked, how I felt, and I was an emotional mess. Despite all of that I’m so glad that I have the pictures that I do have from my pregnancy because it is a memory that I don’t want to forget. I tried hard to make sure that no one really took any pictures of me, and I didn’t take a ton of pictures of myself, but I have my maternity shoot pictures and I am grateful for them. They document a very special time for me, one leading up to my husband and I meeting our favorite little person that we created. It is worth every penny to remember these moments.

3. Because you won’t be able to go back in time

With your hormones going crazy and your body rapidly changing, photos might be the last thing on your mind. But if you don’t document this time now, there is a chance that you’ll regret it later and you won’t be able to go back. I truly wish that I had taken more pictures of myself when I was pregnant. I remember right before I went to the hospital to be induced, my sister texted me and told me to take some pictures of myself even if I wasn’t feeling very photogenic. I am so thankful she did that because it’s one of the few pictures of myself pregnant that I have, besides these pictures. Having a maternity shoot was definitely one of the best things I did because otherwise I would probably only have about three pictures of me pregnant!

4. To be creative

When I decided I wanted to do a maternity shoot, I knew I wanted to do something a little different. My best friend is a photographer, so I knew she’d go along with whatever I wanted. I wanted something artsy that didn’t show my whole body completely, because I was pretty self conscious about it. I fell in love with milk bath photography, and my best friend, Amanda from Alpine Rose Photography went right along with what I wanted. As soon as I said milk bath she researched what we would need and what props to use, and came completely prepared and set up everything. I love the creativity of these photos, and the milk bath pictures are my most favorite part of this shoot.

5. To feel beautiful

I may have felt like an ogre for most of my pregnancy, but when I saw the outcome of my maternity shoot, I felt like a goddess, especially with the milk bath photos. I promise you that if you find a photographer that you like and work with them to get the type of shoot that you want, you will feel so beautiful when you look at the pictures that they create. Amanda always says that the goal of a photographer is to make me see what she sees when she sees me, and she does that every time.

If you are in the CT/MA area, I highly recommend Alpine Rose Photography. She has done countless sessions with me at so many different stages of my life, and every time the results of what she creates are amazing. If you are not in our area but you want to find a good photographer, I would start with social media. There are so many different styles of photography, so not every photographer is going to be able to capture the type of photos that you are looking for. Review their instagram, look at their website, and you’ll see what type of style they have and if that’s what you’re looking for. Whatever style you do end up going with, just make sure you do the photoshoot. I promise you will not regret it!