I seem to always have clients wondering why in the world I insist on a newborn session being done before the baby is 2 weeks old. It probably seems odd, way too soon to get baby out and Mommy just doesn’t feel up to getting out either. While I completely understand it being hard and trying to get out of the house during this time, I assure you it is for good reason and you will not regret it! In order to get all of those gorgeous images of a newborn perfectly posed and sleeping in buckets or curled up in a womb-like pose, I need that baby in the studio before they are 2 weeks old. This ensures that you will have more of those gorgeous images that I display on my website. Why under two weeks old?
Your newborn just spent 40 weeks, give or take, curled up in the womb in warmth, motion and lots of noise. It’s a super snuggly place to be. Up until a newborn is 12-14 days they remain in what is called “fetal sleep”. They are hard to wake and easy to get to sleep. They also have very loose muscles and make it easy to position. After 2 weeks their muscles begin to tighten and it’s not as easy for me to position them. Also, newborns get baby acne at about weeks old and their newborn layer of skin begins to peel and they get their new layer of skin.
Newborns sleep over 16 hours a day on average. Why do they need to be asleep? I always try to get some awake shots of baby but there isn’t much variety I can get until baby thinks they are hungry and begins to cry and their eye muscles are still week and they cross their eyes and have a hard time focusing. The reason I photograph baby asleep is primarily for safety reasons, I would never put an awake baby in a bucket or in a pose. Newborns can be very strong and can easily jerk or move suddenly so a baby must be safely supported at all times. While sleeping baby is flexible and happy, so we can put them in cute positions and safely spot them for photographs.
After three weeks I find it next to impossible with most babies to get the cuter poses and colic can begin as well during this time. A newborn session shot under two weeks old is much less stressful for me and baby! everyone so we can get beautiful images of baby! During a session I do everything, including diaper changes and bottle feeds so parents get a chance to relax!
After about 8 years specializing in newborn photography I’ve come to recognize just how much they change week by week after they are born. I want to capture them when they are fresh and small and curly just like they were in the womb. This is a stage that you want to remember their tiny toes, delicate eyelashes, their little back rolls, wispy soft hair and the way they curl naturally into a womb-like pose all on their own.
Once you get to my studio you are able to feed baby, sit back and relax and watch the show. Being that I specialize in newborn photography my studio is carefully planned out to accommodate newborns by being very warm and having all the supplies you may have forgotten. I have everything we will need for the session just bring me that sweet, sweet baby!!
