For Albuquerque Newborn Photographers | The Best Time To Book for maternity and newborn sessions is usually actually a lot sooner than you may think. If there is one thing we know about babies is that they do not come with a manual. And most importantly, due dates are more of a guideline or a suggestion.
As an Albuquerque Newborn Photographers | The Best Time To Book with DaniRae Photography for baby’s first photoshoot in mama’s belly is around 32 weeks. I prefer the line to be closer to 6 months than the 8 month mark. For many first time mother’s the belly tends to take a little longer to pop, so the 7 month mark will give a little more definition in the photos.
Nearing 8 months, to me is cutting it close to the due date. That means that your baby may enter into the world before the actual shoot is scheduled. But many times I’m delivering the images as the parents are welcoming their newest addition into the world. To me this feels like you then overlook this beautiful season of the entire experience. Then parents become overwhelmed with the new life they are focused on, understandably so, of course. Maternity photos at that point take a back seat. As a mother I don’t believe I truly gave myself enough credit for how wonderful pregnancy is and what my body was able to do. I am so grateful to have captured as many moments to remember as the time was certainly fleeting.
To say the least, so is newborn hood. The amount of days that your little one is truly a newborn is minimal. The window to capture the squishy, sleepy baby photos is from 5-14 days after birth. I prefer to have a baby in around 7-10 days old. Normally, that gives parents and baby to get on a some sort of feeding schedule or plan. It also gives baby boys time to heal from their circumcision should they have one. Also it gives time for the umbilical cord stump to fall off. It actually does not bother me to have it in the photos. Even, if only to document how young they are. But many parents do not enjoy seeing them in the final images.
Being that maternity sessions should be booked around 32 weeks, and newborn sessions should be booked at the 5-14 days from birth it is best to plan ahead. I take limited number of shoots per month to offer the best experience I can for each of my clients. My best suggestion is to book your shoots as soon as you can. I book out 3 months ahead throughout the year. With newborns being so unpredictable, I place the due date on the schedule. Once you contact me when you go into labor or just after the baby is born, I place you on the next available newborn photography shoot date.