A couple weekends ago, Joey and I met up with our wedding photographer for our first maternity session. We ended up scheduling two separate sessions due to timing/ scheduling issues but it actually worked out for the better because having to change into a second outfit on location, most likely in the car, 8 months pregnant would probably have turned into a bigger issue than I originally may have imagined.

Without further ado, here are some shots from our first session! Be sure to read down below for some of my tips for a successful maternity session!

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My tips for your Maternity Session

+ Wear something you’re comfortable in! First and foremost, no matter when you’re choosing to shoot your maternity photos in your pregnancy journey (I waited till my bump was pretty big), you definitely want to be as comfortable as possible (if at all possible).

+ If you want to wear heels/booties, bring an extra pair of shoes or UGGS that you can wear if you’re going to be walking a lot prior to shooting photos. A lot of locations require you walking from a parking lot into the mountains, along the beach, etc- you do not want to be walking far in heels with a baby bump!

+ Bring water with you! We know how important it is to stay hydrated, which becomes even more important during pregnancy. If you’re walking and standing for photos for long periods of time, make sure you have some water to drink throughout the day!

+ Search and save any maternity photos you see and like– use Pinterest if you have it! I saved a ton of photos for inspiration and this helped make our session quicker, which definitely helped with the exhaustion that comes with pregnancy.

+ Use a photographer you’re already comfortable with (if you can). We worked with the same photographer who shot our wedding, so not only was it like deja vu and instantly fun, but it was also like a catch up session with a good friend! We had a lot of memories to reminisce on while we were shooting which IMO helped with more candid and real moments she captured on film.

+ Have fun with it and allow yourself to relax. Pregnancy has a funny way of really teaching you the meaning of “go with the flow.” There’s so little you control, and with a photo session, nothing will stress you out more than worrying about whether or not you “got the shot.” My advice is just to have a great time, relax, and have fun. Don’t sweat the small stuff! I promise you’ll end up with better photos than you probably think!

+ No matter how cheesy you think those “hold your baby bump” photos are- just do it. One day you’ll look back and wish you did.

+ Take photos as a couple and separately! This goes for dad too! I think Joey has without a doubt got a dad glow going on, so during our second shoot, I asked our photographer to take some solo shots of him as well. As women, of course the whole journey of pregnancy is all about us- but our partners have a special role as well and they deserve some attention too! Their lives are about to change just as much as mama’s so might as well take some pre-dad photos of them too! (I haven’t got the batch of photos from our second shoot back but I will share when I have them!)