maternity

Cozy, Laid-back, In-home Maternity Session in a Lovely St. Louis Loft

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As I write this, I’m awaiting a text or phone call from this gorgeous, fun, easy-going couple to say that labor has begun and it’s time for me to get ready to photograph the birth of their baby girl.

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But on the day these photos were taken, there was no hurry or pressure. We were able to relax and chat and get to know each other a bit.

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It’s one of my favorite things about doing a maternity session with a couple who’s hired me to photograph their birth, too. Having the opportunity to get really comfortable with each other before I enter their birth space is truly a gift.

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In-home maternity photo sessions really allow couples to feel relaxed and comfortable, as they are in their own space. And gives me a really good sense of who they are. Plus, it’s such an easy and fun way to honor this pregnancy and document the whole story of this amazing journey.

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We get to document what their life feels like now — before a baby comes and changes everything about their days and nights. This is what a beautifully lazy Sunday morning looks like when it’s just two.

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We get to capture them chilling on the couch together with a hot cup of coffee, playfully and lovingly baking cookies as a couple, playing with their current “Baby” (that’s their super-awesome dog’s name), casually strumming the guitar in the bedroom, and perusing some of the gifted and collected items for their new little bundle’s arrival with sweet anticipation of her actually using or wearing them oh-so-soon.

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Life changes so drastically — and joyfully — after your baby is born.

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Suddenly, your days are filled with caring for a tiny person’s basic needs. And when you aren’t doing that, you’re staring in wonder and adoration at this little human who you are more in love with than you ever could have anticipated.

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Your days change. Your love grows. Your heart expands.

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So having a record of these before days is a gift. Remembering what your relationship felt like… Reminiscing about the excitement you both felt at that growing belly and your growing family…

It’s a time you will never get back. And as incredible as the next chapter of your life will be, this one is worth documenting and remembering, too.

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Stay tuned for a peek at the rest of this story. I couldn’t be more excited to document the birth of this baby who’s already so loved. And then I get to come back to their lovely home to see how that sweet newborn baby fits so beautifully into their lives. I can’t wait to watch the evolution of their days. And I’m so grateful they’ve asked me to document this journey.

Waiting for Baby... An In-Home Documentary Maternity Session

Waiting for Baby... An In-Home Documentary Maternity Session

The classic maternity portrait is a beautiful tribute to the growing, stretching body, ripe with the promise of new life. But it forgets about the story that gets us there. I love maternity sessions that honor the life before baby arrives. The preparation, the anticipation, and the last weeks of life before a new chapter begins. So my documentary maternity sessions focus on telling that story.

Sweet and Sunny Documentary Family Maternity Session at Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis

I remember being pregnant with my second baby while parenting a two-year old. It felt impossible to imagine our little family with a whole other person in it. Our little three-some was so sweet and the parent to kid ratio was pretty great. I mean, we could devote so much of our time and attention to our girl. Even when parenting was hard, it felt manageable with one little person. I’m not going to lie; I was scared of what life would be like with two.

When I met this sweet family-of-three-with-one-on-the-way at Missouri Botanical Gardens for their maternity photos, they reminded me so much of that time in my own life. Their daughter, E, was exactly the age my older daughter was when I was pregnant with my second. They were such loving and fun parents to their girl, and really seemed to be soaking up that moment in time. It was like they knew in their bones that life was about to change in this big and irreversible way.

It’s an amazing thing to add another person to your family. To give your child a sibling. To expand the love in your heart in ways you didn’t know you could. You wouldn’t ever really want to go back to the time before those incredible changes. But it’s sure sweet to be able to look back on those moments before you really knew what life would be like as a parent of two. To see the way you were able to focus your love and attention so fully on the child that made you a mom or a dad.

I’m so happy that this family chose to document this part of their journey. Life is different for them now, with a baby brother for E. You can check out what their Fresh 48 session looked like here, and see that their love surely grew. But before you go, take a look at all the fun they had in the precious and fleeting moments they had on that summer day as a family of three with all attention on E.

Family of three sitting by the fountains at MOBOT in St. Louis.
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Interested in booking your own documentary family session? Get in touch now!