Sugar Magnolia, Blossoms Blooming... A beautiful, love-filled, in-home newborn session in Maplewood, MO

“She's got everything delightful
She's got everything I need
A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight
Crazy in the sunlight yes indeed”

—”Sugar Magnolia” by The Grateful Dead

Nothing makes me happier than getting to do an in-home newborn session with a family who hired me for birth photography. Being witness to the birth of a baby is such an incredible experience that leaves me feeling a special bond with that tiny soul for their entire lives. So getting to see them again all settled into their home with their family in those first weeks of life is so lovely and heartwarming.

I hadn’t been to this family’s home prior to their newborn photo session, and was filled with calm as I entered their warm, bright, and inviting Maplewood, Missouri home. From the living room to the nursery, there were so many lovely details that made the whole space feel earthy and cozy and instantly gave me a sense of who they are.

We started the session in the nursery, where I found baby Magnolia dressed only in a diaper. Her mama snuggled and adored her and we got a few shots of her in her bassinet with all that beautiful newborn skin showing (because a naked baby is the best kind of baby). Then her mama ever-so-gently pulled a beautiful magnolia-covered gown over baby Magnolia’s sweet little head.

Those details of dressing and changing baby are some of my favorite to document as they really capture the feeling of that fleeting time in a parent’s life. Sometimes it can feel like a whole day was spent snapping and unsnapping onesies. In this case, she changed Magnolia one more time, into a simple, sleeveless, white onesie, and then we joined daddy in the living room.

It’s so beautiful to see how new parents simultaneously fall madly in love with their new baby and also fall even more in love with their partner than they ever imagined they could. Watching your partner fall in love with this tiny person that you created together is such a magical experience and can make you see them in a whole new way.

So photographing the mutual adoration of parent and child and partner is full of so much tenderness and I feel such a fondness for the whole family. (Dogs included — who are themselves feeling a mixture of confusion, jealousy, excitement, and protectiveness with a new addition to their family unit).

It’s always fun to head to mom and dad’s bed for some family snuggles and the dogs were invited up for some cuddles, too. Again, the warm, earthy vibe of their space made for dreamy pictures of this gorgeous little family. You can just feel the love overflowing in that room.

Magnolia’s nursery is connected to her mom and dad’s room, so we popped back over to that sweet space for a few more photos of the family together. Plus, some of each of them admiring their tiny little love, and a few of mama nursing her baby, too.

This really was one of my favorite newborn sessions to date — so full of love and warmth and playful tenderness.

If you’re expecting a little love and this looks like your idea of a way to keep those newborn memories forever, get in touch and we can set up an in-home session for you, too!

A Documentary In-home Newborn Photography Session with Sweet Lucy in Benton Park

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes”

—”Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles

The first days and weeks with a newborn at home can feel like a dream. One day flows into another and hours can pass just staring at this tiny person. Her needs are few, but they are relentless, so you find yourself completely absorbed in fulfilling them. She wakes you constantly — contributing to the dream-like feeling of this phase of life — but even in your sleep-deprived state, love streams out of you in a way you’ve never experienced before. Especially when it’s your first child, there’s a sense of wonder and magic that you share with your partner… this awe and reverence for the fact that you created something so inexplicably beautiful together.

It’s why I adore in-home newborn sessions. Getting to peek into those precious moments with new parents and their tiny creation is an honor. Being tasked with documenting that ephemeral time in photographic proof is even more of a privilege.

Newborn sessions lend themselves really well to documentary work because the moments that I want to capture are happening whether I’m there or not. Diaper changes, nursing or feeding sessions, swaddles, and snuggles, are all on the agenda. Those moments might seem mundane when you’re on the 8th diaper change of the day, but I promise that you’ll want to remember them sooner than you think.

This lovely little baby is Lucy. She and her parents were a complete joy to be with and to photograph.

It’s so nice when the parents are as relaxed as Lucy’s mama and daddy were. As is typical of a newborn session with me, I gave barely any direction, and instead followed their lead to create the flow of our time together. We hung out mostly in the beautiful nursery which had gorgeous light pouring through the large windows. Lucy wanted to nurse a lot, so that’s what she did. Mom and dad worked on perfecting the swaddle and gave her some time in her crib. She needed a diaper and outfit change, so dad was up to bat. Some sweet alert time was spent in dad’s arms and I was grateful to capture them adoring each other. Then the whole family moved to mom and dad’s bed for some snuggle time together. It was all so real and so beautiful, and I hope that these photos will forever transport these parents directly back to that hazy, magical time in their lives.

If the laid-back, cozy vibe of this newborn photography sounds and looks like what you are hoping for when it’s time to document your own family growing by one, let’s chat! I serve the entire St. Louis Metro area, but I’m always happy to discuss travel, too.