How to Survive the First Three Months of Motherhood
And How Professional Newborn Photography Can Help!
Remember Lauren and Joe? You read about their maternity session with me in the spring while Lauren was expecting. They’ve since welcomed their sweet boy Lorenzo into the world, and I was finally able to catch up with them for a newborn session this July once lockdown ended. (Scroll to the bottom of the blog to see their photo collection from maternity to newborn! There are some truly amazing shots – what a beautiful story we’ve curated together.)
Meet Lorenzo, Everyone!
Get ready for an overload of cuteness – this handsome little man might be nearing three months now, but that didn’t stop us from taking a newborn session to capture those tiny, precious newborn features!
When to Book Your Newborn Photography Session:
Whether it’s because of lockdown delays, or simply because you need your time to get used to motherhood, your baby’s newborn session can happen anytime in their first couple of months. In many cases, the optimal timeframe I’ll give my clients for newborn photos is between 7 and 14 days after birth if they want that sleepy, curled-up look in photos. But there are also many reasons why some mothers may choose to wait a little longer, and that is absolutely okay! If you had a difficult birth and you’re still recovering physically, or maybe your family has just needed a little extra time to adjust to the big change, we can capture newborn photos within the first couple months of Baby’s life! No need to stress – your mental health and comfort always comes first!
After all, my mission for your photo sessions is to provide you with luxurious comfort during your photo session and save you time and stress in preserving your family’s milestone memories.
One of the most important times to receive this kind of care is during the first three months after you’ve had your baby – it’s an incredible time that can also come with some of the biggest hills to climb. We’ll talk more about how to survive the first 90 days throughout this blog too!
What They Wore:
Lauren looked absolutely incredible during her newborn photoshoot!
With stunning hair and makeup, and the outfits we picked out together from my studio wardrobe, she walked into the Reflections studio with all the glowing, gorgeous vibes.
We went with a fresh summery palette of white and light blues for this shoot. Lauren’s blue dresses looked stunning with Lorenzo’s white muslin swaddle. And how handsome does Dad look in his white shirt and jeans? I just love how soft colour palettes like these look in photos.
We dressed Lauren in:
A long, a-line pale blue dress with an empire waist
A flowy floral sundress different shades of blue and flutter sleeves
The perfect outfits for a Sunday-picnic-in-the-park kind of mood.
The Moments We Captured:
Baby time focusing on those tiny newborn features like drooly lips, sleepy eyes, itty bitty toes, and swaddle shots (and oh my goodness, those newborn yawns)
Mom and baby photos of them snuggling, cradling and nursing
Dad and baby photos – bring on the fun! We captured this new dad’s excitement and enthusiasm for his son.
Family photos together as a new family of three
Their father-son photos are SO precious.
Why Newborn Photography?
Capturing you and your family during the newborn phase is such an important thing to do for yourself and your family during the first three months of Baby’s life.
1. First of all, at Reflections, it’s my mission to provide you with a luxury experience that goes beyond professional photography. I know what it feels like to be a mom on the good days and the hard days. I want to show up for you with the kind of love and dedication you’re pouring into your family:
I’ll send hair and makeup artists to your house before the photoshoot
I’ll style you from my extensive studio wardrobe collection (gorgeous, comfortable styles for maternity and postpartum moms)
I’ll save you the hassle of shopping online for the perfect outfits by styling your family as well from our studio wardrobe
I’ll save you time and energy by professionally installing your gallery wall and designing your photo albums once you’ve chosen your favourites
2. Secondly, each milestone in your family’s growth is an important part of your story that deserves to be preserved, remembered, and cherished. You deserve to see and remember the beauty that comes along in each new stage from pregnancy to your baby’s first birthday to your family growing in each new season.
Your life together isn’t just a random collection of days… there’s a larger story being written in each moment even when it doesn’t feel like it. Leave these reminders of the beautiful story you get to be a character in on your walls so you can see them every day.
The First Three Months of Motherhood: Real Talk
For many women, giving birth is what consumes their planning from the moment they find out they’re pregnant until they begin contractions: packing a hospital bag, doing kegels, making a birth plan, and eating the right foods for prenatal care. But so often, this single-focus on the birth can leave your postpartum weeks feeling like foreign territory when they arrive. When I had my first child, there were so many things no one told me about the first three months after Baby is born (and many of my clients would agree that these first 90 days can be some of the hardest).
In this blog, I’m going to share some of the best tips around when it comes to handling the first three months with your newborn.
Aka. “The Fourth Trimester”
Ahh, the fourth trimester, I remember it well. Let’s just say, Baby wasn’t the only one crying some days...
As a mother, one of the most validating things I’ve ever read is Dr. Harvey Karp’s coining and definition of the term, “the fourth trimester” which refers to the first three months of a mother and baby’s relationship together post-birth. Dr. Karp actually says that all babies “are born too soon”:
“While you couldn’t wait to finally hold your baby in your arms, your baby would definitely have voted for a few extra months inside if you had given her the choice....So, for the first months, it can help to think of her like a fetus…outside the womb.”
Of course, this is just one person’s professional opinion, but the experience he describes, of a newborn baby’s culture shock felt like the perfect description of life with a newborn many days. There were times my babies were so fussy and upset it felt like there was nothing I could do to make them happy.
(Whew, so it’s not just me!)
Mama, you are not a failure! Remember this – every baby has some kind of journey to face when adjusting to life outside the womb, and while there are many tips and tricks out there to try and help you calm them, please, PLEASE remember this one thing: it isn’t your fault if some days they just aren’t having it!
The Hard Days:
Whether it’s your first baby or your third baby, the fourth trimester can be a less-than-glamorous time for mamas and babies.
Moms may experience a variety of difficult situations during the fourth trimester, ranging from:
Diaper explosions (at the MOST inconvenient times)
Projectile spit-ups
Fussy babies and gas
Baby acne
Never having clean clothes
Not having a chance to shower
To:
Sleep deprivation
Difficulty bonding
Mastitis and breastfeeding challenges
And postpartum depression (which we need to keep talking about – Know the symptoms, so we can all look out for each other!)
Oh Mama, my sweet friend … if it ever feels impossible to do everything the way you were imagining, it’s because it is – we were never supposed to handle all this on our own. There’s a reason why mothering used to be a group project, and why it’s so much harder to do it when we’re alone in our homes. (I love this article in Mother.ly about the village-less mother.)
And The Good Days:
So, we must remember the good days, especially when the tough ones come around.
The fourth trimester is full of joys, even amidst the chaos.
Some of the best memories I have of the first 90 days with my babies are:
My husband being so excited to wake the babies up from their naps so he could play with them
My babies snuggling with our dog (their souls were best friends before they could even talk)
Seeing certain faces baby makes and realizing who they look like for the first time
Squeezing their chubby cheeks
The smell of my babies after their baths
Putting on their tiny baby shoes.
Counting their tiny toes and fingers.
The way they fell asleep on my chest
Baby. Yawns. … Enough said.
At Reflections, I am dedicated to making your photo day a good day, where you and your family feel seen, taken care of and treasured. It’s a good day you can go back to whenever you need to – you’ll have the photo memories to take you right back to the very best moments of your family life together.
Lauren and Joe brought these adorable San Jose Sharks shoes to their maternity shoot — look below to see how we used them again for the perfect sequence shots in their newborn photography shoot!
Recreating the Womb
I like this analogy.
The same expert who coined the “fourth trimester,” Dr. Karp, also developed “The Five S Model” which is a great way to guide parents into creating a womb-like experience for Baby in their homes. It outlines the following five steps as followed:
Swaddling (to soothe during fussing and sleeping)
Side or stomach–holding (for sooting, not for sleeping)
Shushing sounds (because babies don’t need total silence to sleep)
Swinging motions for soothing
Sucking on a pacifier
Every Mama and their baby will find a method that works best for them (hopefully it will be able to help soothe you and your child!)
From my experience as a mother of four children, I can also pass on some advice that has worked for me! (Hint: it often meant caring for myself just as much as for my baby).
At Home:
During your first three months after having your baby, there are a lot of ways to take care of yourself and your baby at the same time.
Like eating the right foods (there’s an amazing book from the Motherbees called The First Forty Days that goes through the best foods to feed yourself after having your baby to provide you both with the nutritional care you deserve).
Asking for help (so many times friends and family members want to help but just don’t know how. If you can make specific requests when asking for help, like seeing if your mother-in-law would be willing to come over and prep a bunch of baby food, or if your sister could come hold the baby for half an hour while you shower, or if your friend could pick-up your grocery on their way home from work). Sometimes it’s the smallest tasks that can provide the best support (and relief) for you and your baby
Creating an environment that is calming and comfortable for both of you goes a long way. This doesn’t mean you have to hold yourself to impossible standards of house-cleaning or keeping it magazine-home tidy. Perfectionism is the last thing you need when you have a baby. I’m talking about an environment that calms your senses – your favourite scents in your oil diffuser, hanging your favourite photos on the wall, removing clutter, your favourite music playing on your phone, or maybe opening up your windows for nature sounds. Fill your home with your favourite little things to enjoy, whether it’s the sound of a windchime or that soft velvety blanket you love to curl up in.
In The Reflections Studio:
When you come for your photos, you don’t need to worry about anything! I’ve created a studio that is as calming and womb-like as possible for your family!
So many of my clients have mentioned how nice it was to come out to the studio instead of having to clean up their house for a photo session. I’ll have a sterile, minimalist environment for your newborn photo session. Lots of comfy furniture to rest on, natural materials, soft textures, and white walls make for a neutral, non-stimulating environment. I want it to be a place of tranquillity for you and your baby.
After more than 15 years of newborn photography, I’ve soothed hundreds of babies!
Some of my clients have even called me the “baby whisperer” so don’t worry, your baby is in good hands! I am a pro at swaddling as well, so we can soothe Baby with some adorable (and picture-perfect) swaddling techniques.
It is such an honour to be able to mother you for a little while you are on your motherhood journey – it’s why I’ve created a mother-centred photography experience to provide you with luxurious care.
You deserve this in every stage of motherhood, during pregnancy, newborn, first birthdays and bringing new children into your family.
Conclusion:
Ideas for Surviving (and Thriving In) Your Fourth Trimester:
Find Your Village: Connect with other women who are in the same stage as you. Talk to women at church, at your children’s daycares, join a Mom and Baby group or classes at your local library. Join a local Mom’s Facebook group to connect with other moms in your area. Don’t try to do it alone.
Consider Postpartum Doula Care: Some doulas actually specialize in providing mothers with care and support in the weeks after birth. I know so many women who have benefitted from this service (and I wish I knew about it when I was having my babies)
Expressing Yourself: It is so easy to lose yourself during your motherhood journey. Your body doesn’t feel like it belongs to you anymore. Your conversations revolve around your children. You get so used to ignoring your own needs just to keep your kids happy and content. Find a way to hear your own voice and acknowledge your own needs! Join a dance class, or start journaling every day, talk to friends on the phone or take up a creative outlet like painting! I began throwing myself into my photography when I became a mother and it was the perfect outlet to express myself.
Photography became an outlet for me during my motherhood years, and now I get to use this gift to help you express yourself in your family photos. It’s time dedicated to caring for you and helping you remember who you are as a woman, and as a family.
I always hold an Image Reveal soon after our sessions so that we can get your stunning new photos right from that USB onto gallery walls and beautifully curated photo albums – preserving your family memories, professionally and quickly.
About This Beautiful Family
It has been such a pleasure being Lauren and Joe’s memory keeper over the last year as they’ve journeyed through pregnancy and the first couple months with their newborn Lorenzo. I can’t wait to see them grow through each new milestone!
Capturing Family Stories
- From Maternity to Newborn Photography Sessions -
If you want to create something beautiful like this for your home and family, message me. I'd love to give you more information on booking a portrait session here at Reflections.
Client Testimonial
”We have booked 3 photo shoots with Karen for the upcoming year! Our first shoot (maternity) was on Monday! From start to finish my partner and I both felt super comfortable. Karen and her assistant both made us feel welcome & at ease - the shoot was executed flawlessly. We are looking forward to our image reveal and other 2 photo shoots with our newborn in the upcoming months.” - Lauren Koerber
- Lauren Koerber
Hi there!
I’m Karen, a professional, trained photographer in the Niagara Region of Ontario, specializing in maternity, newborn, baby and family portraits. Hundreds of mamas just like you have come to Reflections to capture the stories of their family’s growth.
As a mama of four, I understand the busy-ness of everyday life. I’m here to help you slow down time, even just for a moment, to embrace the beauty of that busy, full life.
