Life with a brand new human is a fog. Days blur, sleep is weird, and you’re doing everything one handed. Planning a family session can feel like a lot, so I aim to make it feel less like a production and more like a regular day where someone happens to be taking beautiful images.
A few things help keep it simple:
Wear something you already know you feel good in.
Now is not the moment to order new outfits and hope they magically fit. Pick clothes you’ve actually worn on your postpartum body. Something soft. Something you can comfortably feed in - bottle or breast. Something that moves when you do. Try it on a couple days before so you don’t have to guess. Trust me on this one.
Have a backup shirt for you (and your partner).
Not just for spit-up - for boob leakage. Let-down shows up whenever it wants. A soft, lived in backup top saves the day!
Don’t clean for me.
We only need small pockets of light. A cozy corner. The nursery. Your bed. Your couch. The lived in areas. Bottle on the nightstand, burp cloths everywhere, half drank, cold coffee from morning. This is part of the story, aesthetic or not. It’s what life looks like.
Feed the baby whenever they want.
There’s no schedule. If they’re hungry, we stop. If they want to be held the entire time, we roll with it. Sessions at home are slow and quiet - built for real life to happen.
Keep the room warm.
Crank the heat a little higher than usual so they stay sleepy and comfortable, especially if you want swaddle free moments or a warm sink bath. A clean towel warmed in the dryer is magic.
Snacks you can eat with one hand.
You might forget to eat that morning. Fruit, granola bars, coconut water - something easy. Feed yourself too.
Partners matter a lot.
Not for posed stuff - for caretaking. Hold the baby, settle them, pour water for your person, tuck a blanket around tiny toes, make space on the couch, breathe with your baby on your chest. Those tiny gestures end up being some of the most meaningful images. If the baby needs to be walked around the room, that’s your moment. If you’re bottle feeding, even better. There’s no performing here.
What About Siblings?
Siblings don’t need to act “perfect.” They can be curious, bored, excited, nervous, gentle for two seconds and then run off. All of it is normal. I let them lead. If they want to show me their room, we go. If they want to hold the baby for half a minute and then bolt, great. If they’d rather build blocks or read a book, that works too. The best images often happen in-between: a sibling watching from the couch, offering a toy, giving the tiniest kiss, or handing over a pacifier like it’s treasure.
Plan nothing else that day.
No errands, no appointments, no big outing after. Everything feels easier when the rest of the day is wide open.
You show up as you are. I take care of the rest.
