3 Secret Truths about Pregnancy from Seattle Professional Pregnancy Photographer
Sometimes… Pregnancy is the worst.
You can say it! It’s ok. I won’t tell.
As a decade long Seattle Maternity Photographer and mother of four myself, I am all to aware that pregnancy, labor and delivery is a season in a woman’s life where there seems to be a sign on her forehead that says “Please give me unsolicited advice and please tell me the worst possible labor & delivery story. Oh, and this big baby bump? Of course you can caress it without asking.”
For. The. LOVE.
People of the world, can we keep those labor stories that seem to come straight out of American Horror Story (and inevitably happened to a cousin’s sister’s best friend) to OURSELVES? No beautifully pregnant woman wants your to paint a portrait about how their baby could get stuck and require the jaws of life to be freed from her womb. Or how you ripped from point A to point C (and maybe beyond…). Or a myriad other things that can occur in this picture of maternity life.
Luckily, if you have friends who have given birth and have that family thing going on, they can become the source of advice, encouragement and real talk. They help quiet down the advice of the crazy uncle or aunt who need to give advice on everything from what kind of prune juice to buy to where to get those beautiful maternity portraits (SPOILER ALERT: it’s not your uncle who has that super nice DSLR he got at Costco). Your friends can stand in the gap and commiserate about the random old woman who slaps your hips (without permission) to predict the gender of the baby (for real, friend. FOR REAL).
I have those friends, and I am thankful!, but there are just some things that even your friends don’t tell you about maternity life, labor and delivery so I’m gonna fill you in…
- Your entire body gets peach fuzz. You know… the type of peach fuzz that prepubescent boys get on the top of their lips and they claim it’s a mustache but really it just looks like they haven’t washed? Yes, THAT KIND. Some ladies won’t be able to tell they’ve developed peach fuzz because they were blessed by the gods with light hair or just can’t even see much of their body anymore because all belly. But there are those other ladies who can see it five minutes after a positive pregnancy test and have some real fears about looking like a yeti. Don’t worry though. The peach fuzz goes away or at least it become the least important thing on your mind as you prepare for your newborn to arrive.
- The moments matter. Pregnancy is hard and there is no shame in admitting all the times where you wish it would just be over because your hips hurt, you haven’t seen your feet in ages, and your body is stretching beyond its actual ability and… Well. You now look like a purple tiger with all these stripes. But let me tell you that moments matter and they are some of the fastest slow moments you will ever experience (colicy newborns are another of those, heads up!). Right around 30 weeks pregnant when your hair is lush like a goddess and your belly is nicely round and firm and no longer looks like a big lunch bump is when you realize you have embraced your body and you are doing something amazing. Or the moment when you and your partner see your baby for the first time and you fall in love with someone you have never met. Or the first days of your newborn’s life and every single detail of their littleness. Relish those moments and remember them forever with professional photography via a maternity photo session, birth session, or hire a baby photographer for your newborn session . Don’t chance someone in your family taking on that responsibility – there are no redos! Let them live in that moment. Spend the money and get a professional because that person is trained to capture everything you never want to forget.
- The first BM after birth may give you PTSD. The first time you poop after giving birth is possibly as anxiety producing and painful as birth without meds. Your body has just made the magical transformation from pregnant she-beast to terrified new mom and it will feel like you are trying to pass a baseball. Both in diameter and shape. You will worry about tearing the stitches. You will cry out. Cold sweats, shaking knees, and clenched hands will be present too. …And maybe your husband will offer to call the ambulance like mine did because it just felt so… unmanageable and terrifying and the literal worst. So avoid heavy foods and eat all the greens, take the stool softeners, and buy a enema. Just in case. You’re welcome in advance.
I wish someone would have told me these things! So I am here to share the love and spread the enema lovin’ news. I hope you laughed entirely too hard and possibly peed yourself a bit because you have lost control of your bladder… just like I have and the countless mothers before me. Because #momlife.
To ensure your moments that matter are with your forever, Brea recommends scheduling your maternity session for weeks 30-34 of your pregnancy, birth sessions are on demand, and newborn photo sessions within the first two weeks of life. Please note that Brea’s availability books weeks, if not months, in advance so once week 12 arrives (or earlier) please be sure to drop me a line! To learn more or secure your session, please inquire via contact form.
