Newborn photo sessions are always an adventure and each one is very different. Most of the newborns I photograph are first babies, so mom and dad are still getting their feet wet when I arrive. I remember being scared to death the first few weeks (months, years, still!) after our daughter was born, so I can relate.
But newborn sessions have given me a confidence with babies I never would have had otherwise. I come in, strip your baby down, lull it to sleep with magic (in the form of a hairdryer!) and then I put the baby in creative poses you wouldn’t dream of trying! It can be a little disconcerting at first – what am I doing with your baby?! But if all goes according to plan, it makes for the really beautiful memories.
That’s not to say it’s easy – sometimes in a 3 hour newborn session, 2.25 hours of it is spent feeding, changing and rocking the baby! Mom and dad are usually exhausted when I leave, as is baby. Many parents tell me that their baby slept more than usual after the day of the session. Now THAT is a good side effect!
I loved this session because mom and dad really let me work with their sweet baby girl most of the time. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but they watched as I figured out whether she was crying for a diaper change, because she was cold or because she was hungry. I try to do most of the baby wrangling during the sessions since I don’t smell like mom (milk!) and that means they don’t associate me with feeding time!
Mom and dad welcomed Jade a few days early and we actually photographed her session on her due date. She waffled back and forth between a deep slumber and some unhappy cries. But in the end, we got a lot of photos. We ventured out into their backyard, which is one of my favorite things to do when the weather will allow it.
One final note – we tried the “monkey pose” which is baby draped over dad’s arm. I’ve never had a baby do this pose while awake – in fact, I always make SURE they’re sound asleep! We tried it the first time and Jade didn’t want a thing to do with it. But after her tummy was filled again – low and behold she was happy in the pose while AWAKE!
P.S. Check back in the blog Friday for some very cute photos of Jade’s older siblings. Yes, she’s the first child, so you know what that means…. 
This is a new gallery display for me – to see all of the photos, just click on the big one and it will open a gallery that you can click through to see them all!
by Amy Sandoval
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