You’ve recently found out you are pregnant and want to document every piece of this fleeting season. You want to remember those sweet flutters and kicks inside your tummy to the newness of becoming mom and dad. But when do you reach out to your photographer to schedule maternity and newborn photos?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Booking vs. Scheduling
• Booking Maternity and Newborn
• Scheduling Maternity
• Scheduling Newborn

BOOKING VS. SCHEDULING

Well first, what’s the difference between between booking and scheduling?

BOOKING: Signing contract/paying invoice to secure your session/package
SCHEDULING: Setting a specific date/time for your session

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK?

This may come as a surprise to some, but ideally, the best time to BOOK both of these sessions is early in your second trimester!

It may seem way too early, but I promise it is not! Many photographers limit the sessions they take each month to serve each client better and provide them with the time and attention they deserve.

WHEN SHOULD I SCHEDULE?

Maternity

I recommend SCHEDULING your maternity session for 28-34 weeks so that your belly is poppin’, but the risk of you having your baby before your session is low!

Most of the time mamas tend to swell the later in pregnancy they get. If you are worried about feeling more swollen than your normal self, I recommend scheduling your maternity session closer to the 28-30-week time frame. If you are high risk (ie. twins), I highly recommend you schedule your session around 25-28 weeks.

Newborn

Newborn features change SO fast…literally within a matter of days, so the best time to schedule your newborn session is just after you’ve had your baby for 7-14 days postpartum for the freshest features. After those first couple of weeks, they also tend to be awake more often and for longer stretches of time.

This is why it’s best to book your session early in your second trimester. When I book newborns, I add your due date to my calendar and consider roughly when your session will be when creating my schedule to give you priority scheduling.

I know that those first few newborn days can be ROUGH, so I’ve crafted an experience to take care of everything for you. You are welcome to use a Client Closet dress and even take advantage of me coordinating your professional hair and makeup. Getting pampered and all dolled up is the perfect confidence and energy booster in those early postpartum days! (No one will even be able to tell you’re still in a diaper and your boobs are leaking! Promise!) All you have to worry about is snuggling on that sweet new baby and creating memories with your new family!

Learn more about the MZP maternity and newborn experience including The Motherhood Collective.