Pregnancy is one of the most life changing experiences, maternity portraits capture all the wonder and glow that comes with expecting. With great changes come lots of questions and uncertainly. This Maternity Guide helps guide expecting parents in the Philadelphia area through all of the important topics!
Table of Contents
Ivory Tree’s Take on Maternity Portraits
Like everything we do at Ivory Tree Portraits, our Maternity session is always a full-family event. If this is your first baby, we recommend it’s you and your partner. If there are siblings, we always recommend to included them in your maternity session.
Here’s the deal, your first baby has had you all to themselves for their entire life and now they are expected to share you. That can seem unfair and confusing because it’s literally never happened before. So, the more you include them, from the beginning, the more they understand and can share. They can be included in all the fun and excitement rather than being on the outside looking in, we believe, firmly, this helps create a great sibling dynamic, early on. I know, it’s just maternity portraits, but really, they’re family portraits and no one likes being excluded.
At Ivory Tree, our vibe is modern yet timeless. All of our backgrounds are neutral enough to let you, your belly and family connection shine. The reason you go to an expert is because we know all the good angles for an expecting mama!
Our goal is to capture the pure magic of this season of your life. I assure you, we’ll have you glowing!
What to Expect from Ivory Tree Portraits Maternity Session
Our sessions are always easy, or as easy as possible. Arrive at your scheduled time and your Ivory Tree Team will take good care of you. First, we invite you into our changing room (we do recommend you come dressed and ready, click here for our style guide), to put your bags and check out the mirror.
Then we head into the studio where our photographer will walk you through all the posing. Here’s the deal, we’re experts no need to spend your time collecting Pinterest posing, we do that for you and more importantly we pose you for your body type and family.
We take a kid-led philosophy, that means we let the client set the pace so your session can last anywhere from 15 min to 45, depending on number of family members and little one’s eagerness (some come ready to shine and fade quickly while others take time to warm up).
As soon as the following day you can review your images during an ordering meeting that takes place via zoom (pro tip, schedule your ordering meeting when you schedule your session so you can be sure to view them quickly). During this ordering meeting you’ll review all of the images using our time-tested process, making the selection process super easy (check out client’s thoughts on our process here), and our price guide here.
How to Style Your Maternity Portraits
Dress like yourself for your maternity portrait. Ok, this is a style philosophy but we want you to look like you for the most important session you’ll ever have. We do not have a large wardrobe of fluffy dresses, because we don’t feel it’s genuine. It’s very pretty, don’t get us wrong, but it’s not you, it’s an instagram version of you. And honestly, while you might be taking these images for yourself, it’s your new baby who’s going to cherish them in 20 years and they want to see you, not a version of you they’ve never met. So go on and be yourself.
What you wear to your maternity shoot is more important than any other shoot, ever. Here’s the reason, I don’t know one women who’s goal is to show off her belly in any other photo shoot! But seriously what you wear is important as your belly is the star of your maternity portraits. We recommend wearing a form fitting dress, or at least one you can pull to ensure you show off your belly. We also recco neutral colors, as they age well and are never dated! Click here for style inspirations!
The impact of your Maternity Portraits
I always talk about the impact portraits have on self-confidence. So, let’s get into it. Pregnancy is a weird time, all of a sudden, your body is not your body. Foods you’ve loved your entire life, you can’t tolerate. You can’t sleep through the night. You have to pee all the time. Your emotions are on a rollercoaster.
Some women love being pregnant, some hate it. Some have tried to become pregnant for years or have had multiple miscarriages so feel they should be overjoyed but really are just scared. For some it came as a surprise or others well planned. The point, all pregnancies are different and your feelings, whatever they are, are valid. And we’ve seen them ALL! And we’re here for it.
No matter how you’re feeling now, you will feel very different in a few short months once you have the baby. We have never (and I really mean never) heard, I wish I hadn’t done maternity portraits. But we do hear (and I mean more than I’d like), I wish I’d done maternity portraits. No matter how it feels in your 800th month, it’s such a short time in your life and you want to have the memories.
Top 5 Maternity Portrait FAQs
There are so many questions, you want your maternity portraits to be perfect! No worries, we’re here to answer all the questions. Below please find the top 5 questions we usually receive:
When do I schedule my Maternity Session
Between 28-34 weeks is the most ideal time for maternity portraits. You want to be far enough along that you have a visible belly but before you become uncomfortable for your photos.
Do plan ahead and book your session (for the 28-34 week time frame) early enough that you can ensure your photographer is available and plan what to wear, schedule your hair and nail appointments in advance (we never recco getting your make up done, it always looks too heavy and unnatural).
Every person carries differently and actually every pregnancy is different. With my first, I wasn’t showing until my 5th month, with my second I was showing at 10 weeks (the beauty of having them 16 months apart). So, while 28-34 weeks is the typical window, you know your body (and baby) better than anyone! You’ll also want to consider if you have a high-risk pregnancy and the chances of bedrest are greater, book earlier!
What do I wear to my Maternity Photo Session?
What you wear to your maternity shoot is more important than any other shoot, ever. Here’s the reason, I don’t know one woman whose goal is to show off her belly in any other photo shoot! But seriously what you wear is important as your belly is the star of your maternity portraits. We recommend wearing a form fitting dress, or at least one you can pull to ensure you show off your belly. We also recco neutral colors, as they age well and are never dated!
Should I include siblings in my Maternity Pictures?
Yes, the answer is always yes to include siblings in maternity portraits. Of course, we’ll get some solo images of just your belly, you alone, you and your partner and the entire family. A second baby is a beautiful expansion of your family, siblings have the most unique bond, and we love to capture that right from the beginning!
What if I don’t feel like myself for my Maternity Portraits?
Here’s the secret, no one feels amazing when they’re pregnant. They feel a lot of things, amazing, isn’t usually one of them. But you are glowing to those around you who see you through eyes not as tired as your own! You go to a professional because they will know all the right angles to ensure you look amazing, even if you aren’t feeling it!
Do I actually need maternity portraits, or can I just wait for my Newborn?
It’s a personal decision to get maternity portraits but here’s my hot take. I didn’t get maternity portraits with my first, for no other reason other than I didn’t think about it (she’s 15 so maternity portraits weren’t what they are today).
Most of the images I have from my pregnancy were taken by my husband and are honestly the least flattering things in the world. Not because he wasn’t trying but because they were candid’s and at all the wrong angles. But I have maternity portraits of my second and they are stunning (even though I was a hot mess), and I cherish them. It’s a time in your life that you can’t get back, so be sure you don’t miss the opportunity and regret it later.
What To Do with Your Maternity Portraits
Maternity portraits are the most incredibly sweet, fun, joyful images of this new life and lifestyle. They are all the hopes and dreams you have for this new little one that you love more than you ever thought even possible, especially since you haven’t even met yet!
Obvi, we recommend posting them as a way to help friends and family celebrate your glow. While you might be posting about your pregnancy journey we often find it’s the time when women start to shy away from being in front of the camera because their bodies are changing so much. We feel like whether you’ve been posting bare belly images or have gone dark, these are maternity portraits you are going to want to share!
While we love an amazing portrait for the wall our absolute favorite thing is to include maternity portraits in an album that encompasses babies first year! These albums include imagery from Maternity sessions, Newborn Sessions, 6 Month Sitter Sessions and 1st Birthday/ Cake Smash sessions. It’s an amazing way to celebrate (and remember)!
Top 5 Self Care Tips While Pregnant
Selfcare is incredibly important, always. But it’s next level critical when you are growing a human. Literally everything in your body is changing and this event is life altering.
- Physical: Bloom Sanctuary is led by Dr Brandie Keates who has focused exclusively on pregnancy and postpartum care for over 20 years. She speaks nationally on pregnancy chiropractic care and has authored three books. Her goal in life is to create a safe and caring sanctuary for expecting mamas. Even if you don’t need her care, follow her on instagram here – she gives amazing tips like how to pick up the baby carrier safely, openly discusses pregnancy pains (and tells you what’s normal and not – rather than the standard “yup, your pregnant response to everything).
- Education: Education is so important, we believe it alleviates stress and anxiety when you are facing this entirely new world! Main Line Family Education has a plethora of pregnancy and parenthood classes. They are offered both in-person (so you can start to create your village) or private classes. They include New parent Support Package, Newborn Sleep, Tummy Time, Potty Training, managing meltdowns, CPR, Pelvic Floor, and Back to Work.
- Pampering: We love pampering, pregnant or not we think all Mama’s deserve it! Our go-to is Concihairge . The most amazing stylists do your hair in the comfort of your own home. Full disclosure, my babies are no longer babies, and I still love this service. I always recommend getting your hair done before you give birth, because you are going to be extra busy after (plus the added bonus is that you’re ready for your newborn portrait session!
- Support: Being a new mom is hard and uncertain and frankly confusing! While I was lucky enough to have my mom come and stay with me for a week, not everyone is so lucky (or interested in that option). We are obsessed with After the Stork who offers both day and nighttime support (overnight hours being their most request). You get to sleep while they take care of the baby, do light housekeeping (think laundry and dishes), cleaning and sterilizing bottles and pumping equipment, stocking the changing table and support in lactation and breastfeeding.
- Relaxing: It’s always great to relax with a good book or a slow day, not to scare you but those days are almost behind you), so you need to think about some real relaxation and nothing bets Ame Salon and Spa’s Little Lotus Massage. IT’s 60-75 minutes of uninterrupted pampering before your life gets turn upside down by the most amazing human you’ll ever meet.
Final Thoughts on Maternity Portraits
Maternity portraits are a full-family event that help boost your confidence when you’re expecting. It’s a time to capture the start or expansion of your family, to ensure you always have the memories! Come dressed as yourself, just ensure to show off the amazing belly! And don’t forget to take care of yourself when you’re expecting, you deserve it!
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