A glow up from the outside in
There's something a little ironic about maternity sessions because they exist during a stage of life where you don't necessarily feel your most majestic. Don't get me wrong, growing a human is a wildly powerful feeling but you're also mildly inconvenienced by everything. Your clothes no longer fit, you cry at the drop of a hat (potentially nothing really new there though), and repositioning in bed has become an Olympic event.
And somehow during all of this, you're expected to show up for a photoshoot and pretend the experience has been nothing but a joy? I understand why it can feel awfully rude.
Maternity sessions are one of those things that become more powerful with time. Right now, they just feel like one more task on your to-do list between hospital appointments, organising nursery furniture, hosting baby showers and mentally preparing yourself for the enormous task of learning to be a parent. But one day these photos become proof of this tiny, fleeting chapter that somehow feels so slow and so unbelievably fast all at the same time.
The sweet spot for maternity sessions is usually somewhere around 30-34 weeks. By this point, you usually have a noticeable bump forming and with any luck, you're still comfortable enough to wander a dirt track and wade through low tide without fear of bursting into active labour at any moment. Well, that's more my fear as someone who is not familiar with a beach birth.
Of course, every pregnancy is different. Some women feel amazing right up until their entry into the delivery room, others are counting down the days from the first trimester. Your comfort is the main priority first and foremost.
But however you're feeling on this journey, there's a beautiful gallery of photos for you right around the corner. And the good news? You don't even have to work out what to wear. I have a full maternity gown collection just waiting for you to step into.
But if you're one of those wonder women that I'm still not quite sure exist and you've had a dress picked out since your first ultrasound, that's also perfect. Just keep in mind the best outfits are the ones you feel comfortable in. If you're unsure or you get stuck, I'm always happy to help.
The session itself is completely relaxed. We'll do a little walking, a little swaying, a little twirling. And unlike a normal session where there always seems to be one awkward hand, your bump takes centre stage, meaning you will always have somewhere comfortable to place your limbs. And if your partner joins in, he can take comfort in the fact that the camera will mostly be pointed at you - I know they need a little bribing at times.
I want these sessions to feel as relaxed as possible. Sometimes they are the last moments you have all to yourself or as a relaxed family afternoon outdoors before heading back into the flurry of activity that has become your life preparing for a new baby.
Just know that the most important thing to bring is you, the version you are right now. Not the version before you got pregnant, not the version who feels completely put together every second of the day and certainly not the version who thinks she has to "bounce back" before she deserves beautiful photos of herself again. That idea should be completely banished from your mind.
Just the version of you right in this moment. Because one day this beautiful, sleepless, emotional chapter will be over. Your baby will grow into a child, your body will change again and life will move forward the way it always does.
And these photos will become part of the story you tell them, these photos will shape who they become just as much as they shaped who you became.
Location: Warrnambool, Victoria
Time: Sunset & Dusk
Photographer: Sage & Seaside Photography
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