Why you *must* make a maternity shoot a priority

I want to take you back to 2016. Back to the days when I was a newlywed. Pregnant with my first baby.

Back then, I didn’t own a camera. Apart from our wedding(s), we had never had – or considered – a photoshoot. For anything.

I didn’t have the easiest pregnancy. I was pretty sick for 18 weeks. I had terrible joint pain right from the beginning, and having always had body confidence issues I didn’t embrace my growing belly like I should have. I felt huge and uncomfortable, and just like I wanted it to be over ASAP so that I could meet my baby.

So it honestly didn’t once occur to me to book a maternity shoot.

I’ve trawled through the archives and am horrified to say that I can find just THREE photos of me pregnant with Holly. And boy, are they terrible.

Wanna see?!

Oh, and my personal favourite:

Votes for who did it best in the comments, please.

ANYWAY. Apart from noticing how young and well-rested I look, here are the lessons we should all learn from this:

• I may have felt huge and uncomfortable, but I looked flippin’ great.
• One day, when Holly asks to see photos of when she was in my tummy, this is all I’ll have to show her. Three very poor, very grainy iphone snaps
• I felt like I was pregnant for 400 years, but really – what a short and special time it was. I barely remember it now, 5 years later.
• WHY didn’t I get my belly out like Beyonce?! What did my bump *actually* look like?
• Why have we still not got around to ripping out that bloody hideous carpet?

But I digress.

I learnt my lesson second time around and had my beautiful friend Trace (the incredible talent behind @dawnandfolk) photograph us before Charlie arrived.

These are some of my favourite memories.

It was March 2020. Right before Covid and lockdown changed our lives forever.

Running around my favourite beach, with my favourite people, in a banging dress, and my beautiful boy in my belly.

Again, I felt huge in these photos (LOL, how great did I actually look?!). So I asked Trace for a family shoot with a few maternity snaps rather than focussing on my pregnancy. Although she suggested a bikini and some water shots… I didn’t want to get my belly out. Well, 2 years later I REALLY wish I had been brave and done it!

The moral of the story is, book that photoshoot.

Embrace your body.

You’re only pregnant with this baby once.

Your bub will never be this tiny again.

You only regret the photos you don’t take.

Let me capture this time for you, just like I did for these incredible women. Book your maternity shoot now!

Not sure what to wear for your shoot? Check out my styling tips here.