Whether you want to share your baby’s newborn photos on social media, make a photo book, or go old school and send out birth announcements, capturing those newborn photos in the first 24 hours of their life is critical. I promise you’ll forget how tiny those hands and toes were after a while – especially when they’re demanding their fifteenth snack in an hour when they’re preschool-aged. It’s guaranteed you’ll want to look back at these photos and remember how you felt, how your partner and the grandparents felt, and how your baby looked, to warm your heart and probably shed a few tears.
Birth photography is gaining popularity, with some hospitals offering in-house photographers to be by your side on the big day (for a fee, of course). Other folks are hiring their own newborn photographers and even birth photographers to capture every moment and sometimes every gory detail, depending on their comfort levels and what they want to share and see. Whether you have a hospital birth, a birth center birth, or a home birth, having a birth photographer or a newborn photographer is incredibly special to have on the day you give birth to your baby.
We may forget the pain of childbirth, but we will never forget how we felt holding our babies the first time, seeing our partner holding the baby for the first time, and the grandparents holding the baby, especially if they’re captured in photos.
Mom and Partner’s Reaction to Seeing the Baby for the First Time: This is the look of complete joy, elation, and love, and sometimes shock and a bit of fear. This photo is priceless. Obviously, this photo is absolutely crucial. You’ve grown this entire baby for nine months. You did the work to get them out safely. Now, you’re officially a mom. You’ll want to remember every detail of this moment.
Wrinkly Baby Toes: Man, I miss my son’s wrinkly, tiny baby feet and his tiny toes. He now has a preschooler-sized foot, and I am so glad I have photos of his sweet, non-stinky baby feet to look back on when I’m in the mood.
Baby’s First Time Being Swaddled: This photo is so sweet. It could also be used as a learning tool when you’re trying to figure out how the heck to wrap them like a burrito in that little blanket with pink and blue footprints. But really, nothing is sweeter and cuter than a baby burrito.
The Clock in the Room at the Time of Birth: This is a neat photo that not many people think to take, and it’s surreal to see that this was the exact moment your child took their first breath and was earthside. And if you’re into astrology, the timing could be very important to read their birth chart one day.
Shot of the Belly with the Umbilical Cord Clamped: For those who don’t get squeamish, this is a neat newborn photo to take. That cord was the lifeline between you and your baby, where you provided nutrients for them to grow and thrive.
Baby’s Weight and Being Weighed: Not only is this a super-sweet picture (and will be fun to look back on when your baby reaches 50 pounds as a kindergartener), but the information is good to have handy for that first pediatrician visit.
Baby and Mom’s Parents: It’s a special moment for grandparents to hold their grandchild for the first time. I’m sure it will bring back memories of when you were a baby. They’ll be beaming and potentially crying tears of joy in the photo. This makes for great memories to look back on.
Baby with Siblings: This has the potential to be the cutest photo ever. Kids will be so excited to meet their new sibling, and their reactions and facial expressions will be priceless. They’ll love to look back on this when they’re all older (unless you’re like my husband and his brother). When his brother was born, my husband was four years old, and he asked his dad if they could take him back and return him to the store.
