There are very few things we needed to do to prepare for baby number two. We already had a crib and a baby monitor. The best friends a pregger could have sprinkled us with boy clothes and odds and ends. We were excited to be able to skip the parenting classes since we already know everything (haha yeeeeeah right!). We just needed less.
The one thing I wanted to splurge on that definitely wasn’t a necessity (but I absolutely wanted) were maternity photos. I had feelings of being too tired and too fat, like maybe I shouldn’t since it wasn’t my first pregnancy, but I’m glad I pushed those thoughts aside and did them anyway.
Here are the four reasons we did maternity photos, and I think you should, too:
I wanted to feel gorgeous for a day, and I did.
Although I love being pregnant, it’s not the time I feel the most beautiful. Nausea, weight gain, and weird unwelcome hair growth can get you feeling very non-Beyonce-like from time to time. My photos gave me a reason to get the primping works, and I was excited about it. I treated myself to a spray tan (aka: instant vacation), full hair, and glowing, natural makeup. This mom left the studio feeling like a pregnancy goddess. I have to thank two of my fellow Plymouth businesses for making me feel so special: Spraytini Bronzing Bar and Primp Beauty Concierge who both knew just how to treat me!
It’s a memory frozen in time.
It was our last chance to capture pictures of us having fun as a family of three. Our daughter is so proud of her upcoming big sister role and couldn’t kiss my belly enough; she absolutely felt included and important. As I continue to feel sentimental about our tiny family changing, I’ll be thankful to have these photos to look back on to remember when it was just us three.
It’s important to celebrate this pregnancy.
It took us much longer than we had hoped to get pregnant. When we got a negative test month after month, I would always try to think positive about the future and visualize myself with a big, healthy expecting belly. So, you betcha that once I had that belly in real life, I was going to cherish it and flaunt it. I always want to have these photos to remember what I looked like when I was carrying our son.
It’s fun!
We work with an amazing photographer who totally gets me and my awkwardness and knows how to bring out the best in us all (Hello! Fart noises always make a toddler smile). Because we work with someone we trust and love, we spend most of our time laughing through our session and goofing around as she works to catch our natural, candid moments.
Nine months is such a short time in our life, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. I hope that if you’re feeling way too big, way too busy, or wondering if maternity photos are in your budget, this post has been able to sway you to take the time to do it. If you don’t love them now, you’ll view your pregnancy differently in the future with the ability to look back and realize how beautiful you really were.
