Newborn Guide – When is the best time for a newborn session?

The first 2 weeks of babies life is the best time for newborn portraits, so if you are still pregnant, that’s great.
You’ve got time to book in!

But why is the first 2 weeks the best? Well there are a few reasons for this.

1. They will never be this small again!  Yep, they are only going to get bigger from here on in.

While they are this small, it is such a great time to capture all those little details, their hand, their feet, their eyes and those little smiles. They can just fit in you hands and are so small and vulnerable.

2. They sleep more – Now every newborn baby is different but for the most part, those first few weeks, your baby will sleep more than any other time.

They have very little awake time, so this is perfect for the modern curled up sleeping newborn portraits.

They are on a cycle of eat, sleep, eat, sleep.

Does that mean we don’t get any photos with eyes open? Of course not! I try to get awake and asleep photos at every session however every baby is different and they set the rules!

3. Milk pimples and skin irritations – For some reason, around day 14, they can often break out in a little rash or come out in ‘milk pimples’.

These are not a problem of course, you can choose to leave them or we can edit them out but those first days they are much less likely to break out. For our video content however, milk pimples cannot be edited out.

4. Partners are off work – Partners are often home which means that the whole family can be included in the session. I know parents are tired but I think it so important to have a family photograph in those first few weeks. Having a photo with your baby shows just how small they are (compared to you) and also as children grow, they will love seeing family photos of all of you!

(They don’t see the bags, the wrinkles or the extra weight like you do, they just see you)

So then, what happens if baby is already older than 2 weeks?

Life happens, we get it!  One minute your planning your baby shower and the next thing you know bub has arrived.  If you have already missed the first 2 weeks, that’s ok!

Although newborn the curled up newborn portraits are recommended within the first 2 weeks, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t book in at 3 weeks or more!  We will still get beautiful photos of your baby whether they are awake or asleep or whether they are 2 weeks old or 10 weeks old.

Some clients wait until babies are around 12 weeks because at this time they have just started with some facial expressions. They can smile a little and often have wide inquisitive eyes.

What happens if my baby is premature and in hospital for more than 2 weeks?

No need to panic, if your baby is premature, we can still book in for portraits once you leave hospital. My twin boys were born at 35 weeks and spent 2 weeks in the special care nursery.

Premie babies, because they have come early, often still sleep more past the regular 2 weeks, so we will hopefully still get some sleeping newborn photos for you. It will all depend on the baby.

Either way, we will still get beautiful photos of them if they have their eyes open.

So whether you are pregnant or you have already had baby, it is never too late to book in with BAC Photography.

If you have already had your bub, we will do our best to schedule you in as soon as you get in touch.  However it is easiest to be in contact with us early so that we can save your due date and then you can be in touch once baby is born.  This gives us notice that baby will arrive somewhere around that date, and to keep time free for your special arrival.

We look forward to capturing the most amazing time of your life!

What about maternity portraits?

If you are still pregnant, then we can book you in for both your maternity and newborn portrait and you can have some stunning images to keep of this amazing transformational time