What if my baby is awake for her newborn photos?

We have all seen the adorable newborn pictures of scrunchie, sleepy babies.  I think it’s safe to say, that’s what we typically think of when we hear “newborn photos”.  And many times, that is exactly what happens.  However, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your little one is AWAKE.  Like the kind of awake they are at 2am when you just need an hour of sleep.  So many moms I talk to worry about this.  But as you’ll see in my gallery below, your newborn portrait session may be different than what you expected if your little one is awake, but your portraits will be just as incredible.

Every Age is Welcome

I’m a little different from a lot of other newborn photographers.  I don’t have an age limit for newborn portraits.  So many moms have situations that prevent them from being able to have a newborn session within the first two weeks of delivering and that’s perfectly ok.  Your three, four, even 6 week old baby is still a newborn!  Plus, I strongly believe every mom should have newborn portraits so you can remember this littleness.  They change so fast and regardless of a couple of weeks here or there, you deserve to have portraits you can hold on to and cherish 18, 20, even 40 years from now.  So, whether your newborn is a brand new newborn or an older newborn, I will joyfully photograph your sweet little baby for you!

Guess who’s awake?

When a baby is photographed within the first 2 weeks of his or her life, there is a much greater chance we’ll get a lot of sleepy portraits.  Babies at this stage sleep most of the day (however it’s debatable about the nighttime!).  As newborns get a little older, they stay more alert for longer periods of time, especially if there is new stimuli.  For moms who come to see me with older newborns, it is completely normal and often times expected, that your baby WILL be awake.  And this is wonderful!  I absolutely love older newborn portraits because we are able to capture the most precious connection pictures.  When your baby is awake, I love photographing mom and baby, dad and baby, siblings and baby, etc.  There is nothing like a beautiful portrait of you holding your sweet little one and she’s looking right back at you.  Oh my goodness!  It’s swoon-worthy!

Awake Newborn Photos….Let’s take a look:

I get it.  As a Type-A planner myself, I know how much I want everything to be JUST right.  But I promise you, it will be!  You will love your gallery!  And what you may lose by your baby not sleeping (sleepy, scrunchie pictures), you gain by having your baby awake (beautiful connection pictures).  Take a look for yourself!

I have a lot of wonderful resources for moms to help prepare them for their newborn session.  Here are a few previous journal entries that share helpful tips and tricks, as well as what to bring as you prepare for your session.  Enjoy!!

The Best Age for Newborn Photos: Newborn Photography Dallas, TX

Fort Worth Newborn Photographer: How to Prep for a Newborn Session

Grapevine Newborn Photographer: What to Expect at Your Session

And I know I joke about newborns staying awake through the night but if you are interested in a wonderful “sleep training” book, I have the perfect one!  It’s called “Mom’s on Call” by Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker.  My husband and I both recommend this to EVERYONE and I’ve met so many other moms who swear by it.  It’s a short read, with chapter summaries and a cheat sheet at the end….all geared for sleep deprived parents!  If this is what you’re looking for, I hope it helps!

Thank you so much and I hope to see you soon!

xoxo,

Kim