Let's get prepared
FAQ and what to do before your session
You did it! Bringing a new baby into the world is HARD. But here you are! Having the honor of documenting your newest family member for the first time isn't something that I'll never take for granted -- even after hundreds of newborns!
As you scroll, I'll help get you ready for our session, along with walking you through my process so you can relax and enjoy this magical time in your life!
Why 10:00am?
When in the womb, most pregnant women are active during the morning/afternoon and move less in the evening before falling asleep at night.
The rocking motion during her active times is what lulls baby to sleep, and usually, when she lays down, that's when baby is most active and kicking!
During the first few weeks, baby will have a backward sleep schedule, which will make for sleepless nights for parents but usually helps for a nice sleepy newborn session for me!
Starting at 10:00 am is a good time to catch your newborn's deepest sleep and allow travel time along with time to do any hair/outfit/makeup prep for yourself!
studio policies
Let's get some business out of the way before we proceed to prepping your little one!
Sibling policy: Siblings arrive to the studio at 12pm. Allowing siblings to skip the baby-only portion of the session makes for a smoother session overall, which means a better gallery and less stress for everyone! More details about this further down. *Exceptions and accommodations can be made for c-section mamas who cannot drive and only have dad for support.
Illness policy: If a family member is sick, please DO NOT bring them into the studio. If the ill family member must be present for the photos, please reschedule your session for a later date when they are well. Since I work closely with newborn babies, it is very important that I stay healthy for these precious little ones, as well as keeping germs out of the studio. I sanitize and disinfect my studio top to bottom before each session.
If you or a family member is ill (and has not been symptom or fever free for at least 24 hours) PLEASE call to change your session date. If a person arrives and is obviously sick, I may ask that client to leave and reschedule. (And that is super awkward!) I greatly appreciate your efforts in helping me keep myself and my clients healthy!
While you're at home...
One part to my unsoothing method is having a baby who is ready to sleep. If you want to start the process before you leave, you can do your best to create an environment where your baby is NOT sleeping.
SOME WAYS TO KEEP BABY AWAKE
>Bathe baby 2 hours before session start time
>After bathing, don't actively try to get baby to sleep--let them be awake!
>If baby is fussing, you can soothe them--we don't want a crying baby!
>Letting baby kick unswaddled in a warm room is a great way for them to wear themselves out!
BUT...
If any of this is stressing you or baby out, please just let baby snooze and we'll still have an amazing session!
feeding your baby
At Home:
When possible, please try to feed baby a good solid feeding shortly before leaving your home.
When baby arrives, they are often sleepy from the car ride. Having a nice full belly on top of that usually gives us a baby who will be able to get right to posing!
To Bring:
Babies feed lots of different ways! I am going to list suggestions here, and you just choose the ones that apply to you and your baby.
Formula: bring more than your baby would normally eat during the time frame of our scheduled session. Posing is hard work, and many babies need extra snack time to keep them well soothed.
Pumping: bring a feeding or two extra above what baby would normally consume during this time frame. You are welcome to use my refrigerator or freezer, as well as hot water to thaw frozen bags. You are also welcome to pump during the session.
Breastfeeding: wear an easy access top (you can bring the one you plan to wear for your portraits and change at that time if your outfit of choice is not nursing friendly!) Expect to feed baby a few times during the session.
Pacifiers: I keep individually wrapped pacifiers in the studio. These can sometimes be a huge help soothing baby during posing. Bringing your own from home can be helpful if baby has a preferred paci!
what to wear
If you're a mom who has just given birth in the last few weeks, finding something that fits can be a challenge. My goal is to show you how beautiful you truly are - even if you don't feel it.
I highly suggest loose, flowy, and textured!
Whether it's a maternity gown you love, a favorite comfy sweater, or just a simple top or dress--bring it! Maternity jeans/leggings work well, the focus will be on you + baby.
Light neutral colors work best for my portrait style for the entire family. White, Cream, Tan, or pale colors are best for your family portraits.
*Please be mindful of your nails, as your hands will be photographed. Chipped polish, dirty or ragged nails will cause a delay in receiving your final images due to extensive editing.*
for the dads
In the spirit of keeping this session stress free, I highly recommend dads go simple with their clothes. Snug t-shirts are the way to go, excessive fabric from dress shirts and collars can hinder posing tiny babies in their dad's arms.
Don't worry about any "dad bods", because first and foremost all bodies are good bodies, and secondly, the focus is mainly going to be elbow and up with a heavy dose of cuteness happening in your arms!
*Like with mom, please be mindful of dirty or ragged nails! Filing and scrubbing them will keep the editing time down for me! *
arriving at the studio
Amy Lachney Photography is located upstairs in the beautiful, historic Tyson Sinclair building in downtown Carthage. When you arrive, please enter through the main front doors in the center of the building. Walk back to the grand staircase towards the back of the building, then up the stairs.
My studio is the first door right at the top. Please text me at 985.502.0088 if you have any questions once you've arrived. I will be happy to meet you and bring you up!
Amy Lachney Photography
105 McReynolds St.
Carthage, NC 28327
Find us here
105 McReynolds Street
Carthage, NC 28327
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Kind words from
Carrington
Amy did an incredible job capturing a new chapter for our family. I am so glad we did both a maternity and newborn session with her. She had a great number of dress options in her client closet available for the maternity photos and also had great pieces to pick from for our newborn’s photos. I was a little scared of the idea of doing newborn photos 1 week postpartum however she was very patient and made the process so easy and comfortable for baby. I love her timeless bright and airy style and will cherish our photos forever!
Let’s work together
