5 Often Forgotten But Important Reasons - Why Should I Take Maternity Photos?
Clearly I’m biased when I'm talking about why you should take maternity photos. Let’s call that elephant over here, pet it, and send it on its way back to the zoo. I not only got maternity photos when I was pregnant. I devote my life to them.
I was 34, had been with my husband for nine years, married for four, when we had our daughter. I didn’t have an issue getting pregnant. And, although, I had what would be considered a high risk pregnancy, I didn’t have any major issues. Up until the third trimester in fact, it was smooth sailing. But I still got pregnancy photos done. So, let’s call out the other elephant in the room. It doesn’t matter if your journey was easy getting here or hard, these reasons will apply to you. And, if you had a hard journey here, you have even more reasons to get maternity photos done. Most likely you appreciate this stage a little more than those of us fortunate enough to have a smooth ride.
For those of you who aren't sure, here are the reasons currently staring you in the face. Here are the most important reasons to get maternity photos done:
Reason #1: Future Bonding with Your Unborn Child
How many times have you asked your mom/dad/parents about when they were pregnant with you? I will bet that, it’s definitely been a topic of discussion at least once in your life. And it’s probably become even more of a discussion now that you’re pregnant. And why have you asked these things? Because it’s about you, right? It’s a part of your life story that you can only hear from someone else.
I remember asking about my mom’s pregnancy with me when I was kid. I was curious about my own life after all. I remember her telling me how much pain she was in. And how she had to fly to another island (I’m from Hawaii) and stay with my bachelor uncle to wait it out until I came.
When I was pregnant, I asked my mom a lot more about her pregnancy. I wanted to now know the nitty gritty. How did the pregnancy go? Did this weird thing happen in her pregnancy too? And you know what? There was one thing I really wish I had when I was pregnant. More pictures of my mom pregnant with me. Because now I was going through this crazy ride too and I wanted to see her in the middle of the journey. There is one picture of her at her baby shower and that is it. Nothing else. Maternity photos weren’t a thing then. But aren't stories so much better with pictures?
Stories are how we connect. And we connect even more over stories in which we're invested. And who isn't invested in their own lives? Your unborn child will want to know about the parts of their lives they can't remember. Photos give you an opportunity to flesh out the details. They make your stories more colorful. And they give you both something to hold and share with snuggles. So, while you still can, invest in those future moments. Get the photos that your child will want to snuggle with you to see. Get the photos that your adult child will want to look at as they start parenthood. Invest in those future memories and moments.
Reason #2: Preserve a Testament to Your Motherly Love
A true testament to the love you have for your child is what you are willing to do for them. What you did for them in order to birth them. What you do for them every day to give them the happiest and most fulfilling life possible. What you give up in your life just to make their lives a little easier.
Even though I'm not proponent for sacrificing everything for your children. I do feel that a big part of motherhood is sacrifice and being willing to give up everything for our children. Our bodies change for them dramatically to give them life. We risk our lives to give birth for them. And we devote our lives to their happiness.
These sacrifices as moms are a testament to our love for them. And pregnancy is one of the few physical manifestations of those sacrifices. It is one of the few times we can show a picture and say, "see little girl, I love you so much my body made a home for you."
Reason #3: Pregnancy is a Milestone and Worth Celebrating
I’m going to try and get through this section without getting too dark. I think you and I both know that tomorrow is never guaranteed for us or for any of our loved ones. So, it’s important to cherish these days no differently than you would any other day of your child’s life.
But let’s quickly get to the positive side of this. Pregnancy is a huge milestone in your life and a huge milestone in your child’s life. Like your baby’s first steps, this milestone deserves to be celebrated too. It’s their first nine months of this earth. Nine months isn’t anything to scoff at.
Reason #4: Maternity Photos Preserve How Strong and Beautiful You Are
One of my clients recently said, “you often don’t feel beautiful when you’re pregnant, so it’s really nice to dress up and feel beautiful for an hour or so.” You are beautiful. Your pregnancy is beautiful. And you deserve to be reminded of that.
Life and parenthood are hard. They take their toll. So it’s often forgotten just how amazing you are as mom.
Reason #5: Representation of Pregnancy Matters
Did you know that prior to Lucille Ball being pregnant in her show, I Love Lucy, pregnant women weren’t shown on TV? The word, "pregnant," couldn’t even be uttered on TV. She fought for it, and because she was Lucille Ball, she got her way. But progress is slow. Pregnant women weren’t allowed near elementary schools for much of the 20th century. Their mere presence was thought to be to scandalous for young children to see. Pregnant women, until recently, were hidden away.
It's a very normal and natural state for a woman to be in. Yet we still don't see pregnant women much, do we? Tell me the last time you saw a pregnant woman on a commercial? Or how often you see pregnant women on the cover of magazines? It was still a shock when Demi Moore posed pregnant for the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991. And, even after being on the cover, maternity photography still took decades to catch on.
Pregnancy and childbirth is one of the single most transformative experiences for a woman. Yet, how many women are ashamed of the weight they gain? The way their bodies change when they are pregnant? What they go through to the bring a baby into the world?
So take this opportunity and represent. Show our younger generations that the pregnant body is not something to be ashamed of. Show it off! Celebrate it! Cherish it!
I don’t think that pregnant bodies just need to be brought into the light from the shadows. They need to be honored and appreciated for what they are. A sign of strength! We as women are strong, because we’re pregnant. We’re strong because we can do the hardest thing ever, grow and bring forth a human being and be a mother.
Bonus: Pregnancy is a Rite of Passage
Something you may not know about me is that I am a trained anthropologist. So when I speak of rites of passage, I actually know a little bit about what I'm talking about. Rites of passage are points in our lives where we change. Our identity becomes something else. For me, becoming a mom was the biggest rite of passage I had ever gone through. It was bigger than graduating high school and moving across an ocean and continent for college. It was bigger than getting married. It was the single most transformative thing that has ever happened to me.
And it actually happened twice. And I don’t mean two pregnancies. I mean there are two rites of passage involved in birthing a child. The first one is being a pregnant woman and the second is being a mom. Each of those moments happen at different times to different women. Some women feel like pregnant women the second they get a positive pregnancy test. Some don’t feel that way until they start to tell people they are pregnant or until they start to show. Some women feel like moms with that same positive pregnancy test. Some don’t feel like moms until seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen. Or until they are holding their baby in their arms. I, honestly, didn’t feel like a mom until my daughter started calling me mom.
Regardless of when those moments happen for you, it’s important to remember that there are two transitions going on here. There are two different identities you will pass through in this journey. And just like every other rite of passage, these deserve to be honored, celebrated, and cherished.
Sara Herkes is a maternity, newborn, family, and senior photographer based in Longmont, CO. She serves the the Denver Metro Area, the Colorado Rockies, and the Northern Front Range and captures your pregnancy amidst the Colorado wilderness. Learn more about her services here.
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