maternity shoot

I’m on a roll with pregnancy-related blog posts lately! I recently shared a post with my birth affirmation cards, as well as a big overall pregnancy update post, and today I’m going to share photos from my maternity shoot.

I really didn’t document my bump when pregnant with Lucy (other than a few iPhone snaps here and there, and some family photos) and wasn’t planning to do a maternity shoot this time around. I  have been sharing more bump selfies on Instagram (#littlebabyburd2), but wasn’t going to do anything formal or fancy to document the pregnancy. Then, I  got an email from a local photographer named Sarah Sidwell and decided…WHY NOT? This phase of life is so short and fleeting, and I  really have a new level of respect and admiration for my body after giving birth to Lucy and through seeing the changes with this second pregnancy. So I  said yes!

I’ve had professional photos taken before, but typically it’s been with Lucy, Eric and Jack also in the photo with me, or photos of our house for a feature – so I’m just an accessory in the photo, haha. I was a little hesitant at being front and center in these photos, but Sarah immediately made me feel SO comfortable. I decided to go ‘all in’ and do some photos showing the bare bump, and I am so glad I did. Pretty crazy there is a 6ish pound person in there, right?!

I also wanted to share more about my experience shooting with Sarah! First of all, she was so organized upfront and sent me a ton of info on what to expect, what to pack, etc. Sarah is a Nashville-based photographer who specializes in maternity, newborn, and family portraits and offers in-studio, in-home lifestyle, and outdoor photos. Obviously, for this maternity shoot, we were in her studio and I’m glad we were — because 1) I  already have a ton of photos in my house and 2) her studio gets the most gorgeous natural light and was such a serene, special environment. Sarah also didn’t bat an eye when I  asked if I could bring Lucy and Jack to the photo shoot (okay, I  know people bring kids to maternity shoots, but dogs are probably less common!) and she captured some SUPER sweet photos of me with both of them.

She also had a closet full of clothes and accessories I could use (and also clothes for kids, too!). I  wore a pretty lace kimono and white dress from her closet, but there were SOOO many pretty options available! Sarah also gave me advice beforehand about what to bring from my own closet – like bra/underwear (of course) and this cozy knit sweater set. I  love that Sarah’s editing style was very light and airy, and I felt like she really captured me/us. Like I  said, I  was a little hesitant at first, but when I  got these photos back from Sarah, I really thought – wow. I  feel really beautiful. And I’m so glad I  have these to remember this pregnancy with our second daughter.

You can check out Sarah’s work here and follow her on Instagram at @sarahsidwellphotography. Here’s a few more photos! xx