Fresh 48 hospital sessions are a new must-have photo session for expecting parents.
Many parents are asking what they need to do to prepare for their Fresh 48 session.
Let’s start with... What is a Fresh 48: Hospital Session?
These sessions take place in the hospital or birthing center, within a day or two following birth of your baby and captures what your new family was like just hours after it began. Parents love capturing all the firsts: baby’s first yawn, tiny features of baby, first time meeting siblings, the first bath, and simply capturing your baby adjusting to life outside the womb.
To help you get ready for your baby’s first professional photo session; I’ve put together a list of helpful tips to get you prepared.
Outfits
When you are packing your hospital bags be sure to include the outfits that you and your family will wear for your session. For your partner, keep it simple like jeans and a neutral solid colored top. For you, wear something comfortable. Those first few days after delivery will have you wanting to stay in your pjs forever, haha!
I typically suggest that moms wear a simple, loose dress or a nightgown and a cute robe. If you want to wear pants, remember that your pre-pregnancy clothes may not fit. Maternity pants, leggings or yoga pants are all great options. Just keep simplicity in mind and try to avoid too many bright colors or patterns!
Stay in Contact
It’s important to give your photographer a heads up when you are in labor or have received a specific planned surgical date/induction date. This will give enough time for them to schedule for your upcoming session. I always suggest that you assign your partner the task of contacting your photographer and setting up a session time.
No Visitors
Plan to ask visitors to leave before your session starts. Too many visitors in the room can cause chaos, very little room to move about the hospital room, and distractions that will take up your session time. If you have other children consider having a grandparent or friend that can keep an eye on them for you and is able to take them to the waiting room until it is their turn to be included in the photos.
Prepping the Room
I will arrive and prep your room to allow for the best photos. To do this, I will open up all the shades to let in all the natural light we can. Then, I will turn off all the lights in the room to avoid any odd coloring coming across in the images and I will take out any distracting elements that might show up in the images: bags, blankets, food trays, etc. Try to ensure that you are also helping in this manner to avoid any unnecessary clutter or distractions.
Prepping baby
Before your session begins, dress your baby in a clean, plain white onesie or neutral colored onesie. I suggest using only one outfit for fresh 48 sessions. We want baby warm and happy for your session and limiting outfit changes will help. Avoiding the use of too many props during your session and dressing your baby in neutral colored clothing will allow the photos to focus on the baby and all their tiny features. However, I always encourage the use of a simple headband, hat, or even your favorite swaddle. Aden and Anais sell some of my favorite swaddles for fresh 48 sessions.
Don’t stress
Don’t stress if things take a little more time or don’t go as planned. Remember, young siblings are still learning to adjust to the idea of a new family member. Mom and dad are exhausted from the past 24 hours. Your baby is in a new world with lots of new noises and bright lights. It’s OK! Fresh 48 sessions are meant to be very laid back. We will have plenty of time to capture what we need! One of the things that tend to stress parents out are baby’s feedings. I encourage lots of breaks at anytime during the session to feed baby. We want to keep them happy and it’s hard to schedule a session around feedings. In fact, if it’s something that you would like captured, we can always photograph your baby nursing or bottle feeding.
My clients always tell me that they are so glad they decided to do a fresh 48 session because their babies change so much during those first few days. You will not regret a session like this!