MOTHER—BODY [PART I: THE CHILD WITHIN]
Here at The First Hello we are on a quest for EVERY MOTHER to love HER OWN body.
The female form has been under intense scrutiny since the dawn of time. The relationship we have with our own bodies is complex — often beleaguered by social pressures, cultural ideals and even health challenges.
It’s a journey common to all women. But never more so than during the seismic shift that pregnancy, birth, postpartum and breastfeeding creates… and the lasting changes they leave.
Some women walk through these seasons and encounter a profound gratitude for what their powerful body can do. And yet many others, while perhaps still grateful, are flooded with insecurity, even to the point of body dysmorphia.
SO, Let’s start with THE pregnant MOTHER—BODY.
What a massive feat it is, for a woman to grow a human inside her. Everything changes. And it changes rapidly. Within the space of 9 months, a mother’s body transforms considerably, often requiring several wardrobe readjustments with the passing weeks.
When we took to Instagram recently to ask women…
“HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR BODY?”
… this is how the pregnant mothers responded:
*Names redacted above for privacy.
As photographers, we are CONSTANTLY having conversations like these. In fact, some women don’t end up booking maternity shoots, because they are just so uncomfortable with how their body has changed… only to look back once the baby arrives and regret not capturing it.
One of our GREATEST DELIGHTS is photographing a pregnant woman and allowing her to see, what everyone else sees… TRUE FEMININE BEAUTY.
The pregnant mother often feels insecure about their body, while around them everyone is in awe. They look in the mirror and see their enlarged form, their areas of concern, their insecurities, their difficulty to find clothes that fit and flatter and they miss the miracle that is happening in their very body. Our job is to help them see.
Here is what some of our maternity clients had to say:
“Before the shoot I felt really nervous. I spent ages the night before googling photos from maternity shoots and struggled to find “inspiration” that fitted me and photos I’d cherish. After the shoot, to be honest, I felt relieved. I was made to feel comfortable and as we shot everything was super chill and candid. When I got the images I was overwhelmed and shocked. There are images in there that I will honestly cherish forever. I’m just so grateful I have something to document being pregnant in the middle of a pandemic, when most of my close family and friends haven’t been able to watch our little baby boy grow in my belly.”
— Jess
“I actually loved being pregnant. Loved how my body grew and changed and housed these little lives and was so happy to be able to capture it and keep a visual piece of that precious time forever. For me my legs were always my big area of weight gain and pregnancy cellulite… so baring them was daunting. But I think I was too excited to capture the belly to really focus on it. Then I got the stunning images…😭😭😭 That was my reaction. I felt beautiful. I saw my flaws, but saw the beauty in what my body was carrying first. I’m so grateful!”
— Brea
“I almost cancelled my shoot because I felt too frumpy and didn’t think I needed to document that. But after seeing the photos I couldn’t believe how good you made me look 😂 I loved them. I was so happy I went through with it. To this day, they are my favourite photos of me pregnant. I love looking back at them.”
— Erin
“Before my shoot, I was nervous I wasn’t going to like what I looked like in the photos with my ever changing body. But when we were shooting, even though I was tired, I had a lot of fun! And knew it was a good thing to have done to look back on. I knew I wasn’t going to regret it. And then the photos arrived. I was UTTERLY SHOCKED! Lol. What I thought in my head I looked like and what The First Hello captured were two different things. They turned out so much nicer than I ever imagined! And reminded me that what my body is doing is an absolute miracle carrying my little friend. I sent them to a friend and she cried looking through them. I haven’t stopped going back and looking at them.” — Angela
“Before the shoot I was nervous and excited. But mostly nervous because I felt like I looked like a whale. 🐳 But while we were shooting you made me feel so confident! And then when I saw the images I was BLOWN AWAY, and regretting that I didn’t get to do it with my first pregnancy. These photos will be treasured forever. And they are a reminder of how crazy women’s body are and how beautiful a pregnant body is. You captured our family dynamic so well too. Like how my husband was looking at me 😭😭😭. And how my daughter was snuggling up close to my belly. We LOVE the images. Thank you so much.” — Audrey
We want you to fall in love with your pregnant body.
When you book a MATERNITY SHOOT with us you can be confident we will:
Make sure you feel comfortable & RELAXED!
2. HELP YOU choose something to wear you’LL feel great in.
3. Pose you in a way that flatters and captures how beautiful you really are.
4. Surprise you with images that exceed your expectation.
SO… fall in love with your glorious pregnant bod. Don’t give in to that body shame that cripples too many women from celebrating their baby bump. We want to show you how stunning you really are… and leave you with images you will treasure for a lifetime.
x
RIV & BEL
And The First Hello Team
For more details about our Maternity Shoots, REQUEST AN INFO KIT here:
If you’d like to GIFT someone a Maternity shoot, simply request an info kit above and let us know it’s a gift.
PLEASE NOTE: Under the current COVID restrictions we are allowed to do Maternity shoots outdoors.