Top 10 Shots Not To Miss In The Hospital With Your Newborn

The first hours, days, and weeks after birth are precious. Babies change so quickly, so it makes sense that you want to capture one-of-a-kind images during labor, birth, and delivery. When I work with women during their maternity sessions, we often talk about what the labor and postpartum weeks will be like and some of the images I recommend capturing in the delivery room, birthing center, or home. 

I thought I’d share those with you so you can think about these and other newborn images that may be important to you so your partner, family, or doula can follow through.

10 Images To Take Immediately After Baby Is Born

Before I discuss the top 10 photos not to miss in the hospital or birthing room, I want to speak about an emerging trend to hire professional newborn photographers to take photos inside the birthing room during and immediately after the birth.  Since the time in the birthroom is so sacred - and fleeting - I highly recommend learning to take your own amazing photos.

If you plan to hire a birth room photographer, interview several people and only work with someone who knows how to safely handle and pose babies and that you trust implicitly, who is 100% on board with gracefully exiting the space if you decide less is more for you at that moment.

Now - onto my Top 10 shots not to miss in the hospital with your new arrival…

The baby in the hospital bassinet

To set the stage, bring some of those sweet newborn blankets and swaddling cloths you received at your baby shower, as the hospital versions are usually ugly. Unless you already know how to swaddle a newborn with ease, give the personalized swaddling blankets to the nurses who can swaddle the baby for you. Then, create a little nest around the baby - and voila! It’s an image you’ll savor for the rest of your lives.

A closeup of the baby’s feet with the hospital bracelet

There’s hardly anything in the world more precious than baby feet, and newborn feet are at the top of the list. Newborns can be squirmy, but they also sleep a lot. Take advantage of one of the still sleeping shots and then capture those feet with the hospital bracelet and various angles and magnification.

Once those feet are captured on film, start taking closeups of all the other tiny precious parts—hands, feet, crossed legs, sweet lips and nose, the crown of the head, etc. 

Baby’s bellybutton with the clamp

The umbilical cord is a miraculous connection between mother and child, and while it may be physically severed, there is an energetic tie that lasts a lifetime. The umbilical cord piece will eventually dry out in the immediate postpartum days, and the cord/clamp will fall off. Until then, it’s a symbol of how fresh your baby’s arrival is in the world.

Mother/Father/Parents and baby (against a window)

The birthing room will quickly provide insight into what the next few weeks and months will be like at home - more cluttered than you like, but without the time or energy to keep it organized 24/7. 

While the mother is welcome to stand for this one (if she can comfortably do so), you may want to move one of the rockers or comfortable chairs in front of a window (playing with shades/blinds for filtered light) where no clutter is visible. Plus, this adds a dreamy aesthetic to the image.

Take some variations with each parent or key caregiver solo and some together.

Images of feeding the baby

Regardless of whether you choose to breastfeed or bottle feed, feeding your baby is one of the most precious bonding times you’ll ever have. If you’re bottle feeding, capture photos when the other parent is feeding and bonding with the baby, too.

You’re providing all the nourishment the baby needs for the next several months while your hearts beat against one another and you revel in one another’s face, gaze, scent, and warmth. It’s primal - and absolutely worth capturing on film the first time or two, as well as down the road as your newborn becomes an infant. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they grow and change, and the images of them feeding will become like time-lapse photography.

Siblings holding or surrounding the baby

Of course, no matter how cute the potential photo may be, safety is always the top priority when taking photos of newborn babies. If the baby’s siblings are still too young to understand that babies can’t hold their heads up, etc. it might be best to have sisters and brothers surround a safely propped/supported newborn instead.

If everything feels safe and the baby is comfortable, stand back and let the siblings interact naturally with this new wonder. Most children are very tender once they understand how fragile their newborn sibling is, and you’ll enjoy capturing a variety of candid shots as they explore the baby’s fingers and toes while inevitably planting kisses on the baby’s cheeks and crown.

Again, think about the clutter factor when setting this photo up, possibly moving it to a nearby couch, oversized chair, or bed.

Special visitor shots

If you’re having special visitors attend, it’s worth capturing images of them holding and interacting with the baby as well. If the baby is well-fed and freshly changed, a “special visitors photo session” makes for an excellent opportunity for the new mom to get up, take a shower or bath, walk around a bit, and reclaim some of her own body space as others have a chance to bond with the new baby.

Elder’s hands with newborn hands

If grandparents or other beloved elders are in that mix, make a special effort to capture their hands with the baby’s hands. There is something very special and impactful about seeing the reality of the new and old together. This is the natural life continuum, and it makes for powerful newborn photos.

The doula, midwife, special nurse, etc.

If you had a special birthing coach, assistant, doula, midwife, labor and delivery nurse, OB, etc., this is the moment to capture them with your baby too. Many of the mothers and parents I’ve worked with developed close ties with their pregnancy/labor team, and it’s easy to think you’ll get a picture with them down the road.

The reality is that “down the road” shots may not happen, and they can’t reclaim the immediacy of the Day Of or the Day After. Now’s the time to capture that photo for the album.

10. A few images of the hospital, birthing center, or the front of your house 

It’s fun to see an image of the hospital, birth center, or house where your baby is born. By capturing a handful of photos of the fronts of these places—and related spaces—you create a Birth Day Time Capsule for your child. Later, you’ll appreciate the markers these photos contain, like the weather, the season, and so on. 

Schedule A Studio-Quality Newborn Session With Lemonshoots

Instead of adding another potential distraction or stressor to the post-birth mix, I recommend scheduling a newborn photo session instead. Contact Lemonshoots to see if we’re a good fit, and take a peek at my professional photo studio. I can’t wait to see the images you captured right after your baby is born and I look forward to making magic with you when we capture more precious newborn images together.