You’re pregnant! Congratulations! What an exciting time and beautiful reason to celebrate! I have many expecting moms reach out to me about when to get maternity photos taken. The short answer is about 34 weeks, but that depends on a few things!

How big do you want your belly to look in photos? Some moms would like photos taken when they’re not extremely close to their due date because they want a more comfortable experience with photos and also don’t want their belly looking “too big”. This is why I find 34 weeks the sweet spot, because you’re large enough to have the photos show your bump in almost any outfit and position we’re in, but also you’re not so close to your due date to not want to do much of anything (I know this feeling!!).

Another factor to consider is if it is your first pregnancy or not! Most moms take a little bit longer to show with their first babe, and show a bump much sooner with subsequent pregnancies (generally speaking). So, if you’re looking to get family maternity photos and this is not your first pregnancy, you would be safe scheduling photos earlier than 34 weeks- even as early as 25 weeks or so for some moms.

The last factor to consider is the time of year. If you’d like to have outdoor photos and want to catch, for example, all the fall leaves before they fall off, you may want to do photos earlier in your pregnancy even if your belly isn’t as big yet. I find smaller belly maternity sessions just as special and I will pose you in a way to accentuate your bump and make it obvious that we are doing a maternity session!

Studio sessions are a great option as well for expecting mamas because they can be planned any time of year and not dependent on the weather! Whatever you choose- I will help your vision come to life to capture the maternity session you’ve always wanted! 🙂