Let’s face it. As a mom, we often put ourselves on the back burner. It seems as though everyone else always has to come first. But sometimes we simply need to stop and realize that taking care of ourselves on a daily basis is just as important. Because, as they say, you can’t fill from an empty cup.

So why am I even talking about this in relation to maternity portraits, you ask? Well that's because I truly believe that taking the time to have maternity portraits done during your pregnancy is a form of self-care. Even if it’s your first baby, your world is about to change. Your body is changing in ways you've never experienced, and maybe you're feeling very self-conscious about it. I know first hand what that feels like.

I'm one of those moms that wasn't particularly fond of being pregnant. But I wanted to make sure that we documented every step of the process of becoming parents. We did it all. We did photos for a gender reveal, maternity session, newborn session, 6 month milestone session, 9 month family photos, and the 1 year cake smash and family photos. Now I'm not here to tell you that you need to do all of that. You can certainly pick and choose which moments you capture. But please let maternity be one of them!

Whether it's your first baby or your sixth, you are only ever pregnant with this particular baby one time. Think about that for a moment. Each pregnancy is different. Each pregnancy is special. And your body is doing something unbelievably amazing! It's something that should be memorialized with photos! "But Melissa", you may find yourself saying, "I don't feel beautiful right now and just don't want to be in front of the camera." I hear it all the time. But you know what else I hear quite often? "I regret not doing maternity pictures." Yep. So often.

Here's where the self-care part comes back into play. When you aren't feeling great and don't want to be in front of the camera, I want you to consider how you may feel after you've been pampered with professional hair and makeup, given a gorgeous dress to wear, and told exactly how to pose and look natural and gorgeous in front of the camera. Imagine how amazing you will feel after that. Imagine how much your cup will fill with love for yourself!

When you book a maternity session with me, I will be your personal hype girl, cheering you along as I pose you and telling you how stunning you are! I seriously get so excited about how beautiful the photos are that I probably overshare some of the images from the back of my camera! But it gets moms excited about their photos and it also gives moms the confidence they need to keep taking even more gorgeous photos! I've also had moms tear up at how beautiful they are.

So with all that said, I would absolutely LOVE to be YOUR personal hype girl. I now offer both outdoor and studio maternity session options with hair and makeup add-ons. I also offer a maternity and newborn bundle because we still want to take photos of your precious new baby too of course. But for this blog in particular, I wanted to make sure that I emphasized the importance of maternity sessions because they are so often overlooked.

If you’re interested in having me as your photographer, the best time to reach out is during your second trimester. This allows us time to plan, it allows time for a payment plan if you need to stretch the investment out a little bit, and it helps to make sure that I have the availability. I can’t wait to talk to you!

Your Northern Virginia maternity photographer,

Melissa Driggers 💕