In summer 2020, we found our dream house. We were sold on lots of cool features, but one in particular spoke to me about future photography possibilities: the bathtub in the master bath. It’s a beautiful jetted tub below windows that let in beautiful light most of the day. When I showed my best friend Dani, she immediately thought of beautiful photo sessions too. Great minds really do think alike.
However, I didn’t take advantage of such a tool until just recently, when my baby Logan was almost 8 months old. At Dani’s encouragement, I bought a gown perfect for a milk bath session. I hit up the grocery store the day after Valentine’s Day for some discounted bouquets and set aside frozen pumped breastmilk. Dani came over on the day of the session and did my hair, I applied makeup and we set the scene for the session. The lighting couldn’t have been better and Logan was an angel(fish? He loves baths!). The colors of the flowers mixed with the lighting just created a beautiful scene.
Now, I normally don’t wear a see-through gown for a photoshoot. It was incredibly vulnerable for me to see myself as I am. I am curvy. I have generous amounts of rolls in places that I prefer no one sees.
But as I looked through the images with Dani telling me how beautiful I was, something clicked. This is me. This is my body. It is powerful. It is strong. It is a miracle. My body and I have been through a lot together, including four pregnancies and one miscarriage, and nursing four babies. We’ve played sports together, we’ve hiked and gone exploring together. It’s grown and changed with each pregnancy. Each time I look at a picture of myself, I feel overwhelming gratitude for my body.
I know not everyone feels that way about their bodies and maybe posting this doesn’t change that fact, but I’m hoping for other results. I’m hoping that when others see the realness of my body that hasn’t been modified or changed in any surgical or unnatural way, they can appreciate their own bodies. I would love another woman seeing this body will realize that it’s NORMAL for extra bumps and curves and rolls. Representation matters, right? That includes body types.
No I’m not glorifying a certain lifestyle or body type. I’m showing real life, a real mom’s body. While I know I can make healthier changes, and do so little by little every day, I also am going to appreciate and have patience for this amazing body of mine. It’s the only one I’ve got.
Interested in a maternity or breast-feeding milk bath photo session, contact me! I have all the daylight in the world for this!