Shelley's twin bump!

I love it when I get booked for a bump, new born and 6 month shoot package as it means I get to follow a baby from the start which is ever so exciting and a real honour.
So I was delighted when Shelley and Dave called me up to document their story, doubly so, as they are expecting twins in May! See the shoot here...

The S's

It was only after I met Siouxsie (the Cat) that I realised Stuart, Sally and Sam were all S's... silly really, I should be familiar with these anomalies as my Mum, Susan, has sisters Sylvia, Sheila and Sandra (their two brothers got away without S's).

We first met Sally and Stuart at our NCT anti-natal class back in February this year when we were expecting our first baby, and they were expecting Sam.

The NCT class was an excellent way to meet other Mums and Dads to be and get some confidence regarding the unknown that at that time was fast approaching! Top tips such as the five S's (Swaddling, Stomach, Shhhh, Swinging and Sucking) to calm your baby were things that have seen us through the initial stages of Parenthood and are still useful now, 9 months on.

I was really excited to be asked to photograph Stuart and Sally's family and upon arriving at their house, they were as welcoming as their lovely warm farmhouse kitchen. Here's a few shots from their session...

Bump and Grind

38 weeks pregnant and still working!

It doesn't really feel like work.

I've got a run of bump photo shoots with some lovely ladies who are all first time mums to be. With my own bump at a very similar stage to many of my clients we have the same fascination and awe at our ever expanding shape and similar sense of excitement and trepidation regarding the new experience looming now not so far ahead.

And it's not all work, Andy and I make time for walks in the park, I attend aqua natal classes, pregnancy yoga, bumps and baby groups. I take a last lone visit to the hairdressers and marvel that even in these late stages of pregnancy I still have to stand up all the way home on the train!

All is fine on the hormone front until I have a small freak out about letting my baby out into the big bad world! I'm plagued for a few days about chemicals, pesticides, boiled sweets, strangers and sugar!!! Silly really as he or she can't stay in there much longer! 

Sausage has the biggest feet (he or she has been called Sausage since the book told us that baby was the size of a chipolata cocktail sausage!)  I can feel the soles of them and they feel like very big rabbits back feet. I think i'll probably miss the kicking.

I would have liked to have seen a picture of my Mum's bump when she was pregnant with me, but it's not something people used to photograph.

Having said that, we then realise that I've not done my own bump shoot, so we rattle off a few shots and hope that our little one will enjoy marvelling like we have at how amazing it is to be able to grow another human being inside you...