What to expect on your baby’s first round of vaccinations

(besides the inevitable tears—from both of you!)

We always ask about your baby’s immunization time schedule and avoid photographing them during this time.  They may not be happy campers for a few days after these shots.  And we want to stack the odds in our favor when photographing your little one.

The following information may be controversial to some but it was true for me and mine so I am sharing what worked for us.  Hopefully it will help ease the anxiety that comes along with those first shots.

At eight weeks, it’s time for another well-baby checkup, and this one features your little one’s first round of immunizations. At this visit, your child will be vaccinated against DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, aka whooping cough), Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b), IPV (polio), PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), Hep B (hepatitis B — unless she got it at her four-week checkup instead), and RV (rotavirus). This alphabet soup of vaccinations may leave you needing some A’s to your Q’s. Here are some FAQs for you to consider:

• Are all these shots really safe? In a word, yes. Complications are extremely rare, and after dozens of research studies, no link has been found between vaccinations and developmental disabilities such as autism. The diseases these vaccines are designed to prevent are far more dangerous to your baby.
• What if my baby has a reaction to the vaccines? Your baby’s chubby little legs may be sore at the site of the injections, and she may run a slight fever (under 101) or be cranky. To treat side effects her doctor will probably recommend infants’ acetaminophen or ibuprofen for relief. It’s very unlikely that your baby will experience a more severe reaction, but contact your practitioner immediately if she runs a high fever (over 104.8), has difficulty breathing, cries for more than three hours, has seizures or convulsions, is excessively listless, or shows signs of an allergic reaction, such as a rash or a swelling of her mouth, face, or throat.
• Won’t these shots hurt my baby? The pain of a vaccine is only momentary (feels like a pinch) and compared with the pain of the diseases the immunization is protecting against, insignificant. You can minimize your baby’s pain by holding her in your arms and by distracting her (studies show babies cry less this way), by breastfeeding immediately before or during the immunization, or by using an anesthetic cream an hour earlier (ask your pediatrician — she has to prescribe it).

Also at this visit your pediatrician will look at how your baby is growing (height, weight, and head circumference); give a physical exam; and a developmental assessment (of her head control, vision, hearing, and social interactions). Got questions or concerns? Make a note of them prior to the appointment so you won’t forget anything. Most of all enjoy this chance to bask in your baby’s progress!

Boy can I relate to this article.  My little one was colicky for the frist 2 months of his life.  We were not happy campers back then.  I hope this information will help ease your frustration if you do have a colicky baby.  And one more tiny word of wisdon – it won’t last forever.  Just try to be patient.

Patience will pay off

So what happened to that sweet, sleepy baby you brought home from the hospital just a few weeks ago? Has he been replaced by an inconsolable crying machine whose wails never seem to end? You may just have got a case of the colic on your hands (or in the crib). Here’s how to gauge whether your cranky newborn has ratched it up a notch (or seven!) and joined the ranks of the colicky:

• His crying spells are severe and persistent — he’s not so much crying as screaming.
• He’s very active, even frantic; he won’t settle down to sleep or eat no matter what you try.
• He can cry for two or three hours straight. And the worst outbursts occur in the late afternoon and evening. And they happen pretty much every day — you never get a break!

The true definition of colic follows the rule of threes: unexplained crying that begins sometime after the third week, lasts for at least three hours each day, occurs on more than three days per week, and continues for at least three weeks. The good news is that it usually subsides by three months (there’s that magic three again), but that’s certainly no consolation to you right now as you try to just get through yet another afternoon of unending high-pitched wails.
Is there anything you can do to survive the next few months of colic with some semblance of sanity? Luckily, there is. The first step is to stay calm (easier said than done, certainly, but it can be done with some willpower). The second is to remember that the crying isn’t your fault, and it won’t last forever. Then try some of these potential tear-reducing strategies:

• Carry him for at least a few hours every day, in your arms or in a sling or front carrier (during the crying jags, and at other times too). Most babies enjoy being walked or swayed.
• Ban smoking around your baby. There are countless reasons to keep tobacco smoke out of your home; one is that it can reduce colicky crying.
• Ask your pediatrician about trying simethicone drops (such as Mylicon); these can alleviate gas, which causes pain and crying in some babies.
• Shut out excess stimuli by keeping your home quiet and dimly lit. One colic-cause theory is that newborns lack the ability to block out the overwhelming cacophony of sounds, sights, and smells that surround them. Rhythmic sounds (the hum of a humidifier or a soothing recording of waterfalls) and movements (a spell in the swing or stroller) may also help.
• Take breaks, and enlist support from your partner, mother, friend, or a babysitter. If you’re on your own and at the end of your rope, leave your baby safely in his crib or bassinet while you flee to another room for a minute or two. While it’s always best to respond promptly to your little one’s screams (after all, it’s his only way of communicating with you), a brief escape may be healthier for both of you.

One of the hottest new trends in photography today is photographing newborn babies.

Safety in photographing them is of utmost importance in our studio and should also be for any new mother who wants such a session of their baby.

I love working with these little beauties.  My favorite age for a newborn photography session is between 7 and 10 days old.  Yes, I said 7 to 10 days old.  I know that is tiny but this is the perfect time for such an exquisite image.  

When my son was little, no one ever photographed babies that young.  Today, every time I get the opportunity to photograph a baby like this I sigh a little and say “I wish I had something like this of Michael”.  It is just one of those sessions that remind me how wonderful it is to be allowed to create a memory of someone’s little baby that I know in my heart they will truly cherish forever.

Planning is essential:

As sweet as it can be, it is not an easy task. There is a lot of planning that goes into creating a successful newborn session.  First, the mother has to know well in advance that this is something she wants and has to plan on making it happen in the first week of her baby’s life.  Our clients will discuss this session with us during their maternity session.  If they have decided not to do a maternity session then they come in for a newborn baby session consult while in their 7th or 8th month of pregnancy.  They don’t want to miss this opportunity so they make sure to come in to get all the details and to prepare us for an awesome time together.

I actually have moms, dads and even grandmothers call us from the hospital right after the baby is born to set an appointment for their newborn baby session.  We will rearrange our schedules to accommodate them. 

Safety and comfort is utmost in our minds when photographing a baby this young.  We make sure the studio is warm and clean and disinfected.  We place a heating element in any prop (hammock, baby bed, bucket pillow and many other options) that we plan on using to insure a warm surface for the baby to be placed on. 

10 days old is the perfect age for this session

Hammocks and more:

One of the most popular request we get is our baby hammock.  I understand why too.  It is just so cute and it shows all the baby’s perfect fingers and toes and rolls of baby chub that is the perfect reflection of innocence.  It is however, not a prop that should be used by an inexperienced photographer.  It could have devastating results if in the wrong hands. 

Being an experience mother and photographer of newborns and children, I know exactly how to handle the babies and how to secure the set for maximum safety and results.  I solicit the help of either mom or dad to “spot the child” while it is an all hands on deck for me and my staff.

The fountain of youth:

It goes rather quickly because we have an organized plan that usually goes without a hitch.  I say usually because we never know what the baby will give us.  Sometimes they are happy and sleeping and just goes with the flow. But other times they need a little extra feeding and cuddling to coax them into the perfect pose.  And many, many times we get sprayed by the fountain of youth – which almost always gets a laugh out of everyone.

Our newborn sessions are very custom.  I try to create something that is unique relative to what they are looking for.  We may use the same hammock or baby bed or bucket but the end result has been hand crafted, retouched and designed by me.  A work of art just for you.

Listen to your Instincts

Please be very careful when selecting a photographer to work with for your newborns very first modeling debut.  Ask them how many newborn babies they  have photographed.  Ask them what their protocol in preparing for you baby’s session.  Talk to them and trust your instincts  you do.  Don’t let you emotions get the best of you.  If you have ANY reservation about the photographer handling your baby – don’t do it.  Find someone that puts you at ease and that you feel comfortable with and trust.  Not every photographers is cut out to work with such precious little babies.  They may be fabulous at other types of photography but not so experienced at newborns.

Coming in the next few blog articles, I will share with you the schedule of photography chart called “Once Upon a Lifetime”.   I created when I realized every mother asked me “when should I have my child photographed again?” Over the last 20 years I believe I have discovered the best formula to follow.

Be sure to visit again for this   priceless advice.

In the meantime – enjoy the newest addition to you family – trust me, they will grow up so fast.  You simply will not believe it.

When my son was born, breastfeeding did not come natural to me and I struggled.  Of course the more you struggle and the more you stress out about it the worse things get right?  I remember contacting the la leche league for help and go NO help from them.  Apparently I didn’t qualify since I wasn’t successful at breastfeeding.  It was a horrible experience for me and I had no one to turn to for help really.

Today there is the internet which is full of information to help anyone.  It would have even helped me I’m sure.  If you are a soon to be mother or a new mother you may find this information very helpful and interesting.  I wish I had access to this, way back when, and I hope it may help others today.

Part of getting to know your infant is getting in tune with her newborn nursing personality. As you’ve probably already figured out, just as your baby has a unique cry and a unique way of curling into your arms, she also has a nursing style that’s all her own. But is your newborn’s nursing style unique — or does it fit into the norm? Believe it or not, researchers have actually classified five major categories of nursers, and recognizing them can help guide you toward a better understanding of your baby’s style — and how to make the most of her newborn nursing habits.

Barracuda

Is your baby like a little vacuum, latching on tenaciously and suckling with all her might for ten to 20 minutes at a time? If yes, you may have a barracuda-like baby on your hands (or at your breast!). Sure, there’s no dawdling at the breast with this newborn nursing style, but the quick nursing action that characterizes this style may cause you pain due to your infant’s vigorous suck. To prevent sore nipples make sure your itsy-bitsy barracuda gets a good, deep latch. If you’re in pain throughout the feeding, that’s a sure sign that the latch needs some fixing. In that case, remove your hungry baby from the breast (break her suction gently and carefully by putting your pinkie in the corner of her mouth) and try the latch again until it feels right. Also, consider switching breastfeeding positions so that your baby doesn’t irritate the same sore spots again and again.

Excited Ineffective

You’ll be able to tell if your baby is an excited ineffective if she’s so thrilled to see your breast (and smell her next meal!) that she can’t keep her mouth grasped around the nipple long enough to actually nurse. Once these newbie nursers lose hold of the breast, they end up screaming in frustration (which can be frustrating for you as you try to get the hang of breastfeeding). Your goal with this newborn nursing personality is to keep your baby calm: Prevent your little one from getting too excited (and inevitably frustrated) by offering your breast at the first sign of hunger (such as rooting or sucking on her hands). Then do your best to create a soothing nursing environment — sit in a glider and rock your baby while she breastfeeds, offer lots of skin-to-skin contact, and, most of all, try to keep your cool so that your infant doesn’t get even more wound up and off her nursing game. Also, rest assured that as your baby gets older and more practiced, she’ll become a more-effective (and probably less-excited) nurser.

Procrastinator

Infants with this laid-back newborn nursing personality tend to be more interested in snoozing than suckling. If your baby is a procrastinator, make sure she gets needed nutrition and regular practice breastfeeding by putting her to your breast often (eight to 12 times a day) — even if she doesn’t seem hungry. You may need to wake her up to feed her. Don’t stress about how much your baby is drinking (newborns need very little volume early on); you’ll be able to tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk by making sure that her diaper output is on track and if she seems happy and content (or drifts back to sleep) after most feedings. Soon enough, your little procrastinator will probably get her nursing act in gear.

Gourmet

These future foodies know how to savor their milk, so if your baby is a gourmet, she tends to mouth the nipple, play with it, smack her lips, and take her time tasting each mouthful of milk. There’s no use in trying to hurry a gourmet, since you’ll only make her angry and upset. Instead, your best bet is to go with the flow (so to speak) and let your little one take her time. Grab a magazine or the TV remote and make yourself comfy since you won’t be going anywhere fast! Keep in mind that even the newborn nursers who eat for the longest stretches get quicker as they get older.

Rester

How can you tell if your baby has this newborn nursing personality? Resters like to nurse for a few minutes and then rest for a few minutes, or even nod off only to wake up and want to continue nursing again — which can be quite confusing to a new mom, who is eager to have some predictability when it comes to her baby’s nursing schedules. As with a gourmet, you’ll have a hard time rushing a rester, but you can do your best to try to keep your infant alert through feedings. To that end, try unswaddling or undressing your baby while she’s nursing, or tickle her feet to keep her awake. You can also manually massage your breast in order to pump some milk into your newborn’s mouth when she starts to slow down her suck-swallow pattern and drift off to dreamland. The good news is that as your rester matures, she’ll start to get a more-regular newborn nursing pattern. In the meantime, kick back, put your feet up, and try to squeeze in some snoozing of your own as you nurse!

A big part of our success in photographing children is knowing about their developmental stages, knowing what to expect and also being able to relate to mommy and what she may be going through at any stage of their child’s life.  It is comforting to know that you are with someone who understands and who has been there herself.  Your baby is always in good hands at our studio.

What to expect from your little one …

0 – 3 Months:
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! The newborn phase is a precious time — and the most exhausting! Here’s where you earn your Mommy points… The thing you remember most about the first 3 months is how fast it went by, how much you and your baby changed – daily, and how peaceful they look when sleeping.

It’s important for you to eat properly during this time of your baby’s life to help fight postpartum fatigue and to add exercise back into your daily routine.  It’s easier that you think and it’ll be really good for your body.  It helps all those stretched areas to regain their natural tightness making everything feel and look better to you.

Here are a few more articles that may interest you as well.

• Does you baby have Colic?  The Rule of Three
• First Shots: Your Top Three Questions Answered
• Give Dad His Due
• Decoding Your Baby’s Cries – all Six of them
• Dealing With Seperation Anxiety -yours!
• Fun and Games with your Baby
• Inspiring Those First Baby Giggles

Most of this information came from lots of research on the internet.  I hope that by providing it here, it will make your life a little easier.

Kai was a joy to work with and so were her sweet young parents.  They were so excited about our session. Grandma brought an adorable outfit from the Velveteen Rabbit as well as a few other items.

Little Kai was just 7 weeks old.  She was awake and even slept a little during her sesison with us.  What a perfect little model she was.

Daddy had really hoped we could do our baby in the hammock image which we usually do with a baby less than 2 weeks old but Kai was certainly up to it and with daddy’s help we were able to capture exactly what hey were hoping for.

I looked at them and remembered that I was just that young when I got married and it seems like a lifetime ago.

Congratulation to Darrus and Margo and grandparents Joanne and Kelly.  Don’t blink.  Time will fly.  Cherish every second with your little one. She will bring such joy to your lives.

childrens photography and lessons

Even children can learn from visual examples.

I know that I am a visual person who learns so much more when a lesson or idea is accompanied by a visual aid.  Pictures, objects, photographs – any visual aid helps.

This is a great story I ran across the other day and I’d like to share it with you. Its a perfect example of how visual aids can bo very effective, especially when talking to children.

N New York City Teacher Shares a Lesson WIth Her Children

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform.

She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. S

he then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bully’s another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever.

The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. 

When I read this it had a profound effect on me.  I hear so stories of so many children who have been bullied and how it will effect them and it is so sad.  I think it is our duty as parents to try to make a point to children about how long lasting bullying can be and what a terrible effect it can have on others.

I suppose something worse than a child that is a bully is an adult who has grown up as a bully and continues to be one.  I actually know a few peole like this and it is very sad indeed. 

Give you little ones a gentlehug tonight and remind them that you will always be there for them no matter what.  Remind them that treating others the way they want to be treated is a good way to live your life. Help them learn to be kind and gentle people so they will grow up to be kind and gentle adults with compassion and empathy for their fellow man.

A kind word to a stanger is a great example to show your children that it doesn’t take much to reach out to others and show kindness.

Some lessons are better learned early and others live on forever. Use visual aids to help your children those lessons in life that will serve them well.