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If you’ve had a baby before, you know one thing to be true: Leaving your house in those first few days is not high on your priority list. Right? If you disagree with me, I’ll just have to conclude that we had very different “new mom” experiences.

And there’s probably one other thing you know to be true: That teeny tiny fresh-out-of-the-oven newborn baby grows at lightning speed. It’s truly incredible. A few weeks pass and your newborn has grown and changed so much. If you don’t stop and capture those moments, they’ll be a distant memory sooner than you realize.

I’ve found that when it comes to freezing those moments in time, most people default to studio newborn photography. There are several photographers I know who do this extremely well, and if it’s your jam, go for it. If you’re open to learning about another option that may suit you and your frazzled new-mom-self better, please read on, my friend.

Five Reasons to Consider Lifestyle Newborn Photography

1. You get to stay at home.

Did you hear me? I just told you that you don’t have to leave your house. In-home lifestyle newborn photography is just that – in your home. Talk about winning. If you’re preparing for the arrival of your first child, you probably don’t completely understand why this is such a big deal. Believe me when I say you can’t even begin to imagine how much time, energy and planning you’ll have to muster up just to get dressed and make yourself look like a presentable human being in those early days.

Removing anything extra from your agenda – packing a bag, loading baby in the car and traveling somewhere for photos – will be something you’ll thank yourself for when the time comes. Just go ahead and pencil in “high fiving self” on your calendar in celebration of your first #momwin.

2. You have the opportunity to capture the place where your baby’s life is going to start.

Whether you plan to stay in the home you’re in now for the rest of your life or you’re going to be moving out in two years, this place will hold great significance for you. We moved out of the apartment we first brought our son home to when he was eight months old, and I sobbed like a baby when we moved. Not because I was so in love with our apartment, but because the space held so many memories.

I can still vividly recall walking through the front door for the first time after returning from the hospital and seeing everything just as we had left it when my water broke and we rushed off to meet our new baby. I can see Beckett’s nursery where he crawled for the first time. I can see the fuzzy rug on the floor where I spent more than one night sleeping as I tried to coax my newborn to sleep. And these are just a few examples. Suffice it to say I’m extremely thankful to have had our lives documented when we lived in this space, and I’d imagine you’ll say the same about your own home one day.

3. You’ll have photos of the nursery.

Listen. I’m a mom. I know you’ve put all of the blood, sweat and tears into your baby’s nursery. And I also know that you’ll shed a few more tears when you transform that sweet baby’s nursery into a big boy or big girl room. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

This is the perfect opportunity to capture the beauty of it – everything from the crib to the tiniest detail that you care so much about. It won’t always look as perfect as it does when you first bring your baby home. Soon enough, books and toys will be strewn across the room, and spit-up and spills will grace the area rug that you spent so much time picking out. Take advantage of the opportunity you have to document it in its most pristine form – the way you envisioned it when you first started pinning away to that Pinterest board.

4. It’s easier on baby’s siblings.

If this is not your first rodeo and you have other children that will be joining you for the session, keeping them in their natural environment is much easier on them.

Think about it. Their world has just been rocked by this tiny human that entered their life and took away a significant amount of attention from them that they’ve been pretty used to for a while now. Chances are, they’re not 100 percent themselves. And chances are even more likely that they’re not going to be super gung-ho about cooperating for a photo session. If you’re in your own home, they’re more comfortable. They can take a break and play with their favorite toy in their room if they need to. It’s just one less disruption in their lives that you have to worry about, and that’s a good thing.

5. It’s more true to life.

Hey, I know that these photos are going to be more beautiful than the reality of countless sleepless nights and seemingly unending baby screams. But snuggling up on the couch or your bed with your new baby is something that will likely happen at one point or another. It’s also likely that you’ll find yourself standing at the edge of the crib watching them peacefully sleep on more than one occasion.

This is real life, and it’s going to slip past you in the blink of an eye. So take a minute and think about how you want to remember it.