Today, I’m sharing my top 3 tips for expecting parents (from a Buffalo newborn photographer!). As a mom myself, I wanted to share some key things I wish I knew before my journey with motherhood began.

1.) The First Night Home

When I first became a mom, I’ve never been as naive as I was the first night we were home from the hospital. My daughter slept pretty well at the hospital, perfectly swaddled by the nurses, and having to be woken up to feed every few hours. But the first night home was a totally different story. Falsely influenced by our time in the hospital, I set an alarm for 3 hours from now to wake her up for her first feeding. Little did I know that the first night home, she would wake every hour on the hour! If I had to go back in time, I’d set my expectations lower and not be discouraged if it doesn’t go exactly as planned.

2.) The Nursery Won’t Matter Too Much at First

This is something that both surprised and disappointed me. After spending so much time designing, setting up, painting, and decorating the nursery, we barely used it for several months! This isn’t the case for all families. Some choose to move baby to a crib earlier than others. But for our family, the bassinet was where our baby slept for several months. If I had to go back in time, I would make sure that my room was properly set up first. I’d set up a sound machine, diaper station and stock snacks for me in my nightstand.

3.) Schedule Portraits Before Baby is Born

As I mentioned above, I am a Buffalo newborn photographer so this may seem cliche based on who it’s coming from. However, one of my biggest regrets with my daughters is not scheduling portraits for them as newborns. If I could go back in time and make that investment, I would in a heartbeat. I encourage expecting moms to reach out to photographers in their second trimester in order to ensure that a date will be available for you.