Documenting the baby bump

Being pregnant is one of the few times in life when it is not only good to gain weight, but it's expected. And although it can be somewhat frightening to watch your ever expanding belly, it is so fun and important to document it! With both of my pregnancies I tried to take a "belly picture" at least once a month, and I'm so glad I did.

Here are some tips and ideas for documenting:

1. Even though we as women know that our belly is going to possibly grow to a gargantuan size, the reality of it can sometimes be hard to deal with. DO NOT let that stop you from taking pictures!! I gained over 50 lbs with my first pregnancy, and I was miserable!! But I am so glad that I took pictures anyways. I love looking back at them!

2. Pick one outfit and use it for all of your shots. (So picking something that expands is key!) I used some yoga pants and a stretchable shirt. Using the same outfit is great visually.

3. If no one is around to take the pictures for you, take them yourself. I do believe every camera has a timer on them now, so just set it up and go! If I had waited for a convenient time for my husband to be around to be able to do it, I might have gotten 2 shots through out my pregnancies.

4. Take pictures both with your belly exposed and covered. It's fun for ME to see my belly, but I felt too uncomfortable showing those pictures to other people that wanted to see pictures.

5. Pick a spot in your house to take the pictures each time. This is also fun visually. My friend had a HUGE wall calender and would point to the date each month for her pregnancy pictures. While I went with something a little less exciting...a spot in my house that I could easily set the timer to take the pictures myself, but I love this series of hers.



pregnancy2 - how to create a free slideshow


6. Start taking the pictures as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the better the comparison for when you really start growing.

7. Take one last picture in the hospital (or at home as the case may be). I know what you are thinking. You are about to have a baby, you are as huge as a house, you are in labor and feel like you getting ran over by a truck over and over and over again, and you would die if anyone saw you like this. But just trust me on this one! My husband took a picture of me sitting in the hospital bed, and although I didn't want him to, I'm now glad he did.

8. This is basically #1 again. But DON'T let your size keep you from taking pictures! I know a lot of people can feel insecure about their size when they are pregnant. Don't let pregnancy pictures of Natalie Portman and other celebrities fool you. Just remember two things. 1. You probably don't have a personal trainer to keep you super fit while pregnant and 2. Everyone has different pregnancies. Like I said, I gained over 50 lbs with my first, and with my second I gained just over 30! No matter what your size, pregnant bellies are BEAUTIFUL!! Just ask your significant other if you don't trust me.

Here is a peek at the photos I took with my last pregnancy. As you can see, I wasn't able to do the same spot every time, but this is one of those cases where it's better to do it how you can, even if imperfectly, than not at all!




pregnancy - slideshow maker