I love birth. No matter what those hours are like leading up to it, there is nothing in the world like meeting that little soul for the first time.
While Quinn’s birth is fresh on my mind, I went through the photos we took at the hospital and assessed what moments we captured and what ones we missed. The next time you’re about to have a baby, come back here and reread this list so you can capture as many of those fleeting, beautiful moments as possible.
14 Images to Capture at Birth
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Scenes from your hospital room, from the baby’s bassinet to the flowers your husband picked up during your recovery. The rooms from my first two births blend together, so I’m glad I caught more it this time.
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The view from your hospital room. This is a view you’ll become very familiar with during your stay, so you might as well capture it!
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Mom’s first moments with the baby.
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Dad’s first moments holding the baby.
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A lineup of wrists with hospital bands (Mom’s, Dad’s, Baby’s). Or if you clip them too soon, like we did, just the bracelets. (I love that my hospital gave “big brother” bracelets to the boys!)
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Tiny newborn hands and feet.
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Baby relaxing under the warmer.
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Baby being weighed, preferably with the numbers on the scale showing. (I wish I had this one!)
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Baby’s first bath.
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Your first family picture.
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Your doctor / delivery nurse with your baby (and possibly you, if you’re up for it!)
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Baby’s “I’m a girl” or “I’m a boy” nametag.
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Your perfectly swaddled baby bundle in the light of his or her first morning on earth.
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Older siblings meeting the new baby for the first time.
Do you have a favorite image from your child’s birth? Feel free to add any must-capture moments to the list!
I’m going to have to try to remember these in a couple of months. One of my favorites is a movie I took of my husband singing to the new baby. Priceless!
That is so sweet, Liz!
I love them all but there is something amazing about siblings meeting for the first time! Thanks for sharing.
I love this and will definitely revisit (eventually!). Brittany gave me the idea of taking a picture with the doctor, which I didn’t do with E, but did with Z. I was pleased by how surprised and delighted he was when we asked; it was such a special moment to see him hold our little one and to realize how much he loves his job and newborns. Some wonderful ideas. Hope your recovery and adjustment are going well. I’d love to chat sometime if you ever have a free moment. Message me your phone # sometime. Loves.
Hi Monica! Thanks for the comment! I’m the same way – I can’t believe I didn’t get pictures of the boys with their doctors, but I’m sure glad I caught it this time. It helped that I—like you—really liked my doctor. 🙂 Definitely a sweet moment.
One of my favorite pictures came with my last little guy. Since I have had to have c-sections with all four boys I never got to experience seeing one of the boys come “out”. While it might gross some people out I really wondered what my husband got to see that I didn’t (there is always a big blue sheet in my face). Thankfully my doctor looked at my husband and asked him if he wanted to take a picture of the doctor taking little Cam out. It truly is a miracle!!! My husband always snaps plenty of pictures of them cleaning the boys off, measuring them and taking care of them. Sibling pictures are great too!! Remembering how excited they were when they first saw their little brother is priceless!
That is so sweet, Connie! One of the perks of having a third or fourth baby is that you know better with each birth what to expect and what you want. 🙂 I’m glad you got to experience that more fully through the photos!
great ideas!!! 🙂 we snapped a ton of pictures of the kids when they were born <3 love it!
Congratulations on the birth of your sweet Quinn!!
Hi Erica! Love these picture suggestions! Our hospital had a photographer come and take pictures of my third and the other two boys before we were discharged, and though overpriced, I couldn’t part with two images (that I ultimately paid $200 for the copyrights to): 1) The boys lying side by side snuggling their new baby brother in the middle and my favorite: 2) Keeping them all lying side by side, a picture taken upwards at all of their feet side by side. I LOVE THEM!
However, must warn mothers who have the opportunity to take hospital pictures, to set out outfits ahead of time and not let your husband decide on his own. Otherwise, you’ll have two boys show up in (dirty) white undershirts because they “matched”. 🙂
Haha, that is so true! My husband would never think of the photos when dressing the boys. 🙂 I made sure to set out clothes in advance, and it ended up being my girlfriend who dressed them anyway, since she was watching them. Thanks to her, they arrived in the right shirts! Those images you described sound precious. I can’t blame you for buying them – I’m sure I would have!
Congratulations on your new baby girl! Although I have no plans for another baby,( we are blessed with 4 boys followed by a little girl, it’s truly amazing how one bit of pink sweetens the entire family) your tips on capturing those oh- so- fast moments are wonderful! I am a Labor and Delivery nurse and I plan to share some of these with my patients in the future!