How to Prepare for Your Fresh 48 Hospital Session
Your baby is finally here.
You're running on adrenaline, probably very little sleep, and soaking in the first hours with this tiny person you've been waiting months to meet.
And now it's time for your Fresh 48.
The good news?
You really don't need to do much.
Fresh 48 photography isn't about transforming your hospital room into a studio or making everyone look perfectly put together. It's about preserving this incredibly short season while your baby is still brand new: the hospital bracelets, wrinkly newborn skin, tiny toes, first snuggles, and all.
A little preparation before delivery, though, can make your session much easier once baby arrives.
Book Your Fresh 48 Before Baby Arrives
Fresh 48 sessions take place within your baby's first 24–48 hours of life, before you're discharged from your birthing location.
Because that window is so short, I strongly recommend booking during pregnancy.
This gives us time to go over your preferences beforehand so we aren't trying to plan your session while you're recovering from labor.
Then when labor begins, simply send me a quick text to let me know things are underway. You don't need to continuously update me throughout labor (unless you just want to!).
Once baby arrives and everyone is settled, we'll communicate again and choose the best time for your session.
That first heads-up simply helps me keep my schedule flexible for you.
Mom, Your Job Is to Rest
This one is important.
You just gave birth.
I don't want you repeatedly getting out of bed to find blankets, change baby's outfit, grab something from a bag, or help us prepare the next photograph.
Whenever possible, I'll intentionally structure your session to minimize how much you're getting up and down.
We can photograph baby alone, and baby with Dad or another support person back-to-back.
Then, when it's your turn, we'll capture Mom and baby, parents with baby, and the full family together.
Once you're comfortable, I want to keep you comfortable.
If something needs to be found, moved, changed, or grabbed from across the room, let your support person handle it.
Your job is to recover, love on your baby, and be in the photographs.
What If I Had a C-Section or a Difficult Delivery?
Whether your C-section was planned or completely unexpected, please don't worry about having to get out of bed for your Fresh 48 if you truly aren't ready.
The same goes if you've had a difficult labor or simply aren't comfortable being on your feet yet.
We can still create so much variety with you and baby right where you are.
Baby snuggled against your chest.
Tiny details while they're lying beside you.
Looking down at your baby.
Forehead kisses.
Your partner or support person joining you at the bedside.
Full family photographs.
Siblings meeting baby.
Quiet moments of you simply taking in this brand-new little person.
We can change angles, baby's placement, blankets, and compositions without asking you to repeatedly get up and down.
If your birth takes an unexpected turn, please give me a quick heads-up when we're deciding when I should come for your Fresh 48. You don't need to give me your medical history or explain anything you're not comfortable sharing.
Something as simple as:
“Baby is here! Just a heads-up, I'll need to stay in bed for our session.”
...tells me everything I need to know.
I'll plan around you.
If you're comfortable moving around and your care team has cleared you to do so, wonderful. In that case, expect several standing shots.
But it is never necessary for beautiful photographs.
I'll create the photographs around what your body is ready for that day, not ask your body to work for the photographs.
Please Feed Your Baby
Please, please feed your baby when they're hungry.
We have time.
If baby decides halfway through the session that it's time to eat, we'll stop.
Whether that takes ten minutes or thirty minutes, that's okay.
Please don't feel like you need to shorten a feeding because your photographer is waiting. A full, content baby will be much happier for the rest of our session than a hungry baby we're repeatedly trying to soothe long enough for another photograph.
If you'd like feeding documented, we can photograph that too.
If you'd prefer privacy, I'll give you that.
Either way, take the time your baby needs.
What Should I Bring for Baby?
Hospitals provide many of the necessities you'll need, but there are a few things worth packing specifically with photographs in mind.
Consider bringing:
- A simple, solid neutral blanket
- One or two baby outfits you'd love photographed
- A favorite swaddle
- A name or announcement sign
- A letter board, if you're using one for your announcement
- A bow, bonnet, hat, or other simple accessory
- Anything personalized with baby's name
- A meaningful heirloom or sentimental item
- An extra, warm neutral blanket for after detail photographs
You absolutely don't need to bring all of these things.
Think of this as inspiration rather than a required packing list.
I do love those classic hospital receiving blankets. They're part of the story!
But bringing one solid, neutral blanket gives us another beautiful option for simple portraits and detail photographs where we really want the focus to stay on baby. Think "Pinterest inspo"!
Have Your Photo Items Together
Before delivery, consider packing the things you'd like photographed together in one packing cube, bag, or easily identifiable section of your hospital bag.
Then tell Dad, Grandma, your sister, or whoever is supporting you where it is.
That way we're not asking the person who just gave birth:
"Hey, do you know where the tan swaddle is?"
...while you mentally inventory three hospital bags from bed.
Your support person can be our official bag digger.
If you're doing your Fresh 48 without a support person present, don't worry. I'm happy to grab what we need, just tell me where to find it.
Keeping Baby Warm
I love capturing those brand-new details.
Tiny toes.
Wrinkly legs.
Little fingers.
Flaky newborn skin.
That impossibly tiny belly.
For some of those photographs, we may briefly unwrap baby or remove their outfit.
Newborns can get chilly quickly, so I'll keep those portions of the session brief. Having a warm blanket, swaddle, or outfit ready means we can bundle baby right back up as soon as we're finished.
Baby's comfort always comes before getting another photograph. If you feel like baby needs to be bundled back up sooner, or they need anything at all, please let me know.
Do You Touch or Handle My Baby?
As little as possible. Only with permission.
Your baby may only be a few hours old when I arrive, so I never assume you're comfortable with someone else handling them.
Before your session, your questionnaire will ask about your preferences. This is where you let me know whether you're comfortable with me making small adjustments when needed, or whether you'd prefer that only you and your family touch baby.
If you're comfortable with me helping, that may look like gently holding baby's legs still for a few seconds while I photograph those tiny toes, turning baby slightly toward the light, or gently pulling their hands back out when they've slipped down into their sleeves or blanket.
These are small adjustments, not traditional newborn posing, and I still try to handle baby as little as possible.
If you'd rather make those adjustments yourself, absolutely.
I'll simply talk you through what I'd like you to do.
Having this preference established beforehand also prevents those awkward “Do you want to do this, or should I?” moments. From your questionnaire, I'll already know your boundaries, and we can move through the session naturally.
I've photographed sessions where I never needed to touch baby at all.
I've also worked with parents who preferred that I make the little adjustments we needed.
Both are completely okay.
If you're doing your Fresh 48 without another support person present, I'm also happy to lend an extra set of hands if you'd like them; whether that's helping with an outfit, passing baby from the bassinet to you in bed, or grabbing a blanket.
I don't need to handle your baby to create beautiful photographs. I'm simply happy to help where you want me to.
What Should Mom Wear?
Whatever makes you comfortable.
Seriously.
Your hospital gown is real life. It's part of your birth story, and there is something incredibly authentic about photographing a brand-new mother holding her baby in the same hospital gown she wore during those first hours together.
You absolutely do not need to change for your photographs.
But you can.
Some moms prefer to pack a separate robe, comfortable lounge set, loose dress, or pretty postpartum gown specifically for photographs.
Both are beautiful.
Choose what feels most like you.
And please don't feel like you need professional hair and makeup.
If getting ready makes you feel good, go for it.
If brushing your hair is the accomplishment of the morning, that's okay too.
You just had a baby. It's real, raw, and genuine.
What Should Dad or My Support Person Wear?
Keep it simple.
Neutral colors, earth tones, denim, creams, whites, and solid shirts tend to photograph beautifully without distracting from baby.
Try to avoid large logos, neon colors, graphic tees, or extremely busy patterns.
And this doesn't have to be Dad.
A grandparent, sibling, friend, or whoever is there loving and supporting you can absolutely be included.
Fresh 48 photography is about documenting your family, exactly as it is.
What About Siblings?
If older siblings are coming to meet baby, I would love to photograph it.
You don't need to coach them into having the perfect reaction.
Some children are ecstatic.
Some are curious.
Some are shy.
And some take one look at the baby and decide the snack across the room is considerably more interesting.
That's real life.
We'll gently encourage interaction without forcing it and document their relationship exactly where it begins.
Don't Stress About a Clean Hospital Room
Please don't spend your first day postpartum cleaning for me.
Hospital rooms look like hospital rooms.
There will be bags.
Cups.
Blankets.
Medical equipment.
That's okay.
If something is particularly distracting, I can move a tray table, shift a bag, or photograph around it.
If you'd like to make things easier, having loose belongings consolidated into one area can help, but you absolutely do not need to make your hospital room look like a Pinterest board.
Baby Doesn't Need to Be Asleep
This isn't a posed studio newborn session.
Baby can sleep.
Baby can be awake.
Baby can stretch.
Baby can yawn.
Baby can stare suspiciously at the strange woman with the camera.
Whatever they're doing is part of these first hours.
We'll follow baby's cues rather than trying to force them into a schedule for photographs.
What If Baby Cries?
Then we figure out what baby needs.
Maybe they're hungry.
Maybe they're cold.
Maybe they need a diaper change.
Maybe they simply want Mom.
We stop and take care of them.
There is no prize for finishing a Fresh 48 without taking a break.
Sometimes twenty minutes spent feeding and settling baby gives us a much happier, more comfortable little one for everything that follows.
Baby sets the pace.
What About Hospital Lighting?
Don't worry about it.
Slightly different, but I've photographed hospital births in complete darkness.
Hospital rooms aren't photography studios, and I don't expect them to be.
I'll work with the available light and will likely open the blinds, turn off an unflattering overhead light, or move you closer to a window when appropriate.
You don't need to figure any of that out before I arrive.
That's my job.
What If Nurses or Doctors Come In?
We can pause.
Your medical care and baby's care always come first.
Fresh 48 sessions happen during real life. Nurses may need vitals. Baby may need an assessment. Someone may need meds. Your doctor or pediatrician may stop by.
That's completely normal.
If you let your care team know that you are planning Fresh 48 photos, they will likely let you know what time they plan to be in and out. Then we can plan our session around them.
I'll work around your care team, not the other way around.
You Don't Have to Host Me
You don't need to entertain me.
You don't need to apologize for feeding your baby.
You don't need to make conversation because there's a quiet moment.
You don't need to worry about whether I'm waiting.
You don't need to feed me just because we planned your session at the same time that your DoorDash arrived,
And you definitely don't need to keep getting out of bed because you think you should be helping me.
You just gave birth.
Rest.
Snuggle your baby.
Let someone else dig through the bags.
I'll take care of the photographs.
A Simple Fresh 48 Packing List
If you'd like to make preparing really easy, consider packing these together before delivery:
- A solid neutral blanket
- One or two baby outfits
- A swaddle
- Name or announcement sign, if desired
- A simple bow, bonnet, or accessory, if desired
- Any meaningful heirloom or personalized item
- An extra warm blanket
- Mom's optional photo robe, gown, or lounge outfit
- A simple outfit for Dad or your support person
- Sibling outfits, if they'll be joining us
Remember: none of this is required.
You already have the only thing we truly need.
You and your baby.
The Most Important Thing to Remember
You don't need to create beautiful moments for me.
They're already happening.
Your newborn curling against your chest.
Your partner learning how impossibly tiny newborn diapers are.
The feeding break that settles your crying baby.
The hospital bracelet wrapped around a wrist that somehow looks too small to be real.
The blanket the hospital wrapped your baby in.
The way you look at this little person you've known for less than a day and somehow already know completely.
That's what a Fresh 48 is about.
So stay in bed a little longer.
Feed your baby as long as they need.
Let someone else find the blanket.