Franklin TN Family Photographer | Helweg Family

When a momma hires me, my goal is to show them the amazing the amazing mother they are. I know many mothers (including me) are filled with self doubt.

Will I be enough for the human I love more than anything on this planet? How could I ever be enough? When nothing will ever be what my child deserves?

Momma. You are enough. Even with the flaws and mistakes we make, we are enough. Because we were chosen. Chosen to be their mother. And that in and of itself means you are enough.

Breathe it in. And say. I am enough. Because I choose love.

Contact me.

In 2022, our society has taught us to focus on the now. The immediate needs and wants. Social media has taught us to care about what we can share, what’s “sexy” according to Instagram. We as a society care less about what we will want or need a decade or two from now.

But I have chosen to listen closely to what people who are older than me say. They all say the same things.

Your “stuff” won’t matter. That Pinterest worthy kitchen, wont matter. Your $75K car, wont matter. What will you miss?

You will wish you were less busy. You will want more time. You will want to revisit the good ole days (PS, you’re in them right now).

I encourage you to live for your future self. Imagine being 65. Will you have stories to tell and share (in person, I dont mean share on social media). Will you have spent enough time with your loved ones.

Even the homeschool parents who have graduated kids tell me “I wish I had done less” - they spent years cramming academics into their kids and later realize it was not only unnecessary but it took away precious time.

Spend more time together, and capture those stories. The stories of your dinner times, your prayers, family game night, baking with your kids on Sunday. Whatever your story is, its worth telling.

I hear it often:

I want a family film but I think I should wait for ….

When I lose the weight…

When my house is renovated…

When my next baby comes….

When my child is a little older….

When we move to our new home….

When the weather is warmer…

When the leaves have fallen….

The thing is… it is already later than you think. And if you are always waiting for life to be more perfect than it is right now, then you’re missing the NOW.

It is already later than you think.

Our culture seems to be moving further and further away from a culture that supports and encourages moms in their mothering.

We normalize complaining about our children and our husbands. We normalize needing wine as a coping mechanism. We normalize unsuccessfully nursing. We normalize sending our infants and children off to institutions to be raised. We normalize making moms feel less than unless they’re running a household, raising children, having a successful career, all while maintaining sexiness. She isn’t enough unless she can do all the things without fail. Which is actually unsustainable. No wonder women don’t think they can homeschool.

I used to be that mom but I’m here to say it’s all lies. You can do less and be more worthy. You can have mechanisms that even when you’re in the busiest season, you’re happier and calmer than ever rather than exhausted and yelling. But we don’t help moms gain those skills. We just say “yeah girl I need wine too” instead of why are we so stressed and how do we find our happy?

Nashville Baby Photographer | Ashton's Nursing Story

So many women these days struggle with nursing. Its grown ten fold over the past five years. Babies are born with lip ties and tongue ties, thanks to epigenetics and genetic mutations passed down each generation. I asked Ashton to share her story of nursing pain, mastitis, lip tie, tongue tie, baby's weight issues and more."Leland and I have had a trying time with nursing since we came home from the hospital. Many tears have been shed between he and I during this process. I thought it was going to be easy, because it's supposed to be a natural thing between mother and child, but I quickly learned that's not the case for everyone. There are many factors that come into play with a good latch and unfortunately these weren't working in our favor.After a few days of trying on our own, we decided to have a lactation consultant come to our home, in hopes that we would find the guidance we needed to help us along in the right direction. During our appointment we found out that Leland was lip and tongue tied. It explained everything we had been through. It was the reason I was in so much pain, the reason I ended up with mastitis, and the reason he wasn't gaining as much weight as he needed to. Leaving myself, my husband, and Leland very frustrated.Recently, Leland had a lip and tongue tie revision. It completely broke our hearts to take him in to have the procedure done, but it was also completely necessary in order for him to be able to nurse properly. We're continuing to do the appropriate stretches with his lip and tongue, so that they don't reattach. The last thing we want is for him to need another revision. He doesn't like the stretches, but he really has been a trooper through it all.With all of that being said, it is likely that my MTHFR gene mutations are the reason for Leland's ties, and/or the reason he may have MTHFR gene mutations, causing the ties. My experience thus far with learning about my MTHFR gene mutations, is that it has affected my body in many ways, including my journey with endometriosis and getting pregnant. The MTHFR mutations cause impaired methylation and detoxification. Sounds simple, but it's really so much more complicated than I ever imagined. I encourage you to look into all that it entails.I would also advise everyone to be tested for these mutations, because it truly affects so many bodily functions. For me this includes getting pregnant, being pregnant, the health of my child, and even my ability to have a natural nursing experience. It is important to be aware of the possible genes you may have so that you can take the appropriate steps before, during, and after pregnancy. Learning about genes and their interaction with the environment has helped me better understand my own health and how to make sure my baby is as healthy as possible.Once Leland's old enough, he will be tested for the mutations, as well. Until then, we are treating him as if he does have the mutations. It's better to be safe than sorry. In the meantime we will continue to work hard at nursing, because it's something that's really important to me. I would be lying if I said this has been an easy journey so far, but I do know that it is all worth it, for my sweet boy."