Nashville, TN Birth Videographer + Photographer | Why you need to prioritize rest and healing postpartum

Society. Our society is so wild. They have put this expectation on mothers that after we deliver a whole human we grew from nothing, that we are able to bounce right back, look amazing, and juggle all things motherhood within a few short weeks of giving birth. And as much as society is to blame, being stubborn as women, we are to blame too.

I want to talk about the things that need to happen postpartum and why it is so incredibly important to do whatever you can to heal and rest WELL during this period.

First of all, you are healing a dinner plate sized wound in your uterus. You need REST to heal that well. You are also VERY depleted from sharing all your nutrients with a baby for 9 months AND now you are sharing even MORE nutrients with that baby via nursing. Being friends with many midwives and doulas, I can tell you that postpartum you will need 4k cals a day of food to heal and recover and renourish your body. This information is from a doula who got specific training in postpartum nutrition. The lack of these 4k cals is why women's hair falls out, why postpartum depression and even psychosis exists as well as postpartum anxiety. It's why women feel completely exhausted. We have somehow managed to normalize waking up, drinking coffee first thing, eating nothing until noon and then barely surviving the day and wondering why we feel the way we do.

Whether you hire someone to help postpartum, or your husband and you have a plan that involves food prep, etc - PRIORITIZE getting nutrients in. It has even been said that mom doesn't even need to be drinking plain water, because ideally, she is drinking raw milk and bone broth - liquid calories - during the day, rather than water.

Your ONLY job postpartum is to rest and snuggle your newborn for AT LEAST one week. (per midwives' recommendation). When mommas are out of bed too soon and moving around too much, they run the risk of hemorrhaging from that dinner sized wound I mentioned earlier. The general rule of thumb in a home-birth setting is 5-5-5. Five days IN the bed, five days ON the bed, and five days NEAR the bed. To rest, to eat well, to learn about your baby. Have help mama, ASK for HELP. Find someone in your family or friends to come help. If possible, have a mother or mother in law come stay for a few weeks, and if that doesn't work, find friends to rotate through. Teach your husband about postpartum and set up plans for postpartum healing. Have a cleaning person, etc. Whatever helps you feel calm and rested. Because, you do not need to be stressed postpartum either - as your nervous system regulates the baby's.

These first few weeks with your baby go by SO incredibly fast. SOAK THEM IN. Don't try to do it all and miss this time. The laundry will aways be there waiting for you, but a 1 week old won't be, because he will turn 2 weeks shortly. So stare at your baby, be calm entering motherhood and set the stage for those first few years of mothering that baby. Start off in peace and love and being loved on.

We weren't meant to do this alone, ever. We weren't meant to be SO damn independent that it comes at a cost to our central nervous system. We were meant to be cared for and loved on during our pregnancy and postpartum periods.

I should also mention how much how we handle this time period can affect the future. If we aren't nourished well postpartum, this will greatly affect us when we get to be in our 40s. What happens is, women enter perimenopause very early and have a much harder menopause transition.

How we feel, in our nervous system, those first few weeks makes a HUGE difference in baby. If our fascia is tight because we are stressed, baby's fascia is also tight. Which then affects baby's ability to latch and nurse. I highly recommend having a provider come to the home if possible to give you and baby some CFT (cranial sacral fascial therapy) (which is not the same as CST). It is called the Gillespie method and it loosens fascia for baby and mom (because baby mimics mom) and can dramatically help the body be calm and relaxed. I hope midwives get trained in it so they can provide this service to their mamas.

You can enter motherhood in peace and love and become the mother you want to be. But it actually comes from doing LESS those first weeks and not from doing MORE. Put down the stubbornness and surrender to motherhood, the most amazing ride you will get to go on. You are amazing for prioritizing your health which then prioritizes your children's health.

Warmly,

Jennie

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?

Franklin Baby Photographer | Welcoming Noah

I recently photographed this family, welcoming their second boy into the world. I captured some of their typical day right now, in the rough part of life; adjusting to two kids.

Mothers spend so much of their day nursing. Im so glad we captured this time in their lives.

I watched Mallory and her family adjust to the new baby as the oldest was seeking attention - as he goes from being the only child to sharing his parents.

I remember this time when I welcomed my second son into my life. So I could relate on a deep level. It was the saddest and happiest days of my life. My oldest felt confused about how much I loved him and I also wanted to soak up the time with my newest baby.

Some family time, reading and snuggling. and then all on his own, big brother wanted to hold his baby.

When I arrived, as is common, the house was a tad chaotic. Momma was flustered, older brother was acting out of sorts. The baby was probably crying or nursing. And Dad was just trying to keep things from falling apart.

But if you hire a professional photographer, you don't realize you're getting more than someone who can take photos and make a video. You're getting a doula, friend, and comforter - all in one. Mallory even said at one point "you have such a calm about you"

See, when I saw mom flustered. I simply said it was fine. and not to worry. and that all would calm down. and so it did. When they realize that just because family members are not 100%, that the session would not fail as a result. most of the time, that settles things down.

More nursing, because #hunger

I loved capturing this for this family. Photographing and filming families and newborn babies.

Warmly,

Nashville Baby Photographer | Bennett 6 Months

Sweet Baby Bennett is 6 months. I really hate time flying so fast, but I adored seeing this sweet family again! They are full of sunshine and warmth. We had fun renting an AirBNB for their session, and doing something a little differently. He is the smiliest baby ever. And here is his video too :)

If you want your baby filmed, contact me here! 

Warmly,

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."

Nashville Pregnancy Photographer | Nika's Forrest Maternity Session

Its such an amazing job to be able to photograph a woman's pregnancy and her baby. Sometimes, I really believe I could not dream up my clients even if I tried. Nika is ridiculously beautiful. She brought a light blue dress that was perfect in every way. I love the pine needles and how they reflect that the photos were done in late November.We got fairly lucky in terms of weather, it wasn't brutally cold. Her gorgeous skin tone is amazing and makes me eager to see what her baby will look like. I loved working with this couple and their love was evident during the entire session.Nika,Thank you for choosing me to capture this special time in your life.Warmly,