Ive been photographing children in Chesterfield for near on 11 years now, and something i hear a lot is “they grow up so fast”.

As soon as you have a new baby, you will have everyone telling you that time flys and to cherish every moment. But when you are in that new baby bubble you can feel completely overwhelmed. You are walking round in a sleep deprived blur, not knowing what day it is and not really 100% fully relishing the newborn stage.

And it doesn’t last long, your newborn is technically only a newborn for 4 weeks, after that they become and infant.

So how can you make the most of that newborn stage?

Enjoy the cuddles

Yes you may be sleep deprived and your house looks like a bomb has gone off, but when you look back to those first few weeks, what would you rather remember. Sitting having cuddles while relaxing and recuperating or trying to keep the house tidy and the laundry done. Your newborn wont be bothered about a tidy house, but they will enjoy the bonding and cuddle time with you.

Plan ahead

We’ve all been told, “sleep when the baby sleeps”, but if instead you spent 10 mins planning what to eat during that week it will mean you are not stressing every day. Even better, if you can meal prep on one day when baby is sleeping you can get everything sorted for the rest of the week. This will leave you more time to enjoy your new baby and less time stressing.

You can even ask your visitors to bring a meal with them in exchange for baby cuddles.

Be prepared

Everyone who has ever had a newborn will know that anything can happen. One moment you are out sowing off your new baby the next you have a massive poop explosion. So my top tip is for not only carry around extra clothes for baby, but some for yourself too. You never know when you’re going to get covered too. No one want to be walking round a shopping centre with poop all over them.

One of the best gifts I was give when I had my first baby was a nappy box, filled with lotions and potions for new baby and mum. I kept it by the sofa with nappies and wipes in so it was on hand when needed. So no rushing around trying to find anything.

But when it really came into it’s own is on a Sunday evening when my baby had colic.(you can guarantee these things happen when you cant get to a doctor or a midwife or even a pharmacy). She was screaming, everywhere was shut, but thank all the gods my sister had included Infacol in the box, I could have wept with joy. No panicking about trying to find somewhere that was open, everything I needed was in that box.

Capture that moment

Nothing can ever really be like having a newborn, but the next best thing is photographs. I hear it all the time as a newborn photographer “I didn’t have any newborn photos as I didn’t think it was important, i really regret it. I dont really have any photos that truly capture just how tiny and new they were”.

Professional photos will do this. I haven’t met anyone yet who regretted having professional photos done.

Of all the money you will spend on your newborn, photos are one of the only things that will out live them. Buggys, cots, clothes etc will all get outgrown, but photos will be around forever. When you add up the cost per use, photos really are better value than most other newborn purchases.

Dont try and do it all.

Don’t forget your partner had a baby too. Get them involved. If you’re breast feeding, get them to get the changing mat ready for when you’ve finished so they can change the baby’s nappy.

Its really important to let them help, dont try and do it all yourself.

If you’re bottle feeding take it in turns to feed baby.  I use to get my hubby doing most of the night feeds as he can fall back to sleep straight away (still annoys me) where it would take me around an hour, by which time, baby would be nearly ready to wake up again.

Relax

Easier said than done, being as they don’t come with a manual or an on off switch, but try and relax. Ask for help when you need it. And just remember, there isn’t any such thing as a stupid question. People are always on hand to help.