Eating for Baby and You! | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Jul 28, 2016 | Helpful Hints

Eating for Baby and You! | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

As women and mothers, we enjoy doing maternity photos with mommies-to-be throughout Northern Virginia, including Leesburg, VA and Sterling, VA. We know what they’re experiencing and we can relate. We often end up chatting about their pregnancies, and it brings back a lot of special memories.

The nine months of pregnancy are a miracle to be enjoyed even when you’re not enjoying it so much! Remember, you’re growing a baby inside of you! Focus on your child and what you can do to keep this a healthy and happy pregnancy. As a Northern Virginia newborn photographer, we see the results of many pregnancies – the adorable and precious newborns we photograph after those nine months!

Here are a few things to keep in mind during your pregnancy:

• What you eat matters tremendously as your body changes. Yes, you will gain weight, but you need to increase it by consuming healthy foods. Do your reading, and consult your OB/GYN about foods and vitamin supplements while pregnant.
• There are at least eleven foods and beverages that experts recommend avoiding during pregnancy. It’s vital to avoid these foods or significantly decrease their consumption. This video lists those foods, some of which might surprise you.
• Start taking a prenatal vitamin-mineral supplement including folic acid. Ask your doctor what she/he feels you need. Ask about choline, as researchers now believe that it is an essential nutrient while pregnant.
• Your doctor will keep an eye on your iron, calcium, and vitamin D as your pregnancy progresses.
• Learn more about nutrients by clicking on this link.
• Pregnancy is not the time to go on a diet. It could be potentially hazardous to you and your baby. Learn more here about appropriate weight during pregnancy. It’s important to discuss your weight gain and proper nutrition with your doctor.
• Eat smaller but more frequent meals especially as your pregnancy progresses. You’ll feel more comfortable, avoid heartburn and indigestion. However, listen to your body and eat nutritional snacks if you’re hungry between meals. For those with a sweet tooth, it is possible to find some great recipes that will allow you to satisfy a sweet craving while still eating healthy.

Toward the end of your pregnancy, we recommend you have maternity photos taken. Capture that baby bump not too long before the baby arrives. One day, that baby will enjoy seeing him or her self “inside” Mommy’s belly! If you live within the Washington Metropolitan area, including Northern VA, and Leesburg, VA or Sterling, VA, we would love to reserve a portrait session date for you!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Maternity Photos

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in Sterling, VA, near Leesburg, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Why should you schedule baby, child or family portraits now? | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Jul 27, 2016 | Children's Portrait

Why should you schedule baby, child or family portraits now? | Northern VA Baby Photographer

We’ve written about this topic in the past on our portrait blog, but honestly felt it was worth discussing here on our baby blog as well. As a family and baby photographer in the Leesburg, VA area, we believe it’s such an important topic to discuss: When will you schedule portraits of your baby or child? Why should you?

Yes, it is easier to put off taking professional portraits. It takes more to take the time to call us, schedule a time that’s convenient, attend your portrait session, and return to select your portraits. However, sometimes you need to take a moment to think about life and what it means to you and your family. It’s especially important these days as children grow and scatter across the country or even abroad for schools or jobs. It is less common today to remain where you grew up surrounded by generations of family.

As newborn photographers in Northern VA, we work with new life almost daily. We see how precious and fragile life is in its earliest days. We also know what life is like at the end of its days as well. We have learned to appreciate every moment and every breath we have because we never know when life will change forever. Life is precious – which is why we believe in the power and importance of photography.

For any parent who’s lost a child, photographs and portraits become heart-wrenchingly precious. For adult children who’ve lost an elderly parent, their parents’ pictures become irreplaceable treasures. The images of our loved ones help keep them close to our hearts and thoughts even in their painful absence.

So, when will you schedule your portrait session? Soon, we hope.

Is there a better time in your schedule? No, probably not.

Is there a free moment? No, probably not, but you can make one.

Are there lots of excuses to not schedule portraits? Yes, but we believe they aren’t as important as why you should take the time to do pictures of your loved ones.

Capturing our loved ones’ pictures while they are with us can be one of the more significant decisions you make when it comes to documenting and preserving memories in your family’s journey through this thing we call life.

There is no need to wait to schedule your portraits. Take it from us as a family and baby photographer in Leesburg, VA. There’s no time like now to do family portraits.

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in Sterling, VA, near Leesburg, VA, in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

7 Great Reasons To Have Maternity Portraits | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Jul 26, 2016 | Northern VA Portrait Photographer

7 Great Reasons To Have Maternity Portraits | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

More women than ever before are doing maternity photos. Many of our clients from Leesburg, VA, Broad Run, VA, and all across Northern Virginia are ordering them as well. But, every so often, a customer rather shyly will ask us about maternity photos. She’s intrigued, but she’s just not sure about it. So, influenced by a great article in an Australian magazine on this very same topic, we decided to write up seven of our reasons why you should do maternity portraits!

1. You look beautiful.
Whether you feel beautiful or not, you are beautiful when you are pregnant! Every woman is beautiful when she’s pregnant. It’s a natural state for a woman’s body to be in, and our bodies are created for it. Don’t give in to any thoughts you have that say otherwise – especially toward the end of your pregnancy when you’re not feeling so comfortable. Your curves are at their most glorious then, making it the best time to have maternity photos taken!

2. Flaunt that baby bump as you never have before.
Many women worry about their bellies before their pregnant. Well, now that you are pregnant, it’s time to show it off in all its glory! As a maternity and newborn photographer, we know how to exploit those curves so that you will look stunning in your portraits! Trust us! Every woman we photograph is pleasantly surprised to see how great they look in our maternity portraits.

3. Capture the moment.
You are going to be pregnant only so many times in your life. Capture at least one of your pregnancies in a beautiful and artistic portrait. Your children will enjoy these photos years later when they can delight in seeing themselves “inside” your belly.

4. Be a model.
Be creative! Every woman should feel beautiful and be able to capture that in portraiture. A great maternity photographer will know just what to do for maternity photos, including what are the best poses for you. We can be as creative as you like! If you have any ideas, let us know! Otherwise, we will offer our thoughts for your portrait session. Feeling comfortable with your photographer means the portraits will turn out even better! It’s why we get to know you before your session.

5. Include your partner.
We encourage your partner to participate in the portrait session as well. Some of our best maternity photos have included the partner with arms wrapped around the belly. These sessions are a good way to get your partner involved in your final weeks of pregnancy.

6. Siblings can come, too!
We suggest doing several pictures with any older siblings. It’s a great way to include them in the arrival of their new sibling! Just as maternity photography is a great way for your partner to bond with you and the baby, it’s the same for older siblings. Including them in the session makes for a very special portrait which will one day be greatly appreciated by that child. Let them throw their arms around you or around your belly!

7. Professional photography all the way!
Yes, you can take snapshots of your baby bump. However, they just don’t compare to fine art portraits – really! Look through our website and you’ll see some examples of our work. And, it’s not as expensive as you might think! We’d be happy to discuss our pricing with you. We’d love for you to capture your pregnancy “forever”! Trust us. Before you know it, that baby is graduating high school!

If you would like to discuss doing Ever After maternity photos in the Leesburg, VA, Broad Run, VA or elsewhere in the Northern Virginia area, contact us! Let’s get you and your baby belly in front of our cameras!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Maternity Photos

Ever After Baby Portraits is the mother-daughter baby photography team of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson. We’re located in Northern Virginia, near Leesburg, VA and Broad Run, VA. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

A Few Favorite Mother/Baby Portraits | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Jul 25, 2016 | Sterling VA Newborn photography

A Few Favorite Mother/Baby Portraits | Northern VA Baby Photographer

We’ve been a baby photographer in the Leesburg, VA area of Northern Virginia for many years. Because of this, we’ve been very privileged to see many newborns and capture the beautiful relationship a mother shares with her new baby. It stills remains one of the most amazing relationships we ever have or will ever see. There is so much love in this relationship, and it shines bright in a mother-newborn portrait.

It’s always heartwarming to see how close and securely mothers hold their babies, and how trusting their babies are. They just know that they are safe in Mom’s loving arms. We thought we’d share a few of our favorite Mother/Baby portraits with you.

We hope you’ll consider us to be your maternity photographer and baby photographer. Please take a look at our Portfolio to see examples of our portraits. We’d love to be your family’s photographer!

Baby Photography, Newborn and Baby Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in Northern Virginia, near Leesburg, VA. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Essential Beauty Tips For Pregnant Women | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Jul 22, 2016 | Helpful Hints

Essential Beauty Tips For Pregnant Women | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

Given that we do maternity photos across Northern Virginia, including the Leesburg, VA area, we know that sometimes during pregnancy, a woman might not feel beautiful or even comfortable. Maternity photos whether you live in Leesburg, VA or Washington, D.C. might not be of much interest right now, but trust us, they are important. But to help you feel better, we thought you might enjoy this article that caught our attention.

So, we love reading on topics related to our work and our clients. And this is one we loved for its practical tips. Here are some of the tips from the article:

1. Hydrate
Hydrating during your pregnancy is more important than ever. It’s important for numerous reasons, including keeping your amniotic fluid healthy, that you drink plenty of water. Speak to your doctor about how much you should be drinking daily.

2. Right Food
Consult your doctor about the types of food to avoid during pregnancy and which ones to be sure to consume. It’s vital to eat healthy, not just to look good but for the health of your baby.

3. Sleep
Listen to your body during your pregnancy because as a newborn photographer (and as mothers), we can tell you that sleepless nights lie ahead when the baby arrives! Fatigue is common while you’re pregnant, and it’s important to get your rest when your body is telling you it’s tired.

4. Weight
Listen to your doctor on what healthy weight you should strive to maintain. Gaining weight is natural during pregnancy, but those calories should come from healthy foods, not junk food.

5. Exercise
Are you exercising? Exercise is a good thing for pregnancy. Talk to your doctor before you launch into a rigorous program if you’ve previously been somewhat inactive.

6. Stretch Marks
There are several stretch mark creams on the market today. It’s recommended you begin using it daily during your pregnancy.

7. Flaunt it
When you feel beautiful, you look beautiful. Your body is changing. Enjoy it. Flaunt it. Highlight it! Enjoy the range of maternity clothes available to women today.

8. Make-Up
If you’re not feeling well, you might not want to bother with make-up. However, every woman can feel more beautiful with a little bit of make-up. It doesn’t take much. Take a few extra minutes and try a makeup consultation at a local make-up counter. Again, you might want to stick to plant-based products without harsh chemicals.

9. Relax!
Pregnancy is a great time to practice relaxation. If you don’t know a method, it’s not a bad time to learn! Perhaps, try a maternity yoga or Pilates class or water aerobics class.

Most of all, enjoy your pregnancy! It’s a very special time in your life as you get ready to bring new life into your world. Take the time to schedule maternity photos. In a few years, you’ll be grateful you took the time to capture these special days with a fine art portrait celebrating this amazing time in your life. We work with clients throughout the Northern Virginia area, including Leesburg, VA.

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Maternity Photos

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near Leesburg, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits