I had a maternity shoot last month, which I did in my first pregnancy too. But this time, with my little girl.
Back then, the brief was simple: less face, more bump. I don’t mind photographs, but I really wanted to capture what my body was doing — growing, stretching, carrying life. I chose a silhouette style and I loved the result. It felt timeless, powerful, and quietly intimate.
So when my second pregnancy came around, there was no question. I absolutely wanted to do it again. But this time felt different. 
This time, I wasn’t just capturing a bump. I was capturing a bump and the little girl who made me a mummy in the first place.
Why It Felt Important
There’s something incredibly special about documenting pregnancy — not for perfection, not for show, but as a marker of time. Pregnancy moves fast. Even when it feels long, it moves. And this pregnancy, especially, feels like an in-between space.
Between one child and two.
Between being just us three and becoming four.
I wanted to freeze that moment.
My baby bump, holding our next chapter. My first baby, still small enough to scoop up, but big enough to understand something is changing.
“This wasn’t about perfect photographs — it was about capturing the moment before our world quietly changes.”
A Maternity Shoot With a Toddler
Doing a maternity shoot with a toddler isn’t exactly a guaranteed formula for stillness and elegance.
Honestly? Who knew what we’d get.
I packed:
- changes of clothes for her
- various colours of underwear for me
- a mix of simple options
- and an open mind
I’d chosen a package where I could use gowns. I’m not particularly the frilly-dress type — it feels a bit too fancy for me — but I’d seen something I thought might work, so we gave it a go. And then we just leaned into it.
Bump Cuddles and Wiggly Energy
Having time together, just the two of us (and baby), in a calm professional environment felt even more special than I expected.
There were bump cuddles.
Little kisses.
Hands resting gently.
Moments of stillness.
And also — a very wiggly bum. Because asking a two-year-old to “pose” is optimistic at best. She was excited. Curious. Moving constantly. And honestly, that energy was part of the magic. It wasn’t about stiff, perfect shots. It was about capturing us.
Keeping It About Us
The photographer gently asked if I wanted some photographs of just me. And while that was kind, this shoot wasn’t really about solo portraits. It was about this specific moment in time — my bump and my girl together before our next big chapter begins. As long as she was happy, I was happy. Whatever the outcome, it would capture something real. And that was all I needed.
The Little Moments That Made It
What made the morning truly special weren’t just the photos. It was watching P. She kept asking the photographer what she was doing.
What the camera did. What the lights were for. She listened so intently. Curious. Engaged. Observant.
We’d brought along our favourite hand puppets — a dinosaur and a unicorn — and when the photographer got them out to help with some smiles, P lit up. It felt so good to have a photographer who understood little people. Someone patient. Someone playful. Someone who saw this not as a challenge, but as part of the story.
Together time I’ll Always Hold Close
We were there for an hour or so, but it felt like such a gift. Time slowed. The world outside paused.
And we just focused on each other.
This pregnancy won’t be just about bump pictures. It will be about the connection between siblings before they’ve even met properly. About my body carrying one baby while holding another.
It will be about the in-between.
Why I’ll Never Regret It
Will every photo be “perfect”? Probably not. Will some not make the edit as they were blurry? Likely. Will there be hair slightly out of place and a toddler mid-wiggle? Absolutely.
But they will be real.
They will show a growing bump.
A proud almost-big-sister.
A mama trying to hold onto this fleeting season.
And one day, when everything feels louder and busier, I’ll look back at these images and remember the quiet magic of this morning.
The morning it was still just us — bump and my girl.
Seeing Our Maternity Photos With My Toddler
When I first wrote about the shoot, we hadn’t seen the photographs yet. Now the images are back — and they are beautiful. The kind where you scroll through again and again, trying to decide which ones capture the feeling best.
In the end, the images I chose completely stole my heart.
Gorgeous silhouettes — quiet, simple and powerful. The same style I loved during my first pregnancy. My bump outlined in soft light with P’s hands on my tummy, holding this moment between one baby and two.
But the one that surprised me most was something completely different It’s almost full length, and P is sitting on my tummy. We’re laughing together, completely in the moment. Not posing or trying to be anything — just enjoying being together. It feels playful and joyful in a way that captures exactly who we are right now.
There was also a photograph of her on her own while I was getting changed. Full of smiles, excitement and curiosity. Looking at that one, I felt something else too. My little baby. Now her own little person.
The images captured exactly what I hoped for — not perfection, but a snapshot of who we are in this in-between chapter.
