Hamilton Family - in-home newborn session - Albury Wodonga family photography

Life with a baby and toddler. Who's been there? What a mind f**k!

I remember having my first and thinking there was no possible way I was ever going to cope with more than one child. I will be the first to admit that newborn parenthood and I didn't sit too well together.

I struggled.

Big time.

Though I definitely didn't admit that to anyone back then. On the outside I tried to keep it all together and tried to remain calm but in the safety of my own living room it all fell apart regularly. I had been a capable human my whole life up until then. I'd completed a uni degree, travelled overseas, had a career, bought a car and a house. Surely having a baby was going to be easy. Right? Right?

I had visions of calmly walking down the street with my baby serenely asleep in her pram. Hahahaha! I don't think anyone was game to break my little bubble, or if they did, I didn't listen. But in truth there is NOTHING that anyone can say that can actually make you realise how much your life is going to change. And probably for good reason. Some times it's best not to know too much. Though it probably would have been a good idea for me to know a little bit more than I did...

Fast forward to number 2. You think 'I've been there, done that' I know what I'm doing. Except you now already have one child, who is likely still in nappies, can't communicate too well, still needs day sleeps and lets face it, still needs you a LOT. And you now have a brand new baby, who surprise, surprise has a different temperament and personality to your first and apart from knowing how to swaddle and put a nappy on, there's actually a whole lot you need to either re-learn or start from scratch learning again. The same anxieties are there - are they getting enough milk, do they need to be burped, do they need a nappy change, when do I start solids again?, except this time, instead of being to the soundtrack of your own tv show, or radio station, it's to the soundtrack of Peppa Pig or Play School, or if you're unlucky something even more annoying. And instead of just concentrating on your brand new baby, you're also worrying about why all of a sudden has it gone quiet, and did I accidentally leave the Sudocream within reach...

So to all the parents in the trenches of newborn babyhood and toddlerhood - I salute you. 

These are some photos from my latest in-home newborn session with some good friends from BC (before children) who have returned for their 3rd session with me!!