REBECCA MUSAYEV

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When Wedding Photography is your job... and you're pregnant. Tips for shooting a wedding while pregnant.

Tips for Shooting While Pregnant

Tips for Shooting While Pregnant

 

When Wedding Photography is your job… and you’re pregnant

As many of you know, I’m 34 weeks pregnant with our first child and I just finished my 2019 wedding season for the year. Being a wedding photographer, I tend to book out a few years in advance, so I knew when it came time to have a baby, we wanted to try and plan for an offseason baby! This would not only allow me to have nice maternity leave but it would ensure that I wouldn’t have to miss any of my weddings. However, it also meant that I would be pregnant throughout my wedding season.

I wanted to share with you some tips and tricks I’ve learned to get through the wedding season, best serve your clients, and also take care of you and the little babe you’re cooking!

 

Wear Something Comfortable

For me, this was something I learned early on in my pregnancy and definitely lasted throughout my entire pregnancy. As my rib cage expanded, even the slightest restriction would make me short of breath. It was so important for me to wear something comfortable and stretchy. I also would bring a sweater with me (even in the summer) just in case the reception was chilly.

 

Bring Lots of Snacks

This was something I don’t typically do for weddings and was so glad I did. In the first trimester, I packed a lot of dry carb snacks (cereal or pretzels) just to munch on if I was feeling nauseous. It was truly a lifesaver. As the pregnancy went on, it was so nice to have little snacks throughout the day to keep my blood sugar up and prevent me from getting dizzy. I loved snacks like granola bars, applesauce, a peanut butter sandwich, apples, and carrots.

 

Stay Hydrated

This is the number one tip I can give anyone, bring a water bottle and stay hydrated. Yes, you will 100% have to use the bathroom more but especially on a wedding day, it is SO important to stay hydrated. Trust me, it helps with swelling, dizziness and just the overall toll a wedding brings. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 

Good Flat Supportive Shoes

Now more than ever it was SO important to have good flat supportive shoes for weddings. Weddings weren’t particularly hard for me to shoot pregnant, however, the only thing that truly got to me was being on my feet all day. They hurt and later would swell. This typically started around 6 or 7 hours into a wedding day. I found that finding a good supportive shoe was a game-changer.

 

Bellyband

A bellyband was something I got in my second trimester and was so glad I did. This not only saved my lower back but I felt much more supported and not weighed down in my belly. I would wear this over the black maternity dress I would wear to weddings and it truly made a difference.

 

Compression Socks

After being on my feet for a 10+ hour day, at the end of a wedding day, my feet hurt! When I got into the car I would switch into compression socks and slippers to drive home. This was not only SO nice but it actually made a difference with the pain/swelling of my feet.

 

Take Care Of Yourself

The biggest thing I’ve learned about pregnancy and photography was to not push yourself. For me, that meant limiting my doubleheader weddings and also making sure that Monday I would have nothing to do but relax (which for me meant work from bed in my pajamas).

When I got home from a wedding, I would hydrate with some tea, take a bubble bath, and make sure to put some herbal lotion on my feet with tight socks. Taking care of yourself is priority #1 and something I had to learn to not only do but accept as being okay. As a small business owner, how hard we work dictates the success of our business. For me, being pregnant taught me to slow down. I could still do everything I needed to do but I simply had to pace myself and not push myself to do it all at once. I hope that these tips help you and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out HERE!

 

When Wedding Photography is your job… and you’re pregnant

As many of you know, I’m 34 weeks pregnant with our first child and I just finished my 2019 wedding season for the year. Being a wedding photographer, I tend to book out a few years in advance, so I knew when it came time to have a baby, we wanted to try and plan for an offseason baby! This would not only allow me to have nice maternity leave but it would ensure that I wouldn’t have to miss any of my weddings. However, it also meant that I would be pregnant throughout my wedding season.

I wanted to share with you some tips and tricks I’ve learned to get through the wedding season, best serve your clients, and also take care of you and the little babe you’re cooking!

 

Wear Something Comfortable

For me, this was something I learned early on in my pregnancy and definitely lasted throughout my entire pregnancy. As my rib cage expanded, even the slightest restriction would make me short of breath. It was so important for me to wear something comfortable and stretchy. I also would bring a sweater with me (even in the summer) just in case the reception was chilly.

 

Bring Lots of Snacks

This was something I don’t typically do for weddings and was so glad I did. In the first trimester, I packed a lot of dry carb snacks (cereal or pretzels) just to munch on if I was feeling nauseous. It was truly a lifesaver. As the pregnancy went on, it was so nice to have little snacks throughout the day to keep my blood sugar up and prevent me from getting dizzy. I loved snacks like granola bars, applesauce, a peanut butter sandwich, apples, and carrots.

 

Stay Hydrated

This is the number one tip I can give anyone, bring a water bottle and stay hydrated. Yes, you will 100% have to use the bathroom more but especially on a wedding day, it is SO important to stay hydrated. Trust me, it helps with swelling, dizziness and just the overall toll a wedding brings. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 

Good Flat Supportive Shoes

Now more than ever it was SO important to have good flat supportive shoes for weddings. Weddings weren’t particularly hard for me to shoot pregnant, however, the only thing that truly got to me was being on my feet all day. They hurt and later would swell. This typically started around 6 or 7 hours into a wedding day. I found that finding a good supportive shoe was a game-changer.

 

Bellyband

A bellyband was something I got in my second trimester and was so glad I did. This not only saved my lower back but I felt much more supported and not weighed down in my belly. I would wear this over the black maternity dress I would wear to weddings and it truly made a difference.

 

Compression Socks

After being on my feet for a 10+ hour day, at the end of a wedding day, my feet hurt! When I got into the car I would switch into compression socks and slippers to drive home. This was not only SO nice but it actually made a difference with the pain/swelling of my feet.

 

Take Care Of Yourself

The biggest thing I’ve learned about pregnancy and photography was to not push yourself. For me, that meant limiting my doubleheader weddings and also making sure that Monday I would have nothing to do but relax (which for me meant work from bed in my pajamas).

When I got home from a wedding, I would hydrate with some tea, take a bubble bath, and make sure to put some herbal lotion on my feet with tight socks. Taking care of yourself is priority #1 and something I had to learn to not only do but accept as being okay. As a small business owner, how hard we work dictates the success of our business. For me, being pregnant taught me to slow down. I could still do everything I needed to do but I simply had to pace myself and not push myself to do it all at once. I hope that these tips help you and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out HERE!

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