User post: Looking Good for the First Photos (Even Though you were in Labor for 36 Hours)

By Spa Mama, Barefoot & Pregnant



Look at any photo of a first time mom just hours after the delivery and you'll be horrified. No woman could possibly look more tired, more haggard, and more annoyed to be viewed through a lens. But look at the same woman after the birth of her second child, and you'll be amazed. How fresh she looks, how radiant, how happy. How perfectly unbelievable.

Now, a lot of that is to with the fact that second time around, the birth and first few weeks simply aren't quite as challenging as it is with the first. With the second, you know what you're doing. You know that you're going to be exhausted beyond belief, but that sooner or later, you and your little one will find a comfortable, mutually beneficial rhythm. You know that breastfeeding is going to hurt like crazy for a month or more, but that it will get better. You know that whatever happens, you'll get through it, because you already have.

With that in mind, here's what the second time mom knows about the immediate post-birth photo-session (and now you do too):


Wear make-up. Lipstick, powder, even a bit of mascara if you can steady your hand for long enough. You'll be glad you made the effort. Really, really glad.


Don't wear your hospital-issue gown. Take your own pajamas, or change into some cute sweats.


And most of all, pretend that it's your second baby. That way, you'll project the relaxed and confident air of one who knows everything there is to know about babies.