My Maternity Pictures

So, I never thought I would be the type of person to want a maternity photo session. During our struggle with infertility, seeing others’ maternity photos or weekly baby “bumpdates” always brought a little sting of sadness even if I was really happy for the person who was celebrating their pregnancy. I don’t like being the center of attention anyways, and I don’t ever want to contribute to someone else’s pain, so photos focused on me and my baby bump just weren’t really on my mind. But then the other day I realized that we are getting super close to our due date, and baby girl could surprise us and come pretty much anytime now, and if she came before I took the chance to document the miracle it is to be carrying her inside me, I would probably regret that one day. Infertility prevents me from taking any part of this pregnancy for granted or naively assuming that I’ll have the chance to be pregnant again. Every day we thank God for this baby girl and the miracle it is for me to be pregnant with her, and I realized that I did want some maternity photos to celebrate that miracle and to help us always remember the gratitude we’ve felt during the past 9 months.

And so the other night I got dressed up and asked Shawn to take some photos for me. (I’ve taught him how to use my camera and now I’m thinking I may as well officially hire him as my assistant photographer because I love how these turned out!) I’m so glad we took the opportunity to capture this sliver of time that we have prayed, waited and worked for for so long.
I hope that these photos don’t cause anyone pain as they scroll through their feed. But if that happens to you, please know I’ve been there and I’m so, so sorry. Don’t give up hope. Keep fighting, keep praying, keep trying, keep trusting, keep believing, and keep walking on the days when it feels like you just can’t go on. I know that God is aware of your struggle and He will not leave you comfortless. I pray daily that your children will join your family as soon as possible in whatever miraculous way they are meant to, and that God will give you strength while you wait. 💗💗💗