The Importance of Safety in Newborn Photography | Modesto Birth and Newborn Photographer

Keeping Our Newborn Clients Safe

For those of you who know our story, we have twin boys. They were born premature, and unfortunately, they dealt with a lot of respiratory issues when they were born. From the day we got them, we could see how delicate their respiratory system was. At one point, one of them caught a little virus, and if any of you know how scary it can be for a newborn to catch a cold, you might understand the conundrum we were in. I took him into the ER, because he just wasn’t doing well, and I while I didnt realize just how dangerous it could be for a newborn to just sit in a carseat (the tilt of their head downwards can actually cut off their oxygen supply, and if they have congestion in their nose, they just won’t breathe–in or out of the carseat..) Newborns don’t breathe through their mouths. So here I am patiently waiting for our turn to be seen, with him sitting in his tiny carseat, and he had completely stopped breathing. He turned blue. It was terrifying! Thanks to the amazing staff at Doctor’s Hospital, they rushed him to the back, calmed me down, and got him breathing again. It was terrifying!!). It ended up being SEVEN grueling weeks in the hospital, where we were trained by respiratory therapists and nurses. It was a lot of learning at first but we finally gained a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the newborn respiratory system.

Hopefully this little blog post doesn’t scare anyone, because that is not the point. Hopefully this helps to open your eyes to the importance of safety in your newborn session. So here are a few tips to pay attention to if your little one has a session coming up, or if you are a photographer who is anxiously awaiting to wrap up and pose that adorable little bean! Also know that I am NOT a medical professional, so I cannot give you medical advice. This is purely based on what we learned through our experiences and training to take care of our little ones specifically.

Pay Attention to Their Breathing

This is step number one because it is the most obvious one. Is the baby struggling to breathe? How can you tell? Look at how their body is moving. Does it look like that little one is laboring with every breath? Is their body moving a lot as they inhale? Does it look like they are straining? Is their breathing rapid? Are they grunting? Flaring their nostrils? And of course, if the breathing becomes an issue long enough, you will start to see a blue tinge to their lips, face, and fingernails. If you see your little one during their photo session exhibiting any of these signs, I highly recommend stopping whatever pose they are in and unwrapping them from whatever they are wrapped up in. And please, please ask your newborn photographer before your session if they have been safety trained, because some of the posing that is done can cut off air supply if it isn’t done correctly.

Avoid Poses That Force Their Chin To Touch Their Chest.

They need to comfortably be able to lay down or be held or positioned without that air supply being cut off. (This is why carseats need to be tilted back for newborns–if they are too far forward, the head falls forward and cuts off the air supply.) PLEASE don’t let this happen in your session. Pretend like their windpipe is a straw. You don’t want it to bend because the air can’t come through it.

Keep The Area Around Them Clear Of Blankets Or Loose Fabrics

We have all heard of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and many of us know of a little one who has passed from this tragic illness. While a photo session isn’t exactly the time you would expect this to happen, safety procedures still need to be in place to prevent breathing issues. Watch out for blankets, fabrics, stuffies, etc, that could cover or obstruct the baby’s face and create a barrier between that little one’s nose and the air around them. While it is adorable to see a newborn on a pile of blankets, and I do use blankets in my sessions, make sure you are watching them like a hawk and making sure that none of those blankets become a hazard and obstruct their breathing.

Avoid Tightly Wrapped Positions

I know this one might ruffle some feathers. I have seen hundreds of newborn sessions like this, and I haven’t heard of any where a baby was harmed (that I know of!!), but it still makes me super nervous. If a baby is wrapped up in a position where their entire body is folded up in a tight little ball, yes, they are adorable, but if you watch that baby carefully, you can see that they struggle to breathe if that position is done too tightly. Just like adults, if we were crammed in a little space (think about how it felt when you were pregnant, and breathing was a struggle when you got to the end and everything was squished together inside your body), breathing can become a real issue if we don’t give the baby enough room to comfortably breathe in and out.

Other Safety Concerns

Breathing is one gigantic part that is important to pay attention to, but there are others that I also have to mention!!

Make sure your photographer is healthy. If a newborn catches a virus, it can be really scary! It is OK to postpone your session until everyone is healthy. If my preschoolers are still contagious (as verified by a doctor) with a bug they caught from school (or some random thing on the playground they put in their mouths…kids, am I right? HA!), and you are scheduled to come over for a session, I will reschedule or move to another location for the shoot.
Hand sanitizer/hand washing is a must before handling a newborn. I always keep hand sanitizer with me for these sessions, and I wear a mask if I have been exposed to any illness. If I am showing any symptoms, I will reschedule.
Supporting the head. Newborn’s lack the muscle tone to hold their own head up, so those heads need to be supported when baby is being held, moved around, etc. This isn’t the time to toss a baby into the air for a “fun” picture. That is a great way to end up in the ER, ha!
Secure your camera. Keep it around your neck, or somehow strapped to you securely, so that it won’t fall on the baby if you have a slip.
Keep things safe with the siblings. If I am photographing a session with older siblings involved, and the siblings want to hold the baby, I always make sure they are sitting down either on the floor or in the middle of a large bed so the baby won’t fall off if the wiggly sibling moves the wrong way.
Keep baby away from edges. We don’t want anyone falling off of a bed or a pillow or any surface.
Speaking of falls, if baby is being put in a basket, make sure there is a counter-weight so the basket doesn’t topple over. You can literally add a weight to the bottom of the basket, or add books or anything that will weigh the basket down so that the baby will not topple over.