The Importance of Documenting Maternity and the Newborn Phase By: Rowan Steiner, Photographer, Guest Blog

Pregnancy and the newborn stage are seasons of transformation: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They pass quickly, often in a blur of anticipation, exhaustion, and awe. While no photo or video can fully capture the weight of these moments, documenting them allows families to pause, remember, and honor what this time truly meant.

As a maternity and newborn photographer, I’ve learned that these stages are about more than just capturing faces and milestones. They are about preserving the journey.

Maternity: Honoring the Beginning

Maternity photography isn’t just about showing off a growing belly. It’s about telling the story of how your life shifted the moment you knew you were carrying new life within you. These images become reminders of strength, resilience, and the beauty of change. When your child is older, they’ll be able to see where their story began, not just in words but in a tangible, visual legacy.

Learn more about maternity photography at www.saltcitybirth.com

The Newborn Phase: Preserving the Fleeting

The newborn stage is notoriously short. Tiny fingers uncurl, features shift, and babies outgrow their earliest days almost overnight. Documenting this stage helps preserve those details you think you’ll never forget but inevitably fade with time. Beyond the posed portraits, the lifestyle images of quiet snuggles, messy hair, and even long nights speak to the reality of those first weeks: raw, sacred, and irreplaceable.

Documenting the Breastfeeding Journey

For many families, breastfeeding is one of the most intimate and sacred aspects of early parenthood. It is a relationship that requires time, patience, and often perseverance. Capturing this journey, whether it lasts days, months, or years, can be incredibly meaningful. These images honor the closeness, the nourishment, and the emotional bond that defines the breastfeeding experience.

Documentation can also serve as a powerful form of validation. It acknowledges the work and dedication that goes into feeding your child. It honors the connection between body and baby. And it provides tangible evidence of the love and effort poured into this sacred relationship.

Why It Matters

Years from now, photographs from maternity, newborn, and breastfeeding stages won’t just bring back memories. They’ll tell your family’s story. They will become reminders of resilience, vulnerability, and the countless ways love was shown.

Whether you work with a professional photographer or capture moments yourself, what matters most is that you create a record. Because while these days may pass quickly, the story deserves to be remembered.

About Me

I’m Rowan, the photographer behind Salt City Birth and Newborn Photography I’m based in West Jordan, Utah, and I specialize in documenting maternity, newborn, milestone, and family portraits. For me, photography isn’t just about pretty pictures. It’s about helping families hold onto the sacred, in-between moments that are often forgotten with time.

Every season of parenthood carries its own kind of beauty, and it’s an honor for me to help families preserve those stories. You can learn more or book a session at www.saltcitybirth.com