When to take maternity photos

Take maternity photos in the third trimester, which runs from week 29 to week 40. My maternity sessions are booked at 36 weeks, the last week before 37, which is the line the CDC uses to define a preterm birth. With twins, or when an early delivery is expected, ask your doctor or midwife which week to count on.

I'm Nikki Seiler, and I photograph maternity sessions around Sarasota, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch from my base in Myakka City. Neither of the health sources used in this guide names a week for photographs. What they give is the calendar of a pregnancy and the chance of an early birth, and those are the two things a date has to balance.

What week should you take maternity photos?

The week my price list names is 36, in the third trimester: maternity sessions are booked at 36 weeks.

The U.S. Office on Women's Health counts a pregnancy as about 40 weeks from the first day of the last period, in three trimesters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a preterm birth as one before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. Put together, the weeks look like this:

Weeks	Stage	What it means for photographs
13 to 28	Second trimester	The abdomen is expanding as the baby grows
29 to 35	Third trimester	The third trimester has begun
36	Third trimester	The week on my price list, and the last week before 37
37 and later	Third trimester	Past the CDC's line for a preterm birth; the baby may arrive first

Is 20, 26 or 30 weeks too early for maternity photos?

20 and 26 weeks are in the second trimester, and 30 weeks is in the third. Both 20 and 26 fall in the second trimester, which the Office on Women's Health gives as week 13 to week 28 and describes as the time the abdomen expands as the baby grows. A session at 30 weeks is in the third trimester, which starts at week 29.

If you need an earlier date than the third trimester, say so when you get in touch.

Is 32 weeks too late for maternity photos?

32 weeks is not too late for maternity photos. It is inside the third trimester and four weeks before the week my price list names.

What makes a date late is the chance of the baby arriving first. The CDC reports that in 2022 about 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States was born preterm, before 37 weeks. That means about nine in ten were born at 37 weeks or later. If you have been told your baby may come early, 36 weeks may be too late for you. Ask your doctor or midwife, and tell me when you get in touch.

Comfort counts too. The Office on Women's Health lists shortness of breath, swelling and trouble sleeping among the changes of the third trimester. A maternity session is an hour or more, often outdoors. Keep that in mind when you choose a date.

When should you take maternity photos with twins?

With twins, 36 weeks may be too late for maternity photos. The CDC names carrying more than one baby as a risk for preterm birth.

Ask your doctor or midwife which week they expect you to deliver, and count back from there. Tell me that week when you get in touch.

Where are maternity photos taken?

The five maternity sessions on this site were photographed outdoors and at home, in the places below. Location scouting is included in my maternity session.

• Daniel, Giovanna and Audrina: the beach, the rock jetty and the pier at Fort De Soto Park.
• Jenny and Garrett: a rocky shoreline and a sandbar, at sunset.
• New Life: a sprawling oak and a quiet country road, in golden light.
• Jenny and Brett: a field of tall grass and moss-draped oaks.
• Anne-Marie and Sid: at home, and in an autumn field.

What do people wear for maternity photos?

In the maternity sessions on this site, every mother wore a long dress for at least part of the session. You will find a pink lace gown, a flowing white dress, an emerald gown by the water, a sage dress in tall grass, a long red dress in front of an oak, and a long blue dress in an autumn field.

My maternity session includes one dress change. The toddler in the Fort De Soto session wore a white dress of her own.

What does a maternity session cost?

A maternity session with me is $475. The New-Life Package pairs it with an in-home newborn session, booked within 10 days of the birth. The pricing page lists what each one includes, and the family page shows the family, maternity and newborn sessions together.