Written by Ana Brandt
I have always said newborns are such for six weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a newborn, or neonate, as a baby under 28 days old. 28 days is actually 4 weeks. Wikipedia says…one month. “A newborn is, in colloquial use, an infant who is only hours, days, or up to one month old. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate (from Latin, neonatus, newborn) refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth;[1] the term applies to premature, full term, and postmature infants; before birth, the term "fetus" is used. The term "infant" is typically applied to young children under one year of age; however, definitions may vary and may include children up to two years of age. When a human child learns to walk, the term "toddler" may be used instead.” Wikipedia So which is it? 4-5-6 weeks? Well definition as above is 28 days from birth. We price our newborns up to 6 weeks. After that we call our sessions “Baby” Not “Newborn”. With that being said, what happens when a baby is born early? Well then they are premature. What defines prematurity? A premature baby is defined as one born BEFORE 37 weeks. Most babies are fully developed by 37 weeks, and so while someone may deliver at 37-38 or 39 weeks, they are not considered to have a premature baby. Premature babies are born before development is final. While they still may be developed, their body is not quite ready for birth and therefore may need some extra time in the hospital before being discharged. Many times it’s just growth development, jaundice care or breathing assistant that is cured within a few days to a few weeks. The earlier the baby is born, the more risk there is and of course more time required in guided care. So when is the best time to photograph a newborn? Is it 7 days, 8 days, 2 weeks? Ask 5 Newborn Photographers, and you will get 5 different answers. To me, it is really irrelevant to some degree. Irrelevant, because while I may say my favorite age is 10 days, I may have a client that doesn’t call me until 12 days. Does that mean it is not a good time? No, it just means I need to make sure to prep the Parent for the right expectations. We will be going over the Baby Guide that I give my clients in greater detail as far as baby Prep. This guide will just show you various examples of newborns and their ages.
Helpful Tips for the first month Just remember, KNOWLEDGE is Power. The more you know about babies the more it will help you! We highly suggest subscribing to Parenting Magazines as well as online sources for Parenting and Babies. I did this very very early on in my career before I even had kids!
Under One Week Babies feed off of Colostrum for the first few days. Colostrum is the early, concentrated milk that is full of nutrients and disease-fighting antibodies and it is all babies need for the first few days. It can take 3-4 days for breastmilk to come in. If Mom had a stressful delivery or a C section it could take as much as 5 days. I had 3 C Sections. I was in the hospital for 5 full days for the first two children. With the first child my milk did not come in until Day 5. With the second and third, each time was a bit earlier. If you photograph a baby at 3 or 4 days they may be so sound asleep waking them might be impossible. However at 5 or 6 days they could be “cluster� feeding as they have now discovered breastmilk and are very hungry! Cluster feeding is typically described as the change in feeding habits when they go from feeding every 2-3 hours to every hour. It could occur within the first week, or any week after. If you are photographing a newborn during the cluster feeding stage, you can try using a pacifier to soothe them, or just tell Mom to get ready as she may be feeding constantly in between poses! I have had situations where Moms just sat in a nursing bra the entire session! With bigger babies I love to photograph around 7 days. When I say bigger, I mean more 8-9 lbs.
Two weeks By two weeks, baby is now getting regular breastmilk. Now is a time when Moms may need to supplement with formula if they are not producing enough breastmilk. They also may be pumping a lot, and we let our Moms know they are more than welcome to pump during a session if they need to. We want our Moms to feel comfortable however they are feeding. We always ask if they are nursing or bottle-feeding before the session. Be careful not to ask this right at delivery because many aren’t even sure yet. They may start to try to breastfeed and it may not come easy. By about a week or so into the second week they have seen a Lactation consultant and have figured out their optimal feeding routine and source. Lactation consultants are professional breastfeeding specialists trained to teach mothers how to feed their baby. They help women experiencing breastfeeding problems, such as latching difficulties, painful nursing, and low milk production. A lactation consultant also helps babies who aren't gaining enough weight. I do love babies 8-10 days of age when they are 6-7 lbs. They are usually feeding well, are a good weight and can even use a pacifier as they have discovered how to latch on. For babies 3-14 days we photograph them first thing in the morning coming at 8am to feed, and being ready by 8:30 for their shoot.
15 days born 37 weeks
Three-Four weeks Some babies at this age can be a dream and others have discovered they are on earth and are wide awake and ready to party! These babies get our second session, coming at 10am to feed and 10:30 to shoot. Why? They are usually starting to sleep a bit longer in the night which means they can be more awake first thing in the morning. We do not book newborns after 12pm ever. We used to and found it was one disaster after another. The only exception is for outdoor newborn, which is done at the end of the day. This is also assuming the 3-4 week baby has been delivered on time. If a baby is premature, then their 3-4 weeks is really treated like the 1-2 week babies and they are then photographed first thing in the morning. Premature babies can be photographed anywhere from 2weeks to 2 or 3 months, depending upon when they are born and how early! Premature babies will have their birth age and ADJUSTED.
Baby shown below is 4 weeks.
Premature Babies and Adjusted Ages The following information is from the Nebraska Medical Center. If a baby was born prematurely, you may have heard or read different terms aboutyour baby’s “age”, especially when referring to development. You may have heard the words “corrected age” or “adjusted age” or “chronological age”. This information sheet responds to some of the most frequently asked questions parents and family members have about premature infants and corrected age. What is chronological age? (actual age) The baby’s chronological age is the number of days, weeks, months or years today is from his or her actual date of delivery, or birthday. This is the same method most of us use to calculate our own age. The chronological age is sometimes referred to as the “actual age”. What is corrected age? (adjusted or post conceptual age) Corrected age “corrects” for your baby’s prematurity. Sometimes, you will hear it referred to as “adjusted age” or “post conceptual age”. It is calculated by starting with the chronological age and subtracting the number of weeks of prematurity from that age. The formula is: (Chronological Age) - (Weeks or Months of Prematurity) = Corrected Age (Actual Age) (Corrected Age) (Adjusted or Post Conceptual Age) For example, if a baby was born at a gestational age of 28 weeks, you probably know that she was 12 weeks premature (a term pregnancy is 40 weeks; simply subtract your baby’s gestational age from 40 weeks to find the number of weeks of prematurity). If her actual age is 6 months, then her corrected age would be: 6 months - 3 months = 3 months Why is corrected age used?
It is important to correct for a baby’s prematurity to give an accurate assessment of his developmental abilities. When a baby is born early, his brain and the rest of his neurological system have not developed or matured to the same degree as a baby born at term. If a baby had a gestational age of 28 weeks, her brain and the rest of her neurological system would need a full 12 weeks of growth before we would even expect her to function as a term newborn! Therefore, the developmental expectations of a premature baby are based on corrected age, rather than chronological age, as it would be for a “term baby”. As the premature baby gets older, both the corrected and chronological ages are used as a guide in the developmental assessment. ____ When you are booking a premature baby, feel free to ask Mom if an adjusted age has been given by her Pediatrician.
Baby Landon was born at 25 weeks and 1 day. He weighed 1 pound 13 ounces and was 13.25 inches long. He spent 137 very long days at CHOC. He was asleep MOST of his session!
He was born 15 days early which is over 3 months. He was born 12-14-17 but his due date was 3-25-18 and he was photographed on May 4th.
This beautiful baby Milana was born ten weeks early at 2 pounds 10 ounces. She was photographed at 2.5 months and 6lbs.
Chloe 5 days
7lbs 20 ounces
Liam 7 days
Ava 8 days
Grayson 8 days
Evelyn 11 days
Chloe 16 days
Karter 3 1/2 weeks
Bryson 1 month
5 week old Eesa

So can you photograph a newborn easily at any age? Well you can photograph at any age, but easily depends on so many factors. Babies can be fussy at 5 days or 30 days!
The challenge is making sure you set your clients expectations.
When babies first come out of the womb, they are still very “womblike” and will curl up into a tiny ball very easily. Each week as their bones harden and grow, the curling will be a bit more challenging and they will want to stretch out more. Their legs simply won’t bend into a tiny curly ball like when they first arrive. When your Parents are choosing poses that they like, you have to communicate with them that a 4 week old born at full term may not curl up like a one week old.
Ava - 8 days