WHY BOTTLE BABIES ARE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR TEACHING
I have been photographing newborns since 2010, I have photographed nearly 700 newborns in that time.
I have also had my own 3 children who I breastfed.
When I offer out a casting call slot it is normally for when a student is coming to me to learn safe posing and handling a newborn safely. The student only has a few hours to be shown a whole host of vital skills. Therefore, it would not be fair to expect them to have to wait too long for ANY baby to settle, so it is up to me to reduce the risks of that happening.
If we are waiting longer for a breast fed baby to feed, that student is losing time being shown how to pose safely. A bottle fed baby will take a bottle and sleep having had a full feed. A breast fed baby can often cat nap on the breast therefore not taking a full feed, so perhaps not fulling sleeping during the training.
I have many new mums come to me for casting calls who fully understand why i would prefer bottle fed newborns. Topping a baby up with breast milk from a bottle or having a whole expressed bottle is also very helpful in this situation.
From my past experiences from breastfeeding my own babies, breastfeeding doesn’t always come naturally. There is some learning involved for both mum and baby. So when a newborn of just 7 days comes in for their first photo session breastfeeding may not be completely established, most professionals advise that breastfeeding can take up to 6 weeks to establish fully.
When l am teaching l must cater for my students needs, and so in my vast experience, this is the best way to do this.
l will NEVER rush a mum or baby while feeding. That would be unfair, and so to ensure l am not having to worry about how long a feed might take, l ask for bottle only when l am teaching…and ONLY when l am teaching.
l welcome up to five newborns a week into my studio, and l never request one or the other…and for a normal session, it takes as long as it takes. lt doesn’t matter.
l am not anti breast. l am all for a mothers right to choose. Both feeding methods result in happy and healthy babies, and l will happily assist all mums and support their choices 100%.
I just want to thank everyone that has supported me, I do have lovely fans and clients.
