Today’s blog is a tough one, but a precious one. We love this family and appreciate the insight they’re sharing.

A sweet friend of ours got in touch to talk about her experiences as a new Mum and we thought it was too important not to share here.

”Nom & Malc took these of our newborn daughter. It was a very difficult time & the memories still are. After her birth, I was diagnosed with postnatal depression & put under the care of specialised Peri-Natal mental health nurses.

It was a very dark, black, isolating time. Nom & Malc took these beautiful moments amongst the pain, struggle, distress & turmoil. Often we didn’t take or even think about taking any photos, which is why these are so so special. Few exist of her as a newborn with me. They capture that she was indeed a happy baby, even in my arms, & the beautiful care that my husband took of her and me during such a painful time. Seeing her happy to look at & interact with me is precious beyond words. The few memories I have of those months are so troubled. But these show there was a mother-daughter relationship developing & that my illness in her early days did not harm her.

Nom & Malc captured precious moments for a family but also such cherished moments in my/our recovery. Moments that as she has grown from a baby we would never have got back to recapture.”

“There’s encouragement & resources to help you get through the depression but not much if anything made us think about creating memories to look back on before she left the newborn stage. If these photos didn’t exist it would be so easy to remember the whole period as darkness with no good moments. The mind easily forgets, especially when unwell. I wasn’t taking photos or selfies with her, and Ben was under so much pressure and so busy caring for us both to remember photographs.

Thank you Nom & Malc, you are very special to us 🙂”

Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s a reminder for all of us to keep taking photos, recording life’s little moments. We really hope this will help people support their friends with newborns. Offer to take some pictures of new parents, keep things easy going. New parents: ask your friends to take pictures, if you feel able. Or get in touch with us if you’d rather. We’d love to take care of you. Our family sessions are relaxed with plenty of time for breaks and no pressure on perfection.

If you’re looking for support with postnatal depression there are great resources from the NHS and Mind.

We’d love to hear from you too. Do you have a story about family life? Or thoughts on the value of photography? Drop us a line!

We’ll leave things on a happy note with these lovely pictures taken by Ben of his girls more recently.