At the end of my IGTV Instagram video about “How to Photograph a Wedding While Expecting”, I asked if anyone wanted me to record the follow up email sharing my tips about what to do AFTER your baby arrives. I received so many comments and requests for the follow up information and I’m so happy to share my tips with you. You can always watch my latest IGTV video where I go more in-depth on this topic as well. Enjoy!
No - 1 - Figure Out Your Pumping Schedule - I think the biggest tip and most important is to figure out when you need to pump and how long you can go (comfortably) without pumping during the day. You will then need to figure out when you can take your pump breaks during the wedding. Be open and communicate with your couples that you need to take a break x’s per day to pump and let them know you have your second photographer or assistant taking over while you are pumping.
No. 2 - Create a Portable Pumping Station - The best advice I can give you is to create your own portable pumping station so when you are “On-the-Go” you are 100% self-sufficient and do not require any additional gear. Here’s what I did and purchased:
Medela Pump In Style - I purchased an extra small portable breast pump to fit neatly into my bag. I loved the Medela Pump In Style because it was a great pump and super small, lightweight, and you could purchase the battery pack for this pump.
Medela Pump In Style Battery Pack - I purchased the battery powered Pump In Style battery pack to be 100% self powered on the go. You never know where and when you can pump so if you end up in a bathroom or broom closet (yes!) you might not have access to an outlet which, if you are totally engorged, could be the worst thing possible. You want to be able to pump anywhere on the go, and avoid Mastitis whenever possible. Believe me, it’s so painful!
Swell Insulate Bottle - After you’ve pumped your breastmilk, you are going to need a place to store it so it doesn’t go bad over the next several hours. You probably will NOT have access to a refrigerator, so I got a little creative. I purchased a insulated water bottle or thermos and put my breastmilk in there once I was done. I found that the biggest bottle was able to hold all of my breastmilk for the day but if you are a big producer of milk, you might want to bring another bottle as back up.
Packit Freezable Wine Bag - After I pumped and put my milk in the swell bottle, I put the bottle in a freezable tote bag. This bag is great because the entire bag is insulated with the ice pack material and will keep cool for several hours. This is the single wine bag which is tall enough for the Swell bottle, and they also have a double wine bag for two bottles. In my own research, I found that breastmilk can be outside of the fridge for up to 8 hours so keeping it cool in the insulated bottle along with this cooler bag, I knew it would be still good by the time I got home and put it in the freezer.
Johnson & Johnson Hand and Face Portable Wipes - After you’ve been pumping for a while, you become very fast and proficient in the entire process (isn’t that with everything?) so I would just wipe off my flanges with these antibacterial wipes and get back to photographing the wedding. Once I got home, I’d do a full boiling of my gear to disinfect my breast pumping equipment for the next day.
No. 3 - Outsource and Time Block - I’ve said this before but outsourcing my editing to an professional editor is worth every single penny. After baby, you really have NO time and I couldn’t find the extra 8-10 hours it takes me to edit an entire wedding consecutively. We had a part-time nanny but in those hours she was watching my daughter, I had to get everything else done. So, I would highly recommending looking for outside help where ever you can to help you stay on track and meet your deadlines.
Also, Time Blocking is such a powerful tool that I’m really only NOW getting the hang of. I time block everything I do from editing, blogging, instagram planning, and so much more. Being hyper focused for 1-2 hours has really allowed me to get my photography work done on time as well as keep Tea with Jainé going at full speed.
I hope these tips were helpful and I’d love to hear your favorite tips and takeaways below. Please leave us a comment and share with the community!! xo
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