So, I second shot a wedding with a local photographer back in May and instead of getting paid, I asked her to take our maternity photos. Bartering is the best! In those few months between the second shooting and the actual shoot, the photographer and I became really, really good friends… which made this session all the more special for us. Here are our favorites from our session with the amazing Miranda Collins of Miranda Marrs Photography.

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My lovely friends Hima and Megan threw me a Blessingway instead of a baby shower. I’d been full of anxiety a couple of times during this pregnancy due to placenta previa, breech baby, etc… so we felt like we needed some extra blessings and positive energy for our peace of mind as we approached the actual birth.  At the Blessingway, Hima’s mom performed a Hindu ritual that involved a coconut. After the Blessingway, she instructed me to release the coconut into a flowing body of water. We decided to release our coconut during our maternity session at the lake so Miranda could document it for us. The beads laying on top of the coconut are my birth beads. Each woman who came to the Blessingway brought a bead and gave me positive affirmations for the birth. I carried my birth beads with me while I was laboring.  ❤