Maternity milk bath sessions are a wonderful way to showcase your pregnancy body. It's relaxing, easy to do and will give you some of the most beautiful images of pregnancy that you will ever see. I wanted to tell you the reasons why it's a good idea to consider a milk bath session, when the ideal time might be and to show you how easily it can be done.
I think that it's a good idea to consider a milk bath session when the weather is not cooperating. In the heat of summer in Charleston it's hard to walk to the mailbox, let alone walk for long periods late into your pregnancy, sometimes wrangling small children, wearing a long gown and sweating your expensive make up off while that perfectly styled hair wilts in the southern humidity. Conversely, days like today, when it's 43 degrees and raining, any kind of session out of doors is a no-go. Milkbath sessions are indoors most of the time, climate controlled and very calming. This brings me to another reason it may be a more reasonable way to preserve memories of this time- it's just plain relaxing and so much easier on the mother! When I was pregnant with my 2nd child, I had to take it very easy. Too much stress would cause me to have contractions and I was told that I would be better off not taking too many long walks- that made having a maternity session difficult since it would have involved walking around longer than I could tolerate safely. I have had mother's nearly fall asleep in the tub from being so calm and comfortable. For this reason, any mother who might not otherwise be able to participate in a conventional maternity session may do well in a milk bath. So, when is a good time? Regular maternity sessions should be done between 28-36 weeks depending on the mother's comfort level. Milkbath sessions, however, should be done during that time when the belly is most rounded out and still presents its shape when laying back in a reclined position. Sometimes even the most perfectly round baby bumps flatten right out when mom lies back. Have a look at your tummy when you settle into the bathtub at home- its a great way to see if you are ready for your tub session!
Ok, so you decided that you would like to do this and you have a photographer willing to give it a try! What do you wear? How do you set everything up?? Seriously, this is the easy part and I'll address the photographer for this part. I personally like to use a 4 yard length of thin fabric like lace or tulle and I prefer for my clients to wear skin toned undergarments. The top should be strapless and the bottom should sit just under the curve of the belly. Hair is better styled in a messy bun to make sliding down further into the tub easier and makeup is best for this if it is more natural- just enough to look rested and healthy. Most of the time the main light will be daylight so no concerns about flashback for all the makeup artists. Make sure the ambient temperature is comfortable and that a nice calming playlist has been selected. Fresh flowers are a must, because fake ones rarely float. Get them at least 5 days before your milkbath session, trim off the stem bottoms about 2 inches and place them in fresh water. Change that water the day of the session. This gives the blooms time to open and fill out. Have 4 empty waterproof containers near the tub and a large ziplock bag. One container is to collect wet wardrobe and fabric, one is for flower stems (don't cut the blooms off until you are at the point of using them), one is for holding cut blooms and rearranging them during the session and the other is to keep the uncut flowers at the ready for transitioning into new floral looks. The ziplock bag is for wet under garments- make sure they bring a change of underwear for going home. So you may be thinking that you have to get a lot of milk. Not one drop of milk is used during my sessions. I use non-dairy plain coffee creamer- the biggest container I can find- in powdered form. Why? The water is more opaque and flowers float better.
Have your client set the bath water to their comfort level and while the tub is filling up bring a tea kettle full of water to near boiling, pour it into a strong, thick bucket with a very reliable handle, pour the powdered creamer in and whisk it until the powder is dissolved. There may be bubbles from the whisking. Try to reduce those while your "milk" is in the bucket. Once the tub has filled to the desired level, VERY slowly pour the "milk" into the water.(SAFETY CHECK- Don't burn your client- they should NOT be in the tub yet) Take your whisk and gently swirl the water until the water is opaque and even. Why add the milk solution like that? If you let the tub fill while the solution is being added, you will have a tub full of milk bubbles. It's a milk bath, not a bubble bath. Test the water. SAFETY CHECK: Have the client test the water. If it's comfortable, you may have them sit gently down into the water. SAFETY CHECK: assist your client when transitioning into and out of the tub. Nonslip stickers are good for the tub bottom and mats for the bathroom floor. Notice I have not mentioned flowers yet. Select your desired stems from your bouquet and trim them, leaving an inch of stem. Then get creative with placement. Get a few different angles, and close shots. Don't miss a full shot from above for each configuration of blooms. Wait to cut the blooms because you may want to use the flowers with the stems first. Don't just toss all the flowers in at once. Take your time! When you have exhausted that variation, change the blooms and the fabric. I like to group blooms by color to compliment the fabric. It's handy to have a low, wide bench beside the tub that you can stand on the get shots. Please do not try to pull a Spiderman and crawl all over the tub ledge to get your shots. Imagine falling into the tub. Safety first!
This should be a relaxing experience for the mother, so don't try any uncomfortable contortions and try to minimize transitions. Go slowly, so allow for enough time- you will need extra time for setting the tub water, mixing the "milk", changing blooms and fabric and wrapping up the session. If you use the containers throughout the session, you will not have a big mess to clean up later.
Milkbath sessions are my favorite and most complex images. There is quite a lot of post processing to get the look that I like to achieve, but it is worth the extra effort and time in my opinion.
Final note: give the mom a bloom to take away. Tell her to press the bloom and use it on a mat to frame her favorite image. Then she will have a blossom from the image as a keepsake.
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