Surrogacy

When you hear this word what pops in your head? Have you ever met someone who is a surrogate? What does it mean to you? 

I don't remember the first time I heard about surrogacy, I have never met anyone who was a surrogate mother. But that hasn't stopped me from learning about what a surrogate mother does. 

This isn't something you take lightly, this isn't something I take lightly. But what do you do when something keeps popping into your head? You keep looking into it. 

I'm not saying this is something I doing. It's not the right time. And I don't think it ever will be. And that's okay. 

I think I have this urge to know more about surrogacy because I love birth and pregnancy. Not for the looks or gimics but because it's something no one has to teach me, no one can take it away or tell me I'm doing it wrong. I love it because I just get to watch life start and begin. 

I get the blessing of carrying a soul and keep it safe until it's ready to join us. 

But some women can't do that. And that is probably the most horrible thing ever. Yes there's adoption and IVF. But sometimes they don't work. Or you just want a baby that's part of you and that's perfectly fine because we are made to want that. That's why we create children from ourselves. 

I think if you have ever had a interest in anything, look into it. I've looked into it and it's beautiful but it's not for me. But now I don't have to always wonder... What if... 

XOXO

Kimberly 

www.yourbeginningsphotography.com 

Apple Orchards in New Hampshire!

To go with my apple theme for this month, I wanted to put together all the popular apple orchard in New Hampshire! 

This month I'm offering a mini session at your nearest apple orchard! Lots of families and couples love their picture taken among the apple trees. To learn more about my mini session go here. 

Apple Orchards in New Hampshire!

1) Apple Annie -Pick-Your-Own, Cider Donuts, Sweet Cider and more!
    Brentwood, NH

www.appleannienh.com

2) Apple Crest Farm Orchards - This one has A LOT to offer and its not just apples!

   Hampton Falls, NH
   www.applecrest.com

3) Apple Hill Farm - They offer apples, corn, jellies and more!

   Concord, NH 
   www.applehillfarmnh.com

4) Blueberry Bay Farm- They have lots of fruits! 

    Stratham, NH 03885

    www.blueberrybayfarm.com

5) Cardigan Mountain Orchard - They are all about apples!

    Alexandria, NH
    www.cardiganmountainorchard.com

6) McLeod Bros. Orchards - Family owned for over 60 years! WOW!!

   Milford, NH 
   www.mcleodorchards.com

7) Lavoie Farm - No Picture but looks nice! 

   Hollis, NH 

   www.lavoiesfarm.com  

8) Durocher Farm- This farm has history! 
    Litchfield, NH 

    www.pickyourownberries.com

9) Windy Ridge Orchard & Christmas Tree Farm - Apples, trees and a cafe!

    North Haverhill, NH

    www.windyridgeorchard.com

10) Norway Hill Orchard- My orchard!

    Hancock, NH

Enjoy your apple picking this year!! Want an apple session? Go here!

XOXO

Kimberly

Your Beginnings Photography 

Your not getting any sleep!!!

Welcome! Baby isn't sleeping?? Try this...

So your a mommy and your not getting ANY sleep. Your baby is waking up all the hours of the night to eat, be changed or what have you! Your saying HELP ME!!!

Here's some tips for you... First, go sit somewhere comfy turn that darn phone off so you can concentrate!!!!!

Age really matter A LOT when it comes to sleeping babies. 

NEWBORN: Sorry you won't be getting much sleep for a little while but here's how to make it a little easier...

Newborn Tip:

- Nurse/Bottle feed as much as you can before bed. Just stuff them as much as you can without making them barf... so like 4-6oz bottles and 2-4 nursings 

-BATHS! No matter how much they cry in the bath do it every night. Her crying makes her more tired (THATS GOOD!) I know it's sad but she's alright she needs to get clean. Your thinking wait... the DR said..... okay bathing a child will not hurt them. If her skin is getting dry just do a warm soak and put lotion on her after. 

-Place baby in bed with you! Make sure that baby is only wearing diaper and no heavy blankets. They can over heat. (Try not to make this a habit but if it works for you then keep doing it.) Once baby starts waking up more in your bed that means its time to move her to the crib.

-Try this for about a month 

2-4 Months Tip:

-Feed the crap out of baby. No barfing though.

-Bath time! They love it now right?!

-Baby should be in crib by now. A good way to make that switch and find a soft t-shirt, sleep in for a few days, put it in crib and lay baby on top! (mmmmm I smell mommy) if you are breastfeeding save the breast pads (cloth) that have leaked milk and put those in crib... yea it works wonders!!!

-Intro to the plug... or pacifier if your child is a huge sucker. If they go to sleep but spit the plug out and wake up... no plug... its just making sleep time worse.

-Keep that rhythm, always eating, same time of day they are "in bed" even if they aren't sleeping, rocking them to sleep or whatever, keep doing it at the same time of day. 

-You will still be getting up to feed but it should be a lot less.

-If they are still getting up a lot at 4 months... next step :]

5-8 Months Tip:

-Solids help!! Keep feeding!!

-Bath time! Make it fun, make it long, every night at about the same time.

-If your baby still isn't sleeping... Now is the hard part. You need to put them down in their crib...CRIB SHOULD BE OUT OF THE YOUR ROOM... and close the door and DON'T OPEN IT.

-Don't open it. They are fine. They are at the age now that they know you have not left them for good! I promise. 

-They WILL SCREAM for about 1-2 1/2 hours. Then it will be silent. They have gone to sleep!!!

-But your ears are bleeding and you feel horrible. WELL DON'T YOU NEED YOUR SLEEP. If you don't get sleep you are at much higher risk of getting sick, postpartum depression can start to creep in! You need sleep in order to take care of your baby and yourself.

-So go outside and shut the door and wait till baby is asleep.

-Do this till baby sleeps through the night!! (About 2-3 days) It can very for each baby. 

Sleep Tip:

-You need sleep and baby really really needs sleep to grow and develop. Lack of sleep can lead to complications... look it up if you don't believe me! But sleep is very important for weight gain, brain development, relaxing, pretty much everything!

If your still having trouble getting that little one to sleep. Or maybe you have older kiddos and want to know more about sleeping tips! Contact me on Facebook and we can get to the bottom of it!!

XOXO

Kimberly

YourBeginningsPhotography.com

iPhone from hell.

In the past couple of years I think I've had about 10 phones. That includes stupid phones and smart phones. I've always been an Apple person and when the iPhone came out I can't wait to get my hands on it. I never had a 3G but my first iPhone was the 4.

I love iPhone. I the operating system is so user friendly its insane! And the look and feel of the phone its beyond words. 

BUT

You see I did something stupid and got rid of my iPhone 4S and upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy... I liked it I didn't love it. I had it for a couple of months and then ditched it because I missed iPhone and needed that awesomeness that only Apple can give.

Well I bought an iPhone 4S on eBay. Because I didn't want to give up an arm since I didn't have an upgrade.

This phone is hell.

I'm not sure if it's because it's from eBay or because it's old who the hell knows! All I know is I could now work for Apple (again) and be a genius bar person because I've taken it apart so many times!!! 
I've gotten so many replacement parts it's not even funny!!

I would be up ALL night trying to put tiny screws into the smallest of holes! Then miss placing parts and all together forgetting to put parts back in! Ahhh it was hell! I had to replace the screen, it cracked. The directions where so confusing but I finally figured out that I needed to take EVERYTHING out of the iPhone, take the front off and then replace the screen with a new one. Putting everything back together while trying to be gentle was very much like having a razor scooter hit the side of your ankle. IT HURTS.

But it's working at lot better then when I first got it. The only problem I'm having now is it doesn't make any sound... yea pretty crappy right?

So my next replacement will be the docking system because that's what I read on the internet and the internet is always right.... right??

But besides all these issues I'm still in love with my iPhone! Yeahhh I could just upgrade to the 6 or whatever it's called and be done with all these replacements. But this iPhone from hell, I feel like we are totally connected. I'm nursing it back to health and once I get this last part in it will be like it just came out of the store! (I hope!)

When you love something you never give up right?

xoxo

Kimberly 

Your Beginnings Photography 

Watermelon Babies!

I was looking around for some ideas for my first mini session! My very first, yes! I came across this picture with a few others and thought.. HEY! I love watermelon and so does my son...
Why not do a Watermelon mini session!!!??

So I said, August you are going to be WATERMELON MONTH! Each month I will have a theme for you that comes with at least one mini session. I'm going to try it for a couple of months, see if it catches on. I'm REALLY excited for this months Watermelon session!!!

Here's what the mini session will be all about:

        I will be supplying the watermelon and watermelon like outfits for mom's that would like it!
I will also be having a gathering in my awesome field where these mini sessions will be taking place! I want to get a group photo that you will get FREE as a 8x10 print!!!

Details:

August 29th at noon
Watermelon Mini session fee: $300 for 10-20 photos

To sign up please go here!
For more info visit my website! 


Hope to see you all there!!! 

xoxo
Kimberly Jarest

Your Beginnings Photography

Baby Butts!

The butt. The booty, bum, pooper, bumper, um... yup you get the idea!

But baby butts. They are really really cute! Right!? 

So cute!! The leg chub and the belly rolls mix that and their cute butt!

In the tub and around the house, they get to an age where the diaper won't stay on and the clothes are left around the house. NUDE. Is how you find them. 

Look at this cuties butt. And the boots! WOW! It's only baby butt that make you want to see them... well maybe when you were in high school you wanted to Johnny Depp's butt... ehhh I would still rather see a babies butt. 

Soft and cute!! Hey I'm no freak your thinking it too! Next time you see a babies butt you will know what I mean! Check out some of these!!

OKAY... the chows are just way to fluffy not to put in there!

Have a butt night!!

XOXO

Kimberly 

Your Beginnings Photography

Birthing at...home.

A lot of people think home birth is something that was done way back when, in the fields of someone farm with the horses and goats watching. Or they think you are into witch craft or something and lastly they just fear the idea of home birth.

All of these are true. Way back when you did have your baby in the barn. There was tragedy. But there also was a lot of love and babies being born that way.

I didn't have a home birth because I wanted to have the goats watching me. I had a home birth because I feel safe and comfortable in my own home then I ever would giving birth in a hospital. I'm scared to give birth in a hospital.

Hospitals are not bad.
I still go when I'm sick.
My son goes to all his check ups and has had all his shots so far. Hospitals are very important. We need them for illness and injury. But there's one problem with what everyone is taught about the hospital, how the hospital tells us it's the only way to have a safe birth. "This is just how you do it."

You aren't given options during birth. Yea sure you can write a birth plan. Has anyones ever really worked out? Not really. Most of the time you get scared and listen to the DR. Like you should right? The DR is always right...right? Most of the time they are...

Why do you go to the hospital? Your sick or have an injury right?

Are you sick with the: pregnant?
Are your injuries: pregnant?

No.
No.

Pregnancy is not an illness. Pregnancy is supposed to happen. Birth is supposed to be tough. Birth is supposed to hurt. But you are not supposed to suffer during childbirth. Its supposed to be hard, yes. But your not supposed to suffer.

Movies, books, magazines, hospitals, all make childbirth look so painful, so horrible, they put so much fear! So much blood and screaming. Maybe your saying, wait that all happened to me thats how birth is!! All my girlfriends did that! Then we all had a c-section and then we had a second... thank god we don't have to go through that pain again!!
Or maybe, hey! Wait I had a great birth at the hospital! Congrats! It should be that way too! I'm happy you did. Wasn't it wonderful?

Right? That's what your thinking.

Here's what I think.
Wouldn't it be great if your experience was tough but you felt empowered after it. What if before you had your baby there was a place,a group or books! (there are books) that told you about ALL your options to give birth? Would you go? Would you read?

Would you go? To learn about childbirth how its meant to be taught? Not instilling fear. Just facts, stories, encouragement, love, understanding, breastfeeding, OPTIONS!

I would go!

My home birth was the best experience I have ever had. It was hard, it had its painful moments. I did make some load noises. And my son came out just fine and I was just fine as well. My labor was only 6 hours long. I wasn't fearful of my body giving birth. I knew that my mind didn't know how to do this but my body did so I trusted my body. I had a strong support of women and my husband with me. My midwife never treated me like I was stupid or that she knew best. I was also very healthy and fit the profile for having a home birth which is very important. Not just anyone can. Your midwife will decide if you are healthy and a good fit for home birth.

I also knew that I wanted that feeling of giving birth without medication. I knew it was the best for my son and me. The best for breastfeeding and postpartum. I knew it was supposed to be tough but it was right to go through it.


I don't want you to feel that your birth was wrong. It wasn't, I love hearing everyone birth story regardless! (Please tell me!!) I just want you to know that you have options. It can be awesome!! It's not supposed to be horror movie! Education is huge. Advocating for yourself and your baby!

My husband had he worries, like he should! But once I had my son and he experienced his first home birth he loved it! He felt that he was more a part of the birth then he could have been at the hospital! He talks about it all the time!

Home birth or not look into your options for everything. You never know what you might find!

XOXO
Kimberly Jarest

Your Beginnings Photography 

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