Maternity photo shoots sustain memories of pregnancy — Consultant Pediatrician

Some women have upheld the idea of taking maternity photo shoots, saying that capturing that beautiful period of pregnancy, especially the advanced stage can help to eliminate fears and anxiety.
“Pregnancy comes with its ups and downs, so capturing this beautiful period can help eliminate fears and anxiety.
“Photos trigger memories, feelings and emotions. They also help you remember more vividly how things used to be,’’ Simi Obasan, a Consultant Pediatrician at Heritage Childbirth Services, told the News Agency of Nigeria  on Sunday in Lagos.
Obasan said that photo shoots in the advanced stage of pregnancy was born out of the desire of the pregnant woman to sustain memories of her pregnancy, even after the baby was born.
She said: “Before photo shoots started, pregnant women ensured that they took enough photos of themselves with their mobile phones to show their children how they grew in their tummies before they were born.’’
She said, however, that with the advent and availability of more sophisticated equipment with higher resolutions, came the need for better photos to ensure that more beautiful memories were captured.
Obasan said: “Sadly, to everything, there is an abuse. The focus of maternity photo shoots has shifted from memories and keep-sakes to ‘show off’ attempts.
“Pregnant women now go the extra mile to look sexy in these shoots, thus exposing what should have been left to imagination.’’
Dr Blessing Ogbonnaya, a Dentist, told NAN that, “some women do maternity photo shoots just for the craze of social media”.
Ogbonnaya added: “For me, it’s just an avenue to announce the arrival of my baby and to have the memories captured, especially for the future.’’
A food vendor, Fadekemi Rinoye, said: “These days, people do maternity photo shoots just to compete with other women. They do it to show off and bring attention to themselves”.
Rinoye added: “The shoots should basically be for record and documentation purposes since one can easily forget how one looked during pregnancy, the photos will always serve as a great reminder.
“Even if you don’t care about the memory for yourself, think about when your children are older. They will be delighted to see the photos of their pregnant mother while they were growing inside her.
“Pregnancy is a thing of beauty and amazement for many people.
“If you don’t have a photo session while you’re pregnant, you’ve lost the chance to create once in a lifetime, they’re memories which you can never get back.”