Ffion's Newborn Shoot
I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the fabulous Paige while she was pregnant and I was thrilled when she returned with her gorgeous newborn daughter, Ffion.
Paige didn’t have the easiest journey into motherhood. She has been very open with her Instagram followers about her struggles to conceive which led her to have weight loss surgery and ultimately welcome a perfect baby girl to the world.
I find Paige so inspiring and a real breath of fresh air and I couldn’t help but ask her a few questions about becoming a mummy…
Did you attend any antenatal classes?
I did not, I had a doula so I did any “parent learning/training” with her.
How did you choose Ffion’s name?
It was a long process - I always thought if I had a little girl her name would be Luna or Lyla... so we bounced between them for a while. I always wanted to have a welsh middle name for all of my kids, and Ffion was one of them, and then one day, it just clicked that she should just have a welsh name. So we named her Ffion (foxglove) Carys (loved one) Melody (musical) Nicholson. And it fit.
What’s surprised you most about life with a newborn?
How tired I’d be & just how hard breastfeeding would be. I assumed that having a natural home birth that I would be like Mother Earth and take to breastfeeding like a pro... but it’s actually a lot harder than it looks. I bought all the gear but I honestly had a rough time with it and wasted a lot of money as now after 2 weeks She is almost exclusively formula fed. (And yes I have the Tommee Tippee formula maker... it’s a life saver so invest in one of those if you choose to formula feed)
How have you decorated Ffion’s nursery?
Yellow. So I wanted to be one of those “gender neutral” moms.... I did not want her gender to be a big deal as we now live in a time where she can choose who she wants to be. I did not want everything around her to be overwhelmingly masculine or feminine. It also makes things easier for if I’m able to have another child that I don’t have to worry about “the pink room” ????????
What has been your biggest baby splurge to date?
Her pam cost around £1k & we also bought a mamaroo which with the accessories cost close to £350. Me and my husband joke that she hates her baby chair and it’s the most expensive rejection we have ever had! And that Ffion’s pram costs more than the car it’s in ????????
What advice would you give to expectant mums?
Non of us know what we’re doing. It’s all a lie if anyone says that they know what to do... because we don’t. Each baby is different and we are all relying on our instincts and hoping we are getting it right. So trust your gut, love harder than you ever have before and the rest will follow, hopefully ????
