April 11, 2022
If you’ve been following along on our pregnancy journey, you’ll know we have just five weeks left until our due date! The time has flown by and before you know, baby will be here. We’re beyond thankful that everything has gone SO well, baby and I are both healthy and measuring perfectly. Pregnancy has truly been one of my greatest joys and I’m so grateful that I get to be on this journey.
I will be taking some maternity leave from my business towards the end of my pregnancy and when baby arrives. Here’s the full details and answers to your questions:
What does Maternity Leave look like for you?
Since this is the first time I’ll be giving birth, I have no idea what to expect. I don’t know what my body will go through, what the healing process looks like, and what baby will need. Because of that, I’m giving myself as much time as I need. Maternity Leave means not booking any photo shoots or in person meetings. It means putting myself, my baby, and my family first before business. My goal is to check in on emails, possibly share a little on social media but that’s it. Maybe everything will go great and I’ll be itching to get back to business in a few weeks but I’m not putting any pressure on myself.
When and how long will you be gone?
My leave will start April 23rd and go through the entire month of May. I’ll be more available for meetings, phone calls, and emails in June but probably still no photo shoots. Again, we’ll see how that part goes. I’ll be available to my current clients for wedding timeline and final detail meetings in June. My associates will handle their weddings during that time as well. My first wedding back is July 1st.
If there’s an emergency, how do we get in touch?
My current clients know if there is an extreme emergency they can always get in touch with me via email or a phone call but I will not be open to new clients or the public during this time. I will check in on emails periodically during my leave but have no plans on checking or answering them daily like I do now.
Are you still booking weddings?
Absolutely! I have a few open dates in 2022 for myself and for my STP Associates. We’ve officially opened our calendars for 2023 and are ready to welcome in the most wonderful couples! As always, the best way to get in touch about your upcoming wedding is via email. Can’t wait to chat more!
What will your business look like going forward?
Honestly, there are so many unknowns going forward. With a new baby and balancing our work schedules, this year will be all about learning. What I do know is that I’m committed to my current clients and will still give them my very best once I am shooting again. My business was my first baby and my clients know how much I love what I do.
Will you be traveling back to the Midwest for photo shoots this year?
I have one wedding booked for the beginning of August that I will be returning to Wisconsin for. As of right now, I will be there for a week and happy to fill my calendar with portrait sessions during that time (no mini sessions will be offered then.) That is the only trip that is confirmed and I haven’t decided if I will be back in autumn for Fall Mini Sessions and portraits. As soon as I know or decide, I will share via my blog and social media.
How can we continue to follow along on your parenthood journey? We want baby photos!
I’m sure I’ll be sharing more once baby arrives but how much and when is still to be decided. What is most important is being with my family. I know I’ll be documenting A LOT of it but I haven’t decided how much I will share yet. Thank you for respecting our privacy and need to bond as a family.
We want to send baby a gift! How do we do that?
First of all, this is the sweetest question ever! We are blown away by the love our little one is already receiving. I have the BEST clients ever!! We’ve put together a registry of items that would help make our lives and baby’s life easier. Who knew babies needed so much?! We already have bins full of clothes and books so if you do feel the urge to give, please stick to the registry. You can find the registry here – Baby H. Registry.
How can we help?!
Honestly, just prayers and good vibes are all we need. Like I mentioned above, if you want to purchase an item from the registry we would be so grateful but it’s not necessary. Right now we are maxed out on birthing and parenting advice and just need to experience it for ourselves. It will be a learning experience for us, just like it is for every new parent, but we WANT to go through all those new things. I know we’ll have SO many more questions but it can be overwhelming to hear so many different things from so many different people. Once we have more questions, we’ll ask. But we will gladly take all your good thoughts and kind words!
I appreciate everyone understanding and respecting these policies during this time. I am so grateful to be surrounded by the most amazing clients, couples, and friends. This is something I’ve never experienced before and I want to make sure to give it my full heart, soul, and attention. This is my time to be with my baby and my little family. I’m so excited to see my amazing husband become the most incredible dad and I still cannot believe I get to be a mom. I have dreamed of this moment for SO long and it’s almost here. Thank you for everyone’s love and support.
All my love,
Shaunae
Photos by Mist of Morning
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