Boho newborn photography Devon & Cornwall

I met Laura in her first few days of motherhood after welcoming beautiful baby Poppy. The shoot took place at her home, which is a total boho dream house. We spent the morning talking about pregnancy and birth (the stuff no one tells you!) and adjusting to life with a newborn. Laura opened up to me that she never thought motherhood was on the cards for her due to having polycystic ovary syndrome. This made the session feel all the more special. I was so grateful to be there, a small part of Laura and partner Chris’ journey to welcoming their beautiful miracle daughter and documenting their first few days together.

Read on for a Motherhood in Laura’s words.

Motherhood, in my words: Being a mum has completely changed my mental health. I’ve suffered from depression for years, but I actually began to feel myself getting better throughout my pregnancy. It forced me to focus on the here and now and be healthy, both physically and mentally.

Now that she’s here, I only think of the future; I’m not looking back anymore. I feel the happiness and contentment that had been missing for years. I’ve got PCOS, endometriosis and had a fallopian tube removed 10 years ago because of a tumour, so I never thought I’d be able to conceive naturally. Thankfully during a holiday, the stars aligned for us, and we were surprised to find out that I had fallen pregnant. ( months later, we welcomed our daughter Poppy into the world. She really is a gift, and I know how lucky I am to have her.

The best advice I have is to relax and not stress the little things. I’ve been really laid back, and even when she’s screaming in the middle of the night!!! I know it won’t last forever, and somehow, I keep calm. I think having patience is the key. I’d also really recommend doing an NCT course. Ours was great, mostly because of the lovely expecting parents we met. The support we new mums are giving each other is amazing, we’re all going through the same thing simultaneously, and that’s a great reassurance.