San Diego Maternity Photographer’s Favorite Pregnancy Story
I’ve been a maternity, newborn and family photographer for almost 10 years now and as a San Diego Maternity Photographer I’ve taken countless of maternity pictures in San Diego and beyond. Constantly documenting the happiest and most exciting times in a family’s life. Every time my heart bursts out of joy when I see the love, excitement and joy on the parents faces as they think about welcoming their new baby into their life. It’s something so very special and it’s been one of my greatest pleasures in life.
Everyone’s pregnancy story has been different. From being a complete surprise, to happening according to plan, to taking longer than originally anticipated. Whatever the story, they’re all unique, special and personal and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning about each and everyone of them. But until now I haven’t really had a pregnancy story that was more special than the other. Until now…..
Who’s Pregnant? – San Diego Maternity Photographer tells all
This is a story that’s been 3 years in the making. A story that I’ve been longing to tell. Words I’ve been dreaming of typing and saying out loud. And now that it’s here, it’s still surreal that I get to tell you all this. You’ve all been such a huge support over my almost complete decade of owning this business, that this feels so very special for me to be able to tell you. So are you ready for the big news?
Here we go…. This pregnancy story belongs to no other than:
ME!! Your very own San Diego Maternity Photographer is PREGNANT HERSELF!
That’s right. I am PREGNANT! And since I’m now back from my sisters wedding in Sweden where I as able to tell the rest of my family in person I can now tell all of you my most, best kept, and also hardest kept secret.
Johanna is Pregnant!
I’m with child.
I’m carrying a baby!
Sentences I have yet to get used to saying out loud. I asked for advice in a mom’s group the other day, and typed out the words: I’m pregnant with my first child, and it felt to surreal and exciting I had to re-read it several times myself to truly understand what I was typing. It took us 3 years to reach this moment in time. 3 years ago when we decided to get off of birth control and start trying. However, our journey came to a screeching halt right at the start when I had a Pap smear come back with abnormalities which lead to a LEEP surgery.
Gerrard cannot wait to be a big brother. Image credit to my amazing brand photographer Meg Marie Photography
Being a San Diego Maternity Photographer who can’t get pregnant
After a year and a half of trying we decide to start fertility testing. This was just the start to what was to be a very long journey. Unexplained infertility is what we got diagnose with. On paper everything looks great, yet we weren’t able to conceive. In June of 2021 we then decided to begin treatments. For the next 3 months I lived in 2 week periods. Waiting for my period to start, then take blood samples to read my levels, start medicine, more blood tests to check ovulation, and then the IUI treatment. Then another 2 weeks to see if the IUI worked, and then it all started over again.
We ended up doing 3 rounds of IUI, each one breaking my heart a little bit more when it didn’t succeed. By end of summer, I had reached my limit. And we started looking into the next steps and what other alternatives we had. This is where I feel so lucky to have the community and clients I have.
Last fall we took our next step in our journey to become pregnant. We started our IVF journey. And it was gruesome, exhausting and mentally taxing. My body was bloated from all the meds, my mind was scrambled and my heart was shattered into pieces. In an effort to protect myself, I convinced myself I wasn’t going to get pregnant. That I was going through the motion of completing our IVF journey to say we tried everything. So when it actually took, when I finally got the call from the doctor that I was pregnant, I had the HARDEST time to believe it and understand it. And now, 18 weeks later, I still can’t quite believe it, but it’s real, it’s happening and I can’t stop smiling!
Need to book a San Diego Maternity Photographer? – Don’t wait
Since I know first hand of fast San Diego maternity and newborn photographers book up, there’s no surprise I already booked mine. I cannot wait to get to experience first hand from the client perspective what it’s like going through a maternity session and having my own newborn pictures done. To say I’m excited is an understatement.
Having said that, it also means things will change slightly for Studio Freyja coming this fall. Naturally I’ll be going on maternity leave and won’t be booking any session starting Mid-October until Beginning of March. This means that if you’ve been procrastinating booking family pictures, maternity photos or newborn pictures this summer/early fall, this is your sign to get on it and book with me right now! Because I’ll book up really fast before maternity leave. October and November is usually over booked with fall pictures and since I’m now only working half of October, most of them will take place starting August. So make sure you get your spot now before they’re all gone.
I cannot wait to share more of my journey with you as the month go by. Until then, enjoy some images of my little babe and bump as it is now!
We’re so excited and can’t wait to meet our little baby. Image credit to my amazing brand photographer Meg Marie Photography
An amazing ultrasound image when we were 8 weeks pregnant.