I remember the moment my daughter was born. I had imagined it so many times—the rush of love, the softness of her skin, the way everything would suddenly make sense. But what I hadn’t imagined was the doubt. The way it settled into my bones, whispering Am I good enough? Am I even cut out for this?

That whisper followed me home. It wove itself into the long nights, the overwhelming days, the quiet moments when I felt like I was the only one struggling. No one tells you how heavy the expectations of motherhood will feel, how they pile onto your shoulders until you wonder if you’re being crushed under the weight of doing it all right.

And the hardest part? So much of it is unspoken.

The Unseen Pressure We Carry

From the moment we become mothers, an invisible list of expectations is handed to us. We should be nurturing but independent, patient but productive, endlessly giving yet also taking care of ourselves. We’re told to cherish every moment while also maintaining a spotless home, excelling at work, and finding time to be present for our children in a way that is somehow both effortless and deeply meaningful.

And if we fall short? The guilt creeps in.

We see it in the way we speak to ourselves, the way we compare our motherhood to the highlight reels of social media. We convince ourselves that we should be doing more, that we should have it more together, that we should be able to handle it all without breaking.

But what if we weren’t meant to handle it all? What if the problem isn’t us, but the impossible standards we’re holding ourselves to?

Overcoming Perfectionism in Motherhood

These unrealistic expectations don’t just drain us—they keep us from living fully in the moments that matter. They make us question our instincts, second-guess our choices, and keep us striving for a version of motherhood that doesn’t actually exist.

One of the biggest ways this shows up? In the way we remove ourselves from our own stories.

How many times have you reached for the camera but never turned it around? How many moments have you captured of your children, yet erased yourself from the frame because you didn’t feel “ready” to be seen?

We tell ourselves we’ll get in the photos when we feel more like ourselves, when we’ve lost the weight, when we feel worthy of being documented. But that moment never comes, because the standards we set are unattainable.

You Deserve to Be Seen

One day, our children won’t remember whether our hair was perfect or if we were wearing the “right” outfit. They won’t care if the house was messy in the background or if we felt like we weren’t our best selves. They will only see us. They will see the way we held them, the way we looked at them, the way we showed up—even when we didn’t feel like enough.

You are not failing because you struggle. You are not a bad mother because the weight of it all feels like too much sometimes. The truth is, none of us are cut out for this in the way we were told we should be. But that’s not because we aren’t capable. It’s because the version of motherhood we’ve been sold was never real to begin with.

So, let this be your permission slip to release the pressure. To let yourself be seen. To be in the frame, exactly as you are. Because this is the version of you your children will cherish—the real one, the one who loves them fiercely, the one who is already enough.

Capture Your Life on Your Terms

You don’t need permission to take up space in your own memories. You don’t need to wait until you feel “ready” to be seen. You are already worthy of being in the frame—not because you’ve met some impossible standard of motherhood, but because this season, this version of you, is real and deserving.

So let go of the idea that photos need to look a certain way. That your home needs to be perfect, that you need to look a certain way, that motherhood needs to feel effortless to be beautiful.

Instead, create the memories you want to remember. Capture your life as it is—raw, tender, imperfect, and deeply meaningful. Take photos that tell your story, not the one you think you should have. Let them be artful, let them be honest, and most of all, let them be yours.

If you’re ready to step into the frame, I invite you to look over my experience page where you will find out how your photo session experience with me focuses completely on honoring your journey, embracing the beauty in imperfection, and capturing the moments that feel the most like you. Because this is your story, and you deserve to be in it.