Newborn Photographer: Melissa Adams

Tri-State Talent

The newborn period is so very short and sweet, and many people choose to document the adorable-ness with photography. I’m sure you’ve seen cute posed pictures of newborns, but did you know there are some serious safety concerns when it comes to making those shots happen? Photographers need to be specially trained in newborn photography, and especially good ones will make sure they connect with you to find out what you want in your session before you even get there.

I met Melissa Adams at the very beginning of my doula career in 2014 when I reached out to her for a very special newborn session in her Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep work. She has a very special heart for families who are experiencing and have experienced loss, even donating one special rainbow baby session each month. She is a consummate professional and I always enjoy getting to spend time with her. She has an absolutely beautiful studio space in Jasper, IN, and her brilliant work is totally worth the drive!

From Melissa Adams herself:

1. What is your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about my job is all the possibilities that are bundled into a new life, and meeting these tiny souls, to be captured professionally at my studio for the first time in their lives. I think a lot of people take for granted how huge that is. This is the very first time your child will be captured professionally. This will be a representation of the beginning of their lives. This session captures your spouse’s awe of your strength; the way everyone is first settling into new life. I think of all the amazing things that people have done in their lifetimes and I wonder what this little bean will grow up to do with their life. I love seeing the new parents fawning over their newborn as well. Let’s be honest, sometimes having toddlers can be a bit emotionally overwhelming, so I always love the simplicity of just embracing and getting to bond with your newborn. When you have a newborn, life may seem exhausting, but our days really slow down quite a bit. Even a second or third time parent will tell me “Yeah, she’s really great at her head control!” or “I’ve never seen a baby with such hairy ears!” or “She has my toe thumbs!” I absolutely love that we get a chance to really appreciate all the amazing tiny things that our bodies created out of love.

A newborn parent can tell you exactly how much their child ate, and when they went to the bathroom last. They can tell you what side they nursed on last, and when they think they caught a glimpse of a first smile. It’s such a wonderful and magical time. I can’t dream up a better profession and I am so honored to capture these beautiful, raw moments for families. Another thing that I truly cherish about my profession, is connecting with families of loss. I am an affiliate photographer for the non-profit, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, and while it’s difficult to see families of loss at their most vulnerable moments, I feel so honored to be allowed into their trusted circle to capture those moments for them. This is why I offer a rainbow program, as well. Once a month, I donate a full newborn session to a family of loss. I love being able to see these families cherish everything life can give to us, and I hope every family of loss gets closure in some way or another.

2. What do you wish people knew about your business?

I strive to educate families on the safety concerns of hiring a newborn photographer. There are many poses that can be tricky and risky – even with simple poses. Positional asphyxiation is a real risk, and some of the poses that are more mainstream can be even riskier. I try to educate and empower the families while I pose so they always feel comfortable speaking up if they have any questions. This is their baby, not my living prop, and I want all my clients to feel relaxed and safe in my care.

3. What is the most stressful thing about your job?

I struggle with anxiety, so I’m a very safety driven person. On top of hosting The Jasper Maternity/Baby Expo, which brings a lot of local/small businesses and non-profits together to help those trying to conceive, newborn families, and families with children of all ages, I also decided to become certified as a child passenger safety technician. I saw an opportunity for us to educate people with a new approach by just informing. I know many mothers feel attacked by other’s opinions so I always just tell new mothers to reach out to me if they need anything. If I ever see anything in public or online, I introduce myself privately and tell them my certification and then say that I’ve noticed a way it may be safer for them to use their car seat, etc. I feel like coming at it from a perspective of “Hey, I know you love your child, and I would love to help you keep them safer, so let me know if this information would interest you” instead of “Hey – this is the correct way to do this”. A lot of our job can be affected by the way the care givers choose to install their seats, so it can be a bit gray. I’m always here to just help, not judge. I probably get most stressed out about that because I always worry that a mother could be going through PPD and I would never want to trigger them to think they were doing less than amazing with their baby.

4. What is your favorite thing about living in the tri-state area?

I was born and raised in Evansville, so moving to Jasper was a bit of a challenge for me. I hear a lot of people saying they want to move away but that was never a goal for me. Thanks to my sweet talking, (sexiest man alive) husband, I ended up moving to Jasper about 12 years ago. My favorite part about living in Jasper has been the other small business owners, and connecting with those driven entrepreneurs. I’ve made so many friends and they’ve all changed me for the better in many ways. I have a few local staples that I visit almost daily, but I truly value connecting with the other leaders in our community and learning along side and from them.

5. Where can people find you if they want to learn more about your services?

I work best through email: melissa@melissaadamsllc.com and my website is the best way to view my work. www.melissaadamsllc.com

I have a VIP group for clients and potential clients, due to Facebook Algorithms.

My Instagram is @melissaadamsllc

My hashtags are #melissaadamsllc #thejaspermaternitybabyexpo #jaspermaternitybabyexpo

I really enjoy connecting with my clients personally, so I do require all of my new clients to do an in person or phone consultation with me. This way I can guarantee the best results for your session.

What was your favorite part of the newborn period? What is your favorite newborn picture of your baby?

Little Ants & a Giveaway!!

As a doula, I get asked all the time about places to shop while preparing for the arrival of a new baby, and the first place I always like to send clients is Little Ants! Not only is the owner Katie Field an amazingly knowledgeable person about breastfeeding and baby wearing, but she also has some really awesome products that you can’t find anywhere else in the tri-state. I love to support local businesses whenever possible, and Katie makes it easy with all kinds of great products and excellent customer service professionals who know what they are talking about because they have actually used the products.

Are you thinking about baby wearing but worried about which carrier might work best for you?

Go to Little Ants and they will help you try on different carrier to find which one works for you, your baby, and your budget. You can even rent them for a trip, and if you decide to purchase it later, they will apply your rental payment toward your purchase. How cool is that??

Curious about cloth diapering, but don’t know where to start?

Little Ants has you and your baby’s butt covered! Can we mention that Katie also owns and operates the Happy Heiny cloth diaper company?? She might be magic you guys!

From the Owner:

I was born and raised in Chicago and moved to Evansville via Urbana, IL in 2008. I began Little Ants in 2000 six months after my oldest was born. As I began raising my first child, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of mother baby togetherness. The store grew out of that love. I longed to create a work environment that allowed moms to work alongside their children all while emphasizing items that were made with just wages and dignity of the worker in mind.

Katie & 2 of her adorable kids!

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I really love being able to help families in their journey through parenthood. From the early days of helping finding the perfect baby carrier to later days of finding the perfect toy that inspires the child to learn and grow while preserving their creativity and maintaining interest through the childs growth. I also love seeing how much my children have learned by being a part of this business from day 1.

What do you wish people knew about your business?

The importance of play in childhood is a major emphasis of our store. I wish more people appreciated how developmentally important play is, how important open ended toys are to creativity, and how much further money stretches when you buy quality toys made to be played with for years. That being a small local boutique doesn’t mean you pay premium prices, it means you get premium service at the same price as elsewhere. We are here to serve our customers.

What is the most stressful thing about your job?

The struggle to stay afloat. In the day and age of tablets for two year olds and internet purchases for moms, it can be tough to keep paying the bills.

What is your favorite thing about living in the tri-state area?

I love how welcome children are in Evansville. It was the first thing that struck me when I moved here and I still appreciate it today. This is becoming less true throughout many areas of country. I love how many places my kids are treated with respect.

Where can people find you if they want to learn more about Little Ants?

Our address is 2820 Lincoln Ave Evansville, IN 47714 or online at www.littleants.com

Check out: #antfamilybusiness

I don’t do twitter but have both instagram (@LittleAntsInc) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LittleAntsInc/)

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Want to win a super cool basket of stuff from Little Ants??

Here’s what you could win:

Sweet Baby Callum (only 7 days old) & his boppy are not included in the giveaway, but everything else in this picture is!!!

Here’s what you can win: S’well bottle, the cuddliest pig ever from The Manhattan Toy Company, a hand-dyed swaddling blanket made from bamboo by the Austin tie-dye company, Earth Mama Angel Baby Pregnancy Pampering Kit, Sweet tooth baby teether shaped like an ice cream cone, and a beautiful chewable necklace…

And the BIG thing that will probably get most of you excited is a:

TULA FREE TO GROW!!!!

Thank you so much Ellen for allowing me to come take pictures of you only 1 week postpartum!!! You are so beautiful & such a wonderful advocate for birth, babywearing, and breastfeeding in our community!
You can read more about the TULA Free to Grow here at this link.

The Tula Free to Grow is an amazing carrier that is fully adjustable, ergonomic, and has variable width and height settings to customize its fit to your growing baby. This innovative, no fuss design does not require an infant insert and can be used beginning at 7lbs, and it is soo very cool that I almost wish I was going to have another baby!!

This carrier is so versatile that she could have used it for her newborn OR her 2 year old OR her 4 year old!! The 6 year old might be a little big for it though.
(BTW: Ellen IS actually magical in case you were wondering!)

3 Steps to enter to win:

1. Like Doula Group of Evansville and Little Ants, Inc on Facebook
2. Like Little Ants, Inc and Doula Group of Evansville on Instagram. 3. Comment on this post with which item in the basket you are most excited to win!

I’ll put all the names in a bowl and have a live drawing on Sunday March 3^rd on the Doula Group of Evansville Instagram page, so be on the lookout for the announcement. Don’t worry though, I will contact you via messenger if you win too. I promise I don’t need this stuff and am really excited to give it away!!

Rules:

-Basket full of stuff must be picked up in person by the winner, so you should probably be fairly local to the Evansville area or at least willing to drive here to Little Ants to pick it up from me. If you aren’t local, you can still shop at their online store!

-Must be 18 to enter & a Facebook user, as winner will be notified via Facebook.

-This giveaway is in no way sponsored by, associated with, or run by Facebook or Instagram or any other entity other than Little Ants & Doula Group of Evansville

-DEADLINE to enter is Saturday March 2nd by noon!

Can we also mention that starting tomorrow there is a SALE at Little Ants????

Seriously, go check out these deals!!

I am SOOO excited to give away this basket of hand-picked stuff! Special thanks also goes out to Chrystal Mehringer who helped me pick out all these lovely things that we both agreed we would want if we were expecting. She’s just one of the super knowledgeable staff members are Little Ants, and a friend of mine too.

Bella Terra Organic Spa & Shoppe

I absolutely LOVE to make connections with other like-minded business owners here in the tri-state area, and Japhia just happens to also have previously worked as a doula and labor and delivery nurse in addition to her current role as the program chair for the healthcare specialist and therapeutic massage program at Ivy Tech here in Evansville. Did I mention that she is also a single mom to a gaggle of good looking kids? Japhia lights up the room with her vivacious personality and gentle spirit, and I always feel renewed every time we get to spend time together.

First, here is a bit about Japhia’s business: Bella Terra is a boutique organic spa located in Evansville, IN. They offer massage therapy, facial treatments, pedicures/manicures, body scrubs/wraps, and more. Their massage therapists are trained and skilled in techniques ranging from relaxing spa treatments, to prenatal massage, to deep tissue for persistent back, neck, and hip pain. They choose to use only all natural and organic products for their spa services and strive to maintain a practice that is health-conscious, green, and environmentally friendly.

I wanted to know more, so here are the questions I asked Japhia (in bold) and her answers underneath:

1. What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love that I get to work with people who have become such good friends. Also, coming from being a Registered Nurse for 10 years to working as a massage therapist, it’s an entirely different vibe. I love being able to help people feel better while working in a beautiful, relaxing environment. I also really enjoy when I see my repeat clients month after month. We get to form a relationship and it makes being at work feel like I’m not working at all. It’s especially fun with my prenatal clients, because I get to see their bellies grow and then I love seeing pictures after the baby is here! In general, being a massage therapist is very rewarding. I feel like I get to make a difference in people’s lives, without the stresses I had in my previous career. Although it’s very true that being a business owner has plenty of stresses of its own.

2. What do you wish people knew about your business?

I wish people knew that we are the only spa in town that is committed to using only natural and organic products. Also, that our nail polish is seriously the best I have ever used! We get asked sometimes if we do gel nails, but we avoid anything like that. We don’t even use regular nail polish. Studies have shown that metabolites of harmful chemicals such as triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), which is used in many nail polishes, have been found in women’s bodies within hours of painting their nails. We use a nail polish brand that is free of chemicals like TPHP, toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP. Plus, it’s actually awesome polish. It’s extremely durable, hardly has any smell at all, and comes in a ton of colors.

Other than that, I wish people knew that massage therapy is not a one-and-done type thing. People come in for a massage when they’re hurting the most, and then they don’t come back for another year. Massage is like starting an exercise regimen or taking a vitamin; you wouldn’t do it just once and expect big results. Although getting a massage once or twice a year is better than not at all, the benefits really start to show when you receive it regularly. We recommend every 4-6 weeks for maintenance. If you have a chronic issue that’s causing dysfunction or discomfort, it may take a few sessions before you see a lasting change. Conditions caused by repetitive movement or poor posture didn’t occur overnight and they can’t be cured overnight. Your body has to heal and relearn better movement and posture patterns. Massage can definitely help with that, and regular sessions will help keep you feeling your best. That’s why we offer a discount for clients that book monthly.

3. What is the most stressful thing about your job?

Honestly, managing other people. If I worked for someone else I wouldn’t have that problem, but I’ve always wanted to own my own business. Taking care of the scheduling, making sure everyone is happy, running the payroll, and really, just delegating anything can be stressful for me. I’m working on that though. Doing all of the administrative stuff, marketing, finances, etc. takes up a lot of time and is really my least favorite part.

4. What is your favorite thing about living in the tri-state area?

I like how close we are to everything. We are only a 2.5-3 hour drive from about 4 or 5 major cities. I love going to see live music, and even though a lot of my favorite bands don’t necessarily come through Evansville, I can make a day trip pretty much anywhere they stop in the Midwest. I’m from Chicago, and I’ve lived in smaller towns, but I feel like here we have the best of both worlds. We have a small town vibe, with some city amenities.

5. Where can people find you if they want to learn more about your services?

People can go to our website, www.thebellaterraspa.com, email us at info@thebellaterraspa.com, or call us at 812-598-2835. We’re also on Instagram, @bellaterraspa and Facebook, @thebellaterraspa. Thanks!

All birth doula clients of Doula Group of Evansville will receive a free 30-minute prenatal massage, while these coupons last!

Not everyone loves massage or even likes being touched, but there are so very many benefits to massage for those of us who it helps relax and be more in tune with our bodies. Being in tune with your body and its needs is extremely beneficial especially when preparing for birth!

When was the last time you got a massage?