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We bought a few photos that they took at the hospital. They turned out great and I do not regret doing another shoot. I can take decent photos with our SLR and took lots of photos myself anyway.

What i like to do is think of what I will use them for. We did not do engagement pictures because I couldn't think of what I'd want a ton of pictures of us for... I figured we'd have our wedding pics to serve that purpose. Same with newborn pics. Is it worth the price if I'm just going to maybe frame one, or use one for a birth announcement? We're not really the type to plaster our house with a ton of photos from one event. (We have 1, 5x7 wedding photo in our whole house, for example). So when the time comes, I think we will just do our own photos too.

We do have a DSLR, however, a decent point and shoot can do a nice job if you have good lighting conditions, I firmly believe this. Heck, I've seen some amazing iPhone baby shots, very much clear and printable. Do some reading on how to take photos of kids -- there are a lot of pins on pinterest i see about this from time to time. Basically you want an uncluttered background and lots of natural light (in front of the baby--if it's behind them the baby will be dark while the background is bright).

We paid a photographer to take them when she was 7 days old, without knowing that the hospital also did some. I have to say that I actually like the ones from the hospital better. In regards to if you should get them or not, I would say to get at least *some* kind of picture. They change SO much in those first few weeks, so you want to remember what they looked like.

(seriously, DD looks nothing like she did when she was born)

Oh btw I have seen some pretty good results from JC Penney and I think I've seen coupons for free session fees. It may be a bit more hit and miss but at least you're not committed to buying if you hate the pictures.

I bought my good camera so we wouldn't have to pay someone to take newborn photos. They're not perfect, but we took some cute photos of her as an infant. Honestly? I'd prefer to spend money on something else for her than on photos.

As a newborn photographer myself, I still can't honestly say I would want to spend a huge amount of money on photos even if I wasn't a photographer. Do I think that the quality of professional photos is worth the money? Unequivocally, yes. But I also feel like as adorable as the photos can be, the ones taken during a special moment can mean so much more. For example, I have around five friends that I've gifted free sessions to over the years and yet the photos I see used as their facebook profile photos the most are ones that I've taken of their little ones in casual situations (ie dinner at a friend's, out shopping, etc). It's not that they didn't love that photo I took of the baby in that cute bear hat all sleeping and posed, but the one where momma is showing her baby the outdoor market ultimately ended up *meaning* more to them and so it was used more.

So as a future-mom-slash-photographer, sure, I'm going to take the typical baby studio posed type photos but I honestly think the number of casual shots will far exceed those despite having the studio with all the props right there in our home and easy to use. If you have the money, go for it. But if money is a huge issue, I would just recommend putting it to a nicer camera for yourself. The lighting might not be perfect but I honestly believe the photos will mean more.

I didn't get newborn photos done and I totally regret it. It's the props that get me every time, you know the ones, with the cute animal hats, pettiskirts, yarn pods, etc, etc.

I am so so happy I got a maternity and newborn photo package. I treasure those pictures of Sawyer so much, even though DH is an amazing photog with pro equiptment and lighting, the photog we paid to do our pictures had so much experience with posing and such, and the pictures of us as a family are worth every penny.

I'm so happy we budgeted for newborn photos. DH and I don't have a shmancy camera and although I love the pics we take of her, they just don't compare to her pro pics. Those newborn days are gone alarmingly fast and I'm so happy to have such special pictures that captured her 'newness'.

All that said, if you have a decent camera and have the skills/lighting to do them yourself, I think a DIY job could be just as special. We just don't have the talent!

Did you read mrs superhero's post about this? I loved it.

I love love love our nb photos and I am soooo glad we got them done. So glad. I am always looking at them over and over. They are so special to me. I created a special 8x8 album on shutterfly with the pics.

I would totally have regretted not getting them done, same as I would have regretted not getting maternity photos. But I love photography and value it so highly, not everyone does. So you have to assess how important it is to you.

We didnt get them and I completely regret it. We have a DSLR and took our own, but for us its not the same. I wouldnt have spent a ton of money on it, but for 150-200 Id book in a heartbeat

@ladyfingers: $200 is *very* reasonable for a newborn session! For that price, I wouldn't hesitate! How many shots do you get? Do you get a print credit as well?