A family heirloom carries more than age. It holds fingerprints, stories, and traces of people your baby may know only through photographs and family memories.
Including one in your pregnancy photos can connect several generations in a single frame. A grandmother’s locket resting near your belly, a hand-knit blanket draped across your shoulders, or a pair of well-worn baby shoes can quietly say, “You belong to something larger.”
As a pregnancy photographer in Chicago, I love helping families include personal objects without making the session feel staged. The heirloom shouldn’t look like a prop placed there for decoration. It should feel woven into the moment, like an old thread continuing through a new chapter.
Choose An Heirloom With A Story
Start with the meaning, not the appearance.
An object doesn’t need to be expensive, perfectly preserved, or traditionally beautiful. A chipped music box may hold more emotional weight than a polished piece of jewelry. An embroidered handkerchief might remind you of the person who carried it every Sunday. Even a handwritten recipe can become part of your family’s visual history.
Good options for pregnancy photos include:
- A wedding ring or locket
- A christening gown
- A baby blanket or quilt
- A vintage book
- A handwritten letter
- A small toy
- Baby shoes worn by a parent or grandparent
- A cultural or religious object
- A piece of fabric from a meaningful garment
Ask yourself what you’d like your child to know about the item. Who owned it? How did it reach you? Why have you kept it?
That answer will help shape the photograph.
If you’re still deciding what emotional tone you want your session to carry, my post on making maternity photos feel like a love letter to your baby offers more ideas for building a session around connection rather than decoration.
Tell Me About It Before The Session
Share the heirloom’s story while we’re planning your pregnancy photos. A quick description or phone photo is often enough.
Knowing its size, condition, material, and history helps me think through safe ways to photograph it. A delicate necklace calls for a different approach than a large quilt. A century-old letter may need protection from wind, moisture, and direct sunlight. A fragile ceramic object shouldn’t travel across uneven ground without a secure container.
The National Archives guide to preserving family papers and photographs offers practical information for handling, storing, and displaying older materials. Review it before bringing a particularly delicate document or photograph outdoors.
Please don’t clean, polish, iron, or repair an old item just for the session unless a qualified conservator has advised you to do so. Age marks are part of its character. A faded edge or softened fold can be as expressive as a familiar face.
Let The Heirloom Support The Photograph
The strongest heirloom images still feel like portraits of you.
Instead of holding the object toward the camera in every frame, we can use it in ways that feel natural. You might fasten your grandmother’s brooch to a coat, wrap a family quilt loosely around your shoulders, or hold a small book while sitting beside your partner. An heirloom ring can appear in a close photograph of your hands resting on your belly.
The item may only appear in a handful of images. That’s often enough.
Think of it as a supporting character. It adds history and depth, yet your expression, movement, and connection remain at the heart of the photograph.
A few subtle approaches work especially well:
- Wearing heirloom jewelry with a simple outfit
- Folding a blanket over your arm
- Holding old baby shoes near your belly
- Reading from a treasured book
- Tucking a family photograph into a bouquet
- Letting an older child carry the item
- Photographing your hands with a letter or keepsake
Small gestures keep the pictures intimate. They also prevent the heirloom from feeling like an exhibit behind glass.
Match The Setting To The Object
Chicago gives us many possible environments, from quiet neighborhood paths to open lakefront views. The right location should protect the heirloom while supporting its story.
A handmade quilt might look at home among tall grass or beneath mature trees. Vintage jewelry can shine against the clean lines of city architecture. An old family photograph may feel especially poignant in the neighborhood where the people in it once lived.
Practical details matter too. Wind can carry away letters, ribbons, and lightweight fabrics in seconds. Damp grass can stain old textiles. Sand finds every fold. Cold temperatures may make certain materials brittle, while strong sun can be hard on faded paper.
Some Chicago parks and gardens require permission for professional sessions. The Chicago Park District photography permit page lists current requirements for many popular locations.
Your comfort belongs in the decision as well. My advice on planning pregnancy photos around your energy level can help you choose a setting and session time that won’t leave you drained.
Build Your Outfit Around One Detail
An heirloom can guide your wardrobe without controlling it.
If you’re wearing an ornate gold locket, a simple neckline will give it room to breathe. A patterned quilt usually photographs best beside solid clothing. A lace christening gown can pair beautifully with soft knits, linen, or a flowing dress in a quiet color.
Try not to match the item too precisely. Family history rarely arrives in a coordinated palette. Let the contrast feel natural.
Comfort still comes first. Test your outfit while sitting, walking, and raising your arms. Make sure jewelry doesn’t catch on delicate fabric. Bring a secure pouch or box so the heirloom has a safe place between photographs.
The result should feel like you on a meaningful day, not someone dressed for a period costume.
Include Your Partner Or Older Children
Heirlooms can create tender moments between family members.
Your partner might fasten the necklace for you or help wrap the blanket around your shoulders. An older child can hold a pair of baby shoes once worn by a parent. Several hands can rest together over a quilt made by someone the new baby will hear stories about for years.
These interactions give everyone something real to do. They often lead to the expressions families love most: a quiet smile, a shared memory, or a child asking an unexpected question about the object.
Tell children the story before the session in language they can understand. A small piece of family history can make them feel included in welcoming the baby.
Create A Record For The Next Generation
After the session, write down the heirloom’s story.
Record the names of previous owners, approximate dates, places, traditions, and any memories tied to it. Store that information with your printed pregnancy photograph or place it in the album caption.
Years from now, your child may hold the same object while looking at the image we created. The photograph will show more than what the heirloom looked like. It will show where it rested during the months you were waiting for them.
That’s the beauty of including family history in pregnancy photos. One picture can hold the past, the present, and a future still taking shape.