Caren Barry

Photographer + Writer + Surface Designer

  • :: What traditions have you continued into parenthood? . James and I have made the short trip home (to my childhood village) to see these beautiful Dahlias for many years, and last week we took baby girl there for her very first visit 💛 ...Naturally, she slept through the majority of our wanders, waking briefly only for a feed. I love how our traditions and memories have evolved and will now begin to take on meanings that are even more special to us. . Also, isn’t this the most stunning display!? It has me dreaming for a Dahlia garden of my very own! 💗
  • :: over one month with our beautiful little love. ❤️ . It’s funny how when I was pregnant I found it hard to imagine what life would be like with this new little person filling my days — of course I had what friends and family told me it would be like... mostly about the overwhelming tiredness and the sheer amount of poopy nappies I would soon learn to change 🙈 But what no one told me is how this baby girl would slot right into my world and just how quickly she would completely and utterly steal my heart 💔 . So now we’re just over one month into this new family life of ours (41 days to be exact), which really sounds like no time at all... and yet it feels like the snoozing little babe in this photo has always been here with us. It’s nothing short of magical, wouldn’t you agree? ✨
  • :: me and my girl 😍 just one of a million moments I wish to always remember. . This was my first experience breastfeeding in public and I absolutely loved it! I really wanted to achieve this milestone, for myself, and wandering around our local national trust with the familiarity of the place definitely made me feel at ease. Nevertheless, I decided to choose a quiet, fairly secluded spot in the gardens where I could focus on getting baby girl comfortable too, just as I would do at home. Only a few people passed by in the distance and they probably couldn’t even tell what I was actually doing, but this was just the confidence booster I needed on what is still very early days on my breastfeeding journey. ❤️
  • :: another little peek into baby girl’s nursery! 🌿✨ At the moment we only use this space for nursing (and lots of nappy changing) since she’ll be bunked beside us in our bedroom for the next 6 months or so, but I’m so so happy with all the work I put into this room during pregnancy — It was part of my process of transitioning into motherhood and so worth the effort. . Now she’s here, it’s become our little sanctuary and the perfect space for her to grow, create and play. I’ve tried to place an emphasis on light, nature and peace, so these beautifully timeless wooden toys generously gifted by @sarahandbendrix make such lovely additions to her toy collection. 💛
  • :: baby girl is three weeks old today! How the heck did that happen so quickly?! Well we marked this little milestone by venturing outdoors for our first walk as a family of three; just a slow wander to our village green, before it rained if course. I may have pushed myself a little too hard at first and subsequently suffered the worst stitch I’ve had in years 🙈 but aside from that it was such a lovely reintroduction to the ‘real’ world after the milky, emotional haze the last three weeks have been ❤️ . Before our walk, I tried on the dress in this photo which I last wore at around 34 weeks pregnant — and oh how it made me miss my bump so much! There was such a strange mix of emotions as I looked at myself in the mirror wearing this dress, minus bump, and I can honestly say that I felt the most body confident (and confident in general) whilst pregnant... . James goes back to work next week and I’m determined to build my self-confidence back up, after all I am bloomin’ proud of myself for growing and birthing our beautiful little girl. I want her to grow up knowing her mama as kind, happy and confident. For me though, I think that journey will start with making my transition to breastfeeding in public a little easier with the help of some nursing friendly clothing — but if you have any good suggestions on ways to feel more confident as a new mama, throw them my way please!
  • :: I remember carefully arranging this little corner during my third trimester, thinking ahead and feeling that there was just so much I “needed” to do in order to be ready for baby girls arrival... Well now she’s here, the to-do list never got completed, and yet I feel so content. 🧡 I couldn’t love these simple, quiet, homely scenes where baby girl is snoozing in her Moses basket (kindly gifted by the ever so lovely @thebasketroom) more — and isn’t it also a bit bonkers that I already miss this captured moment from earlier today?! 😍
  • :: magical places 🌿✨ . We’re yet to venture out since returning home from hospital and so I’ve been thinking a lot about our first trip out as a family of three 💛 . I’m still taking things slow and enjoying the newborn bubble so there’s really no rush for us, especially as James has another couple of weeks off work... but I am feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety about this event/milestone. Where did you go for your first trip out with baby?
  • :: home ✨ Since bringing baby girl home, it’s become so hard to imagine what this space ever felt like before her. Home definitely feels more special with her here with us ❤️ . On a side note, we’re still managing to keep this space relatively uncluttered (if you discount the many many muslin cloths scattered around and the two metre high pile of washed laundry sat precariously on the edge of the sofa 😆) — which I’m pleasantly surprised about! I’m sure this won’t last, but it’s the small victories, right?! 🙌🏼

 

connect