Photographer Moms - How soon after delivering were you back to work?

Well, being your first, you are in for a wild ride!!
The biggest consideration is - how are you planning on feeding the baby? If you are planning on bottle & formula, then there's no worries. Find somebody you trust, and go take a break of a few hours.
If you are planning on nursing, then you're in for a whole other adventure! (if you want suggestions on how to do it, ask) It can take

PHYSICALLY - I can't help you w/ how long until you feel "normal" after a natural birth. W/ a c-section, if you're a fast healer, I'd say working at 3 or 4 weeks is fine. If you heal normal to slow, then you want 6 - 8 weeks just to be able to move at normal speed. Just don't plan on jumping up and down or sprinting until around June ;-)
Do NOT wear heels for a couple months!!!!

Middle of May is too soon. What if the baby is two weeks late? What if you have major complications? What if the baby is premature and has major complications??
I've shot weddings through three pregnancies and would tell you to take at least 2 months. At least. Especially if you are nursing. You are going to be exhausted and you never know if you're going to have a baby who is easy going or who screams at you 20 hours a day. Do you really want to leave him or her for 8 hours being brand new??
I know that 'everyone' says that if you are nursing you can start giving the baby a bottle at about 8 weeks. My kids (all five of them) refused to take one and so they would end up starving the entire time I was gone. Not fun. They survived, but not fun.
This is getting too long and I could add so much more. :) Just take it easy on yourself and the baby. No wedding will ever be worth your health or your kiddo's. There will be other weddings. Besides - the couple you are working for deserve to have you at your best, too.

i wonder how many men will even read this thread? :)

I completely agree with everything Colleen said!! Especially with your first baby, the middle of May is just too soon! You will NOT be at your best by the middle of May! A lot of first babies come late anyways. My 1st child came 3 weeks early but had colic for the first 4 months of her life. She screamed night and day. I had no sleep for months. My 2nd child came late. After both births, It took me 3 months before I could even think about booking a shoot.
Most importantly, you HAVE to let your body heal! Childbirth completely puts the breaks on your mobility for a little while. You need to enjoy the time with your firstborn and not be worried about how you are going to be ready to shoot the wedding.
Best of luck to you!!

Everyone is different. If it were me, I'd give myself some extra time, unless the baby's dad or relative is around to help. . You can introduce a bottle at 2-3 weeks (ask your pediatrician for specific advice), but like Maria said, if you have to pump, it could be fairly inconvenient.
Our first (and only) was equally one of the greatest things to happen to me and one of the most terrifying. It took me a month to get over the fact that I wasn't going to kill him. I used to wake up in the middle of the night just to make sure he was still breathing. I shot a wedding and had a few other jobs where my wife was alone with him. The biggest problem was that he was a fussy one. I once rescheduled a second day of shooting because my wife couldn't take it. He just screamed at her all day long...
You've got to tag-team the baby. You both don't need to be up in the middle of the night- after you introduce a bottle,
take turns. I'd say if you have someone you trust to leave him with and you feel confident about the feeding stuff, go for it. I've seen too many female photographers get regulated to mommy duty by clients. It angers me and I hope you can prove you can do it asap after the birth. My personal thought is that May might be a bit too soon. If you take the job, make sure that you have a solid backup to fill in if you're not up to the task.
Need some inspiration? Her little one is a bit older, and she's world-class, but you get the idea... (link)
Best of luck and congrats!!!

My first is two now, and I am still not back to where I was. That is mostly because I don't have a good support group around - family to leave him with. So I only do work on Saturdays when I know my husband will be available. So I think it all depends on your support group you have around you and what their schedules are, and how attached your baby is to you. :) I did one bridal shoot that was constantly being interrupted by my baby sitter calling to ask questions because my child wouldn't eat for them.. very very annoying. But I must admit, I have a hard time trusting others to take care of my child. Children are not very good with timing- and getting out of the house on time, dealing with unexpected emergencies, makes it harder to plan things.
So if you have good people around you, I think that solves most your problems. But give yourself at least three months to recover. Because your brain will be shot for awhile, due to sleep deprivation! The last thing you want is to be thinking, "What is an aperture?"

My wife just delivered our first about a month ago and here's how it went and is still going:

Up until 8 months everything was normal, looking good, prepared for natural child birth.
Around 8 months, low Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI), a hospital visit and a few IVs of fluid put her back into the "normal" range. Weekly visits now turned into weekly ultrasounds to make sure AFI remained normal.
Two days prior to due date my wife has excruciating lower back pain and we make a trip to the ER. Diagnosis is H.E.L.L.P. Look it up, it's scary. Within a few hours she has an emergency Cesarean delivery. Baby is healthy, mom is sore, on some hefty pain meds, magnesium, and a slew of other meds to combat H.E.L.L.P. and the pain of the cesarean.

Three nights in the hospital and we go home. Baby is healthy. Mom is now only on pain meds and is limited to lifting no more than the baby for 6-8 weeks.

NOW: Baby is about a month old, healthy and doing fine. Mom is healthy, nearly pain free, and wants to do more than she is allowed to do. Both mom and I are over-tired from 3-4 nightly feedings. I'm back to work (I took a week off), and mom is taking maternity leave until October.

Every pregnancy is different, but I'd suggest taking a MINIMUM of 2 months off. A May wedding is most likely far too early for a NORMAL delivery. Anything unexpected and you'll be out for at least another month.

I don't mean to scare you, but H.E.L.L.P. was the most unexpected thing to happen to my wife and I. You just need to be prepared for anything.

RS

You could take the booking under normal circumstances (based on the three we've had), but you had better have a good solid backup plan just in case.

No matter how long you take, I would disclose your pregnancy to interested couples. That will also help determine how quickly to take another booking.

If I were a client, I'd want at least 4 months between delivery and my wedding. Probably 6. Why? If anything goes wrong, there's adequate time for recovery, both for the photographer and the couple.

Just because you can lift a camera and take a picture after giving birth doesn't mean that you should or that you'll be at your most creative. Newborns are exhausting. Exhausted people don't perform their best.

I say this as a father of 2--and almost 3. :) Even as the father, I wouldn't want a gig for at least a month. If there are any complications--and there were with our 2nd--I'd want to be available.

Eric