"I had a dream breastfeeding shoot yesterday. It was seriously a dream come true. I'm so thankful for each mom (and dad) that made it to the photoshoot.
After posting breastfeeding of clients I was reported multiple times for porn and nudity. And people would comment saying the mom's had sexual fetishes and were addicted to breastfeeding and that the mom's did it for themselves, not because baby needed/wanted it.
It hit a nerve.
A very sensitive nerve.
It took everything out of me to stay as professional as possible and thankfully so many people came to the defense and handled it for me.
I just have to say this;
Mom's do not do this for themselves. They spend hours and hours nursing their babies. They get bit. They get sore. They are in pain. They are up all hours to nurse. They are tired. They deal with the nosey latch on and latch off baby. They get their hair pulled. They get scratched and pulled and hit and kicked. They deal with cluster feeds. With leaking. And can't be away for more than an hour. They don't do it for themselves they do it so they can nourish their baby with the most amazing milk and nutrients they could ever give their baby.
In fact at this shoot alone one baby bit her mom... HARD. Another was having a horrible day and all she wanted was to nurse but was to tired and frustrated to do so.
Each mom loves their child so much they nurse their babies to give them the best! And they do it with a smile. With love. With all the love in the world.
Take a long look at each mom here.... They are looking at their baby with love and Happiness.
Why do people judge mom's giving their children something that comes naturally?
Why do people judge that they are not at home doing it in their bedroom covered up in a blanket in private setting?
You get to eat in public, right? These babies have the same right as you. This is not taboo. This is natural. Our bodies do this on it's own.
Stop judging mom's who feed their babies. Regardless if you decide to feed your baby with formula, or from a bottle, or pump, or in public or in private or under a cover or out in the open, we shouldn't judge each other....
We should support the decision and make everyone feel proud to do this rather than embarrassed and scared someone will say something negative about feeding their baby.
Do you see them in the second picture? Take a look at each mom. Their face says. I am proud. I am right. I am feeding my baby. This is normal. And this is natural.
Do you see my daughter? She JUST turned three. And she was just as excited for this shoot as the mom's and wanted to give her babies "Boobie Milk". It was her idea to feed her baby boobie.... Why? Because this is natural. Do you see her look? She is telling you "I dare you to say something. I will support this. And this is right."
I'm proud of my 5 and 6 year old son walking up to a group of nursing moms and didn't even bat and eye. Because it's normal.
I am so proud and thankful from the bottom of my heart of each mom and supportive dad, family member, and friends that helped the mom's get there no matter what happened.
Im thankful for my husband who helped me all day even through my tears to help this come true. And he watched my kids and others kids just to get these shots. Im thankful to him for supporting me through 3 1/2 years of breast feeding my kids. Even 2 1/2 with my daughter. Because each child was different and needs to breastfeed a different amount of time, and that's ok too!
I am proud to be one of these women that my body has fed and nourished three beautiful children.
Be proud. This is amazing. This is beautiful."
I think this photographer deserves a round of applause or at least some recognition for standing her ground and keeping the photos up, along with her amazing response back about the negative attention she received. Most business owners would have deleted the photos to keep the peace, but she not only kept the photos up she came back with an amazing response in support of breastfeeding families. So I for one would like to say thank you Alicia Samone Photography! Stay true to yourself and your beliefs.
