Are you going to breastfeed?
I was constantly asked while pregnant with my first...
"Yeah I'll give it a go, I'll at least do the first two weeks"
"You should really try, it's really what's best"
So why did I all of sudden feel like I was doing something wrong?
"You need to go into your bedroom and feed when someone comes over" someone told me. My baby gift from them when I had babe? A nursing cover! For my summer babe!
Can you imagine how frustrated me and babe got when we came to visit with our 4 week old in the middle of summer?? Sitting there boiling hot, stripping bub down to his nappy so he was a little cooler under the cover sweating. "Oh it's just hormones!" they told me... Um. No. It's that darn blanket you bought for me to wrap around my chest and babies head so I wasn't seen doing something completely natural!!
"The quicker you get off that boob the better" someone else told my 4 month old baby boy in my home.
Then there was the lady who came to visit with her step son while I was feeding, under that silly darn breastfeeding cover.. The step son asked what I was doing, after explaining he wanted to see. Apparently I had to ask permission for that and as the lady slumped herself on my couch annoyed she sighed "That's disgusting!"
I had the need to apologies to the man sitting opposite to me after my 7 week old had an X-Ray and was screaming his lungs out while I comforting him on the breast.
I wondered if it was okay to breastfeed on the bus.
Or in church.
I suddenly felt so insecure about feeding that if I couldn't feed in a mothers room, I would hide out in the car.
So why is something that's best for my baby, so wrong?
A brilliant photographer, Sarah Murnane, from Sarah Ann Birth Photography, decided that "Together through the power of beautiful images we will change the negative views that society has on breastfeeding." And started the "Australian Breastfeeding Project"
Sarah is traveling all through Australia capturing the beauty of breastfeeding women and helping to normalize breastfeeding.
"Through is project I want to erase the negative stigmas that surround breastfeeding.
I want mothers everywhere to feel comfortable when nourishing their child.I want to live in a world where women and men alike encourage mothers to feed their babies, whenever and wherever they see fit, without a second thought. I look forward to living in a world where a mother can feed her infant and passers by are able to make eye contact with her and not give a second thought to her breast being used to feed her baby. Where it’s normal for women to be surrounded by support of her breastfeeding choices. And every single one of us can celebrate our journey, without being shamed.
I want women to feed their babies anywhere they are without being scared of hurtful or negative comments. I want to empower breastfeeding mothers and the next time they sit down to feed their baby where ever they may be they know that the have the support of thousands.
Together through the power of images we will change the negative views surrounding breastfeeding."
I'm incredibly excited that I got the opportunity to take part of this wonderful project. Stay tuned for when the images are ready, I will be sharing them on here!!
http://australianbreastfeedingproject.com.au/
1 comment:
Sounds like a wonderful project!! I hope breastfeeding is one day accepted as the norm, all over the world.
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