Being a breastfeeding mother of 3, I am honored to have been able to capture a few wonderful ladies and their precious moment’s breastfeeding. Not everyone is able to breastfeed their little ones. Those that are able to often have to deal with ridicule because of where and how long they choose to do so. It is my goal to help share these wonderful stories of Mothers and their breastfeeding journeys in the hope of helping others connect and relate. Breastfeeding doesn't have to be a serious event either. We all have funny moments, like When I was breastfeeding my daughter, about a month old at the time, my Son who was 3 at the time comes over to me and asks what is baby Harper doing? I replied, "she's eating", then with a very concerned voice said "No don't eat mommy!"
I thought when starting this event of breastfeeding images, I would meet a few moms that had similar stories to me as well as a couple who had issues. I never imagined I would meet 4 amazing moms who have amazing stories, and journeys.
Nissi, one mom of twins explains, "Each of us have icons that resemble some event to us. Nursing twins, my icon now has become a clip board. The clip board acts as a partition for the three of us. It helps for exploring hands (particularly when exploring the of eye balls of their twin siblings) to not cause an unintended injury.” I can only imagine having limbs going every which way whiletrying to feed your babies.I am so honored to have captured these images for these wonderful ladies. I'm sure their stories will be able to help others, and I am so excited to be able to share them.
Nissi
"My dream when I was very young was to have four children. That was all I wanted out of life. smile emoticonI am such a planner that I strategically planned what month and year to have each child. I wanted a baby to be born in each season. One in January, one in April, one in July, and one in October. I already had a January baby. My next was a July baby . My third was born in October. At that point I was starting to wear down just a bit. So I allowed myself to become impatient. I asked the doctor how soon I was able to have my final child. They said to wait until my third child was one year old. I did. But that was all. The fourth was born also in July. I was successful at nursing all 4 children.
There I thought I'm done! Wooohooo! My goal has been accomplished.
Fast forward 14 years. I was now ready to think about me. My education, my hobbies, desires to travel. I was looking at freedoms that I haven't even had before.
I had PCOS during these 14 years. My doctor at the time told me that I will never be able to have kids. But I was ok with that. I already had my fantastic four. smile emoticon
But then....February 2013. I ended up in the hospital due to a large cyst that had ruptured. Shortly thereafter I was released. Not paying much mind to what that really meant.
To my shock, amazement, and dismay
I found out I was pregnant with a home pregnancy test in April 2014. So I made an OB/GYN appt. A sonogram was done that same day. There were two eggs... but only ONE heart was beating! For the next two weeks I worried about baby "B". Two weeks later the second heart beat was confirmed.
This pregnancy and delivery was by far my HARDEST! I'm sure my age was a large portion of that... I was on bed rest for 3 months.
"I have had 4 kids", I thought I knew what to expect. I didn't have a clue! LOL
Nursing my twins has been very different for me.
As I planned the arrival of the twins I went ahead and bought the multiple nursing bras I knew I would need. After all, I knew what size I would be since I had nursed my first four children. I began my nursing twins journey without any bras to fit me. I was three sizes larger than anticipated.
It has been challenging to nurse two children at once in many different ways.
Some of the issues we had to overcome were; lip tie, tongue tie, reflux, ear infections, mastitis, and thrush. While many of these challenges can also be the struggles of a mother with a singleton. I think the mastitis was my main problem of this well aged seasoned momma. I had to learn that my body required the minimum water intake for a day to be a gallon and a half or greater each day. If I did that I wouldn't have that problem.
We are now 8 months into my beautiful journey smile emoticon My 5 lb 15 oz baby is now over 25 lbs and the 6lb 10 oz weighs over 18 pounds.
I personally had different plans for my life... But I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my little ones greatly!!! I absolutely love nursing and wouldn't change it for the world!
Altogether I have nursed a child for over 6 years of my life. I was a very discreet nursing momma with my first four children. However I am unable to do the same with the twins. They have helped me to become a very bold yet modest in what I want and need to do. Covering up is not an option when you have 8 limbs to manage while nourishing these beautiful babies smile emoticon
Finally, I would just like to encourage those mommas with multiples on the way... You can do it! I have heard an instructor actually teach that if you are having triplets to basically not even try to nurse. I know for a fact that my body could have kept up with three if it needed to. I know that because I have been able to accomplish nursing, I have been able to donate a large amount of milk to a milk bank for NICU babies!
Our bodies God created are amazing! I know each woman has their variables. But I would just like to say... No matter how many little ones may be on their way...Give it a try! The hardest part is in the first 6 weeks... If you could make it over that hurdle then you will have an amazing story to tell smile emoticon".
Rebekah
Rettie is at that stage when they get really excited anticipating nursing. She grunts and laughs and wiggles as we are getting into position. It's adorable. Anneliese, now 4, told me tonight she wishes she could have "booba" when she's an adult. She tells me that it tastes like chocolate milk and how much she loves her booba. Thea and Anneliese get quite the dialogue going when they tandem. They fight over the "fullest" side and all sorts of other crazy things. It's hard to pick one thing, but to sum it up, it's great to hear and see how much they appreciate their milk (whether it's in sentences or grunts and squeals).
"Ten years ago, we were expecting our first child. The question would always be asked, "Are you going to breastfeed?" My answer was always "I'm going to try." My Mom breastfed me for at least six months, so I considered it "what you do." Despite going back to teaching full-time when our first was 3 months old, we made it to that magic number - 12 months. I then weaned her and started her on milk. I thought that's what you did. We followed the same pattern with our second child. She weaned around 13 months. By the time we had our 3rd, some people had come into my life who taught me some different ideas. For the first time I heard the benefits of "extended breastfeeding" and "child-led weaning." It all made sense to me. I was working part-time at this point, and I decided to give this a try. I became pregnant with our 4th right around that 12 month mark. I kept going, despite some "concern" from my OBGYN. At 14 months, our 4th abruptly stopped nursing. He did it on his own, but I suspect it was pregnancy related. I was fine with how things had played out. Our 4th child, is our current 4 year old who is still breastfeeding. She nursed through my 5th pregnancy, but quit for a few months during my 6th pregnancy. She started breastfeeding again when our 6th was about a month old. She was able to tell me when "there was no milk" during pregnancy, and when it "tasted bad" during the transition from colostrum to milk. Our 5th baby is our current 2 year old, also still nursing. She also took a break during my 6th pregnancy and early postpartum period. Our 6th baby is currently 6 months old and exclusively breastfed to date. Ten years ago, I would have never imagined breastfeeding my baby, toddler, and preschooler. I am so incredibly thankful for the many people who have been a part of, and supported our journey. Number one on that list is my husband, Jonathan."
Austin
"Maggie's Milk Story did not begin as peaceful and serene as her older three siblings. My Homebirth Cesarean (planned out-of-hospital birth that ends in a cesarean) was performed under general anesthesia and she was wisked off to the NICU. The nurse in charge of her care helped us latch on when I was wheeled in to see her for the first time. The following day I remained in the NICU with her skin to skin and nursing. After two whirlwind days in an unfamiliar hospital, I was released with Maggie to head home. There we jumped in the bed and made up for the separation from wires, machines, and separate rooms. Maggie and I both began healing from her traumatic entrance into the world through babywearing and nursing. Our Milk relationship provides us both with comfort and security. She brings me back to presence daily when she crawls up onto my lap for Milk. We are about to celebrate our 20 month Milk anniversary."
Amber
"I have always wanted to be a mother and a wife, ALWAYS. In 2007 I was diagnosed with Endimetriosis and was eventually told I would most likely not have children. I was crushed and very depressed. I remembering praying and praying...My prayers were answered when I delivered my first daughter in 2008 ...Nursing was not easy and amazing as the books make it seem. We had nipple confusion from a bottle given to her while she was in the nursery at the hospital she never fully latched and I pumped for 9 months. With my second daughter in 2010 I was better educated and was adamant no bottles and I would succeed... We did! She nursed exclusively til 2. I was able to nurse my 3rd daughter (2013) til 17 months until I got pregnant with #4! Yes 4 miracles given to me. My son George is 1 month old and is a tiny little man He Is slowly gaining and a good nurser as well. I am definitely blessed and thankful for the knowledge and help of those who took the time to help me along this path of motherhood. Nursing is beautiful and a gift to mother and child."
Elizabeth
Mateo, my older son, by three minutes, has always been my more aggressive nurser. We'll my husband had a friend and his girlfriend over and we were all sitting on the couch and Mateo pulled down my shirt and latched on. A few minutes later my husband asked if he should get Mateo a bottle because he hasn't eaten in a while and I said "you don't even realize he beat you to it." Lol
"I almost changed my mind. I almost said lets turn around, but my heart told me this is one of those things since our boys were born that I have control over. I will never be able to truly find all the words to help you understand what I see in this photo.
After 5 years of infertility, one successful IVF/ICSI, and an emergency cesarean section, my husband and I have 2 beautiful boys. My body isn't what it use to be. My breasts are now feeding my children, my stomach has a few marks that it never had before, and I will always have a scar where my children were taken from my body at thirty-four weeks and two days. when some husbands see bad in that change, mine has embraced it. when some women can be discouraged by their new body, i have found strength. this woman in the wild movement is exactly what society needed to open their eyes to something so , but yet so taboo in today's world. we are blessed to be a part of it."
Jessica
"When I became pregnant I was very passionate about breast feeding my baby and having that bonding experience. However, not long after he was born, my milk wasn't coming in enough for him so I had to begin supplementing per the pediatricians orders. I was sad, after all, this was something that I had waited to do and knew the importantance of for both him and I. However, we had to do what was best since he wasn't gaining weight. It is hard when you realize you are not producing enough milk for your baby. As a Mom you want everything to be perfect and when that doesn't happen it can be very hard to handle. Why wasn't I producing? I read everywhere that it will happen, it's supply and demand! He was just too hungry and would fall asleep while breast feeding which was not helping me create the supply and demand I needed to produce enough. I came to terms with it, although I would have preferred to exclusively breastfeed my baby. To this day I am still breast feeding and supplementing. Now he is gaining weight beautifully and he gets the best of both worlds, Mommy's milk, the bonding, as well as formula to fill his tummy."
Brittanie
"My journey to motherhood has not been easy. I have a 6yo and 16mo triplets and for both pregnancies I was on hospital bed rest. All 4 of my kids were micro-preemies and all of them had extended stays in the NICU. With my first I had little motherly support. Breastfeeding was something I wanted to do but didn’t know much about. NICU babies are often limited on their food intake and are not able to nurse right away so I pumped but, between the stress of the NICU and the lack of support I gave up after 3 months. When I had the triplets I was more prepared to fight. I pumped and even got 2 of the 3 to nurse but only occasionally. I was able to keep up and start a freezer stash but after about six months I started to lose my supply. Luckily, with the stash I had and the help of some amazing women, who donated thousands of ounces of their own milk, I was able to provide the babies with breast milk well beyond that.
I came into this thinking that I would have a fun morning with some lovely mothers but I never really considered how it would impact me personally. I originally wanted to participate in this is project for two reasons. First was to reach those mothers who share the same NICU struggles… for the ones who don’t have a fair shot at breastfeeding. I got so many bad reactions when I mentioned that we were using milk donors and I think it is important to spread the message that, done responsibly, milk donation is a beautiful thing and sometimes the only option besides formula. I also wanted to remind women that if they do bottle or formula feed it doesn’t make them a bad mother or a failure. I have spent so much time feeling like a failure or that my body betrayed me but it isn’t true. The second reason was to share in the body positivity. I am on a journey to accept my body for what it is and #Womeninthewild has certainly helped.
Thanks to this project, many of the wounds that my journey has left me with have been healed. I have carried 4 beautiful children, 3 of which were at the same time. My body has fed and comforted all of them, even if it wasn’t always by nursing. My body is amazing and something to be proud of not ashamed of. I earned these stretch marks and imperfect boobs!"
I am so inspired by Erin White and her Women In the Wild project, and so thankful that I was able to be a part of her movement efforts. I can only wish great things to her, and hope that my project "The Motherhood Suck" will be just as moving.