Fascinated by the image of a mother breastfeeding her child on the river
Photographer Cheyanne Booker, USA, shares photos from a project by a group of mothers supporting breastfeeding.
Booker, a 20-year-old mother from Mobile, Alabama, has posted a series of stories about women who struggled to breastfeed, but persevered and succeeded.
Booker shared that she was the only one breastfeeding in the family and her mother had never seen another mother do it before her granddaughter Blyss was born. However, Blyss had many weight problems and everyone advised Booker to switch to formula feeding. That made Booker depressed. Booker herself felt frustrated when her body could not provide enough milk for her baby.
With the help of her sister-in-law, Booker gradually regained hope. She persisted in breastfeeding Blyss, and over the next three months, her weight increased by 97%. Now, Blyss is one year old, healthy and still breastfeeding... "There were times when I wanted to give up because of negative advice, and now I'm happy that I didn't."
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"The stories that go with the images are the most important part of my project," Blyss said. "I want it to inspire all the mothers who are struggling to breastfeed and let them know that they are not alone in this fight." |
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"My breastfeeding journey began with premature twins," says Shelby Butler, a member of the project. "Born at 29 weeks, they were too small, too weak and unable to feed right away, so I expressed my milk, which was fed to them through a feeding tube and later a bottle. Although I tried to breastfeed them directly, they preferred the bottle." |
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Monique Johnson on breastfeeding her son and granddaughter: "The first time I breastfed both of them was when I realized how hard it was," she said. "I cried, I was angry, I wanted to stop so many times but I finally realized I couldn't do it with them." |
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Sam's son (left), Finnick, suffered from dehydration when he was eight days old. Thanks to breast milk, he overcame the most difficult period. Finnick is now 22 months old and still breastfeeds regularly. Phoenix (right) had trouble producing milk, so she and her husband solicited breast milk from women who volunteered for Shelter Baby. |
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Emily Lowell, who breastfed all three children, believes breast milk is the best defense against illness. |
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"When I couldn't breastfeed my youngest son, Kam, I was devastated," Gwendolyn Martin said. "Once he was able to breastfeed, he clung to me. Now he prefers breast milk to any formula." |
According to Ngoisao.net
