Published on: 10/22/2015IST

My Fine Art of Motherhood series includes mothers from all over Southern California, with everyone from brand new moms to mothers nursing toddlers and tandem nursing mothers. I feel that breastfeeding should be celebrated and embraced year-round!

All of my life, I felt that my body was constantly betraying me. I struggled with body image problems, had various health issues. From the first moment when my milk came in, and my newborn son threw his head back and giggled with joy, I suddenly had a deep, great appreciation for what my body could actually be capable of doing.

In a museum, you see a painting of a mother breastfeeding a child and it is not shocking, it is beautiful. However somehow in our modern society, it has become somewhat taboo. I wanted my photo series to bring back the classic beauty of breastfeeding, and show there is nothing shocking or repulsive about this very special time of bonding between a mother and child.

All of my life, I felt that my body was constantly betraying me

As a victim of childhood molestation from a family friend, and then later a rape victim in college, I always hated my body

Being a ballet dancer, I also had body image problems

I had periods where I battled various eating disorders

I struggled for years with infertility and several miscarriages

 

Finally I was able to finally carry a baby to full term

However, during labor with our son, my pelvis dislocated and fractured

I felt, yet again, that my body had betrayed me

Then I discovered breastfeeding and my life changed

I suddenly had a deep, great appreciation for what my body could actually be capable of doing

My newborn son threw his head back and giggled with joy while I breastfeeded him

As I have struggled most of my life with a serious hormonal imbalance

I had to work very diligently that first week with lactation consultants to get my milk to come in

It was like running a marathon

The result was one of my proudest accomplishments of my life

10/22/2015 | | Permalink