Breastfeeding Does not Diminish the Beauty of a Woman's Breasts; It Enhances Their Charm by Maki

Breastfeeding to me isn't simply the supply of amazing nutrients, its all about the connection. Now before I offend anyone, I fully support #fedisbest! I have breastfed and formula fed and I love my children wholly You do you. You feed your baby in the best way you can.

Here is my story:

My daughter never figured out the whole latching thing so she got formula from pretty much the beginning and guess what? She's perfect! She's smart and beautiful, inquisitive and loves to learn. I bonded over bottle feeding her.

Now my son, he was breastfed from the very beginning. He got some formula supplementation here and there but it was all about Mama Milk and we LOVED it that way.... until my supply crashed.... and crashed again.... and completely disappeared. That. Was. Devastating. He now gets solely formula and guess what? He's healthy, happy, adorable, chunky, and thriving. But let me tell you. The bond we shared, with him latched to my breast, while feeding him the best possible thing I could, was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.

There is nothing sexual about a breastfeeding mother feeding her baby. It is all about the love. Snuggling him, loving him. Him playing with my hair, face and holding my fingers was the most amazing thing. I will forever cherish those moments. Do I still bond with him over bottles? You betcha! Is it the same? Unfortunately, not for me. I miss that bond, that sacred connection that only comes from breastfeeding your child. I am super thankful for the time we had together. Even those nighttime feedings that came all too often in the beginning.

With all that being said, I had this idea. A vision if you will. I wanted a group of breastfeeding mamas with their babes, in rainbow colors, in water, interacting with their littles while giving them the best nutrition out there. I was ecstatic when I had so many mamas volunteer their time to this shoot! I couldn't turn anyone away. We created a rainbow plus a few colors and I couldn't possibly be any happier with the images. These mamas are amazing. They were kind and beautiful and oh the babes! So full of squishiness! Babes ages ranged from 8 days to almost 3 years and let me tell you something, there was no judgement, only encouragement.

I am so grateful to have been able to meet and photograph these beautiful mamas doing their best to give their babies their best <3