As someone who desperately wanted to breastfeed, but was only able to do so for a couple of months per child (for various reasons), this photo series made my heart sing.
The latest project by photographer Caitlin Domanico aims to put an end to the battle between breast and bottle feeding mammas, showing that the simple act of nourishing your baby – however you choose to do is – is beautiful.
United We Feed documents the intimate feeding moments of nursing mums, pumping mums, formula mums, supplementing mums, tube-feeding mums, lesbian mums, adoptive mums and mums of children with special needs.
And the result is simply stunning.
“The way they fed their child made no impact on their ability to bond with or nourish their little ones,” Dominico writes on her blog.
“I have seen a steady stream of happy, healthy, babies who are deeply and incredibly loved!”
Dominico breastfed her first baby while supplementing with formula before going on to breastfeed her second baby exclusively for 18 months.
She first discovered the high level of emotion associated with the decision to formula feed when her sister was making that very choice – a choice Dominico encouraged her to make on the basis that mums know what’s best for their babies.
Since then, she’s photographed numerous mothers, all feeding their babies via different methods.
“Time and time again, I have noticed one unifying quality that each of these mamas possess- they LOVE their babies something fierce!,” she writes on her blog.
“Guess what?
“Tube-fed babies grow up to be intelligent and kind human adults.
“Bottle-fed babies grow up to be intelligent and kind human adults.
“Breast-fed babies grow up to be intelligent and kind human adults.”
Amen to that!
Visit www.caitlindomanico.com for the full series.