Last week I had the honour of photographing six Ottawa mothers and their babies and children. I breastfed both of my boys but other than a few snapshots, there are no photographs chronicling the two years I spent nursing them. I want to thank the moms for sharing these beautiful moments with me.
A selection of the photographs will be on display in two Ottawa-based businesses.
***
Would you like win a free photography session? There’s a contest on now until February 11, 2011 at 9 am. Check out all the details here!
Sara McConnell Photography – Ottawa Children’s Photographer, Ottawa Baby Photographer, Ottawa Newborn Photographer
So sweet! I love the little guy putting his fingers in his mom’s mouth, my kids always did that too. Super cute.
The second last photo is amazing, love the little guy’s expression. Also so nice to see a mix of ages, and not just infants.
Thank you. It was a beautiful morning, having all the moms and kids together at once. Its something I wished I had and I’m glad we were able to capture some beautiful memories.
I *love* these pictures Sara! It is especially great to see the tandem pictures.
I also remember my kids putting their fingers in my mouth while nursing.
Thank you Annie. It was a great morning: I’m already planning another one in the near future!
I remember the fingers in my mouth and clutching onto my arm, sort of like “don’t think about moving!”
These are stunning! Makes me miss my little nurslings. Breastfeeding is such a beautiful thing and you captured it perfectly.
Thank you Jamie.
Beautiful photos! Yay tandem nursing moms! I’m also tandem nursing my almost 4 year old and my 16 month old. I’d love to meet you other “totally awesome and radical” moms (that was a comment from a La Leche League lady when I told her about our tandem nursing).
Thank you Colleen. I’m thinking of doing another session before spring arrives so watch for details!
These are absolutely beautiful! My little nursling (now 28 months) used to put her fingers in my mouth too, sometimes still does. I am always trying to get nice photos of us breastfeeding… these are just stunning!
Thank you Kim. I was really glad that we had some older children come out that day to join us.
beautiful beautiful moments.
Thanks Devan!
Beautiful pictures, wish I would have gotten some done of me nursing my daughter and at 4 months of nursing with my son I think I might get some….
I wish I did too!! But I always seem to find myself on the other side of the camera
I love the photos! It really captures the relationship between a mother and her children. I especially love the tandem nursing photos! Great job!
Thanks Angela. I love how the pictures capture the bond between mom and child.
Stunning photographs! Truly captures the bond and beauty of breastfeeding. I would have been overjoyed to see some photographs portraying women of color breastfeeding.
Thank you. Hopefully in my next breastfeeding session!
Just beautiful! Too often if you breastfeed after 12 months you are looked at like you’re the one with the problem.
Thank you. I’m so appreciative of all the supportive comments people have made, especially about the older children nursing.
These are amazing:) I am still nursing my 14 month old and enjoy it every day. I love the beauty that you captured in something so natural. Our country needs to see more of these positive images of extended nursing!!!
Thanks Roxanne. We had a great time that day. Hoping to do it again soon!
Beautiful photos.
Thank you Danielle
So nice. My favorite is the one with the finger in mom’s mouth. That just one is just so familiar and natural. It makes me smile. Both my kids do/did that. Kind of completing a circuit or something.
It seems to be the hands-down ‘most common nursing experience’ today
Little fingers reaching up!
Love! Still nursing my 13 mo. old and already getting pressure to quit.
Thanks! And hooray for making it to 13 months
Beautiful photos! I need to have some of my own done
I love the one w/ the baby sticking his finger in his mom’s mouth! I thought my little guy was the only one that did that! lol
It seems to be one of the favourites today. I’m in Ottawa if you’re nearby and want pictures
beautiful! brings back memories, mine are now 30, 27,and 24. I also tandem nursed
Thank you!! My mom nursed me at a time when it was all about formula. I’m grateful to have had her support when I was nursing my sons.
Oh, my goodness! How beautiful! Nothing is more beautiful than a mother and her children! I appreciate the fact that you have tandem nursers here and toddler nursing pictures, too.
Thank you. It was a great morning – lots of kids and all different ages
Awesome, what a great gift to mother and child
Thank you
Absolutely beautiful! These are amazing pictures. I like the one of the baby putting his hand in his mother’s mouth. My 9 month old does that too.
A commenter today suggested it was ‘completing the circuit’. I like that
Amazing! It’s such an important thing to document and so rarely done!
Thanks Jessica, it was a lot of fun
Gorgeous photos! As a mother of three still nursing my youngest at three years old I totally appreciate the beauty in these and wish everyone else did too!! Thank you for talking and posting these photos
Thank you Sarah. The positive response has been overwhelming. I’m hoping to do it again in the next month.
These are wonderful. A friend just weaned her second daughter at about 20 months (new long term meds not milk safe) and realized she had almost zero nursing pictures. Her husband captured a beautiful one of what turned out to be their last nursing session. I told her she should frame it. I’m nursing a 2.5 year old, and when reviewing pics for grandparent photobooks, was amazed at how few nursing pictures we took in all that time. I’m now getting my husband to take more when I think about it.
Thank you. I have a few random snapshots but nothing to commemorate the 2 years I spent nursing my boys. Maybe or the third
What a great subject. I’m BFing my 16 month old & BF my older daughter through almost 2 y/o. Thinking about it though, there are next to no photos of the girls & I while BFing. Amazing since we take hundreds of pictures & BFing has been a part of our daily life since Nov 2007!
Lovely images. Just lovely.
Thank you Jackie. I’m all too often behind the camera, which might be why there aren’t any pictures of me nursing
Just like I have no pregnancy or newborn photos either. For the third maybe!
Are there no people of color where you live? LOL! Nice pics I appreciate them….Thank you for sharing.
There are!!! Hopefully there will be lots of interest in the next session from a diverse group of women. Thank you
LOVE LOVE LOVE these pics. they are beautiful!
Thanks Valerie
Stunning pictures. I love the one with the mom with her baby’s hand in her mouth, my 15 month old daughter always does that when we’re nursing, I get a full dental exam each time!
lol – busy little fingers
Thanks Emma
I love them! I have a very similar picture of my 2-year-old petting my face that a friend took…I treasure my nursing pics! Beautiful.
Thanks Betsy. It’s a wonderful memory to have
Absolutely wonderful pics! It warms my heart and makes me so glad I’m still breastfeeding my 25 month old. Thank you for that!
Thank you Annie. I am really happy we had kids of all ages there that day.
Love the first one. That’s both my girls – no focus if there’s something else to look at!
Hm. No focus. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
lol Thanks Sasha
The kids were definitely distracted by the camera but they got used to me after a while. Some of the best pictures are of them staring me down!!
Breastfeeding at any age is beautiful, but I am happy to see some toddlers getting mommy milk too. You can just see the love in those babies eyes!
So amazing!
It is. Even with all the moms and kids (and my big camera) nothing was getting in their way of time with mom!
Beautiful. I am currently nursing my 13 month old. She also HAS to play with something when nursing. Her hands have to be occupied. She also sticks her other hand in my mouth, and touches ANYthing she can!
There were lots of grabby fingers that day. I love the shots where they’re holding onto mom’s hand or arm. Mine both used to do that.
These are exquisite. Most of the time I don’t wish I lived in Ottawa but now I kind of do (except that it’s sunny in Vancouver today…).
I didn’t get pregnancy photos done but am now thinking that nursing photos would be a wonderful way to mark 18 months of breastfeeding
After all, I’ve been nursing my son twice as long as I gestated him!
Thanks Lorien. It’s -27 today – be grateful you’re in Vancouver
I think nursing photos are a great way to celebrate the relationship you have with your child. Especially after 18 months!
Beautiful, I’m currently nursing my 3.5 year old son and don’t think I have any pictures of him nursing. This has reminded me to have my husband take some. Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures, and yes, my son does the fingers in the mouth thing too
Its the most commented on picture today
Thanks Michelle – get your husband to pick up the camera this weekend!
These are lovely Sara! I love the finger in the mouth one too – my kids used to do that to me. Brings back memories.
Thanks Vicky. Taking all the photos brought back a lot of memories for me too.
I love these shots, breastfeeding is beautiful and wonderful mother’s who take the time to breastfeed should not have to hide. I breastfed my 1st son for over a year and am now breastfeeding my 3 week old daughter. I wouldn’t have it any other way,
Thank you Amanda. I think the moms and their children look beautiful together!
Stunningly beautiful photos. Especially love the baby with fingers in mums mouth feels so familiar
The fingers-in-mouth is resonating with a lot of moms today! Thank you.
Beautiful photos Sara! It is funny how the photo of D with his finger in Amandas mouth resonates with everyone. It resonated with me too. My D still does that when nurse. I have some photos of me nursing D as a 1mo. I would really love to get some photos of me and him as a toddler… Maybe a mini session with you is in our future
Thank you Chantal. I had a great time at the session and will definitely be doing another one soon. And hopefully lots of breastfeeding sessions too!
Those are so, so lovely! I recognize some of the mamas and babies in the photos. Wonderful job, Sara. A few of these pics really take me back!
Thank you
It was a fantastic experience. Can’t wait to do it again! I’ll let you know when I’m looking for more moms – I’m sure you know plenty who are nursing!!
Beautiful and I’m so overjoyed at all of the support for breast feeding mummies. I also love the term nursling…I think this will be little one’s new nickname… my little nursling Thank you Sara for such a special day!
You, beautiful mama, are most welcome. Thank you for sharing your beautiful nursling daughter with me
Lovely pics – is this a LLL meeting? Sure looks like one – a group of beautiful Momma’s nursing some beautiful kids!
Thank you Marcia. Not a LLL meeting – just a group of moms, brought together by Facebook/Twitter/Blogging in my family room
Awe, I love these! I wish I had a picture of my daughter’s fingers in my mouth/face phase.
Thanks Amber. I too wish I had photos of myself nursing my boys.
These pictures are so lovely! I wish I had more pictures and professional ones of my son nursing. It’s great to see other bigger kids nursing, my son turned 4 and is still nursing at home — to cuddle and to go to sleep.
Dagmar
Dagmar’s momsense
Thanks Dagmar! It was great to have kids of so many different ages there.
These are JUST LOVELY, and yes….. my Charlotte also puts her fingers in my mouth. lol. I had a horrendous experience on a plane last month and was asked to cover up while nursing and have been letter writing to try and make a change so someday that doesn’t happen anymore. I am so happy that you have captured these wonderful moments and showed the beauty of breastfeeding.
Thanks Rachel. It still astounds me when I hear mom’s being asked to cover up or nurse in private. I never even had the patience to find the ‘baby’ rooms in malls. I’m sure they were lovely – they were just too darn far away!
These are beautiful Sara. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Alicia
You have captured the beauty of these women and children so eloquently. I am breathless. I can’t wait to get home to feed my 3 year old and my 16 month old!
Thanks Wendy. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to doing it again!
[...] The beauty of breastfeeding @ Sara McConnell Photography It resonated with me too. My D still does that when nurse I have some photos of me nursing D as a 1mo. I would really love to get some photos of me and him as a toddler… Maybe a mini session with you is in our future ) . [...]
These are lovely! I especially love the tandem groups and the older kiddos!
Very well captured
There are a lot of special moments. Thank you.
Wonderful pictures! I love the simplicity of the pics. It potrays the natural bond between a mother and her child/children. Very beautiful.. This inspired me to have my own professionally photographed nursing pics with my baby. Thank you Sara.
Thank you Elga. I’m glad you’re going to have photographs taken – such a beautiful memory!
[...] can check out some of the photographs here on Sara’s blog. We are the first and sixth photographs. Huge thanks to Sara for inviting [...]
I love these beautiful photos. I have tried to get my husband to capture me nursing our littlest daughter Naomi (who;s 15 months old now!), and they don’t really turn out to be too flattering. I’d love to join you in your Spring session if you have one (I heard about your blog from my good friend Amanda De Grace – love the photos of her and Dominic especially!). Congratulations of capturing this special bond in a sensitive and flattering way!
Thank you Arwen! I’m going to do the session sometime in March, I just have to pick a date. I have a feeling I might need a bigger location this time
[...] recently published a post about a Breastfeeding Photography Session that took place at my home. Six moms and their beautiful children joined me one morning and [...]
[...] February I had the honour of photographing six moms nursing their children. The response to the photos was [...]
These are amazing! After 11 long weeks (choking issues, low supply, not being able to latch without a shield) DD has finally learned how to latch on correctly! I would love to be a part of your next photography session to celebrate all this hard work! Thanks for the amazing photos!
Thank you Amy! I’m just about to email you
These are simply beautiful. Thank you for taking and for sharing them! I nursed my boys for a combined total of 7 years, and wouldn’t have it any other way. You did a great job at capturing the mother/child bond.
Wow, 7 years! That’s amazing
And thank you: it was a wonderful experience and I’m looking forward to doing it again.
[...] February six moms and their children joined me for a breastfeeding photography session. The positive response was overwhelming and so on Thursday eight moms and their [...]
These photos are beautiful and it is so great to see some photos of older children feeding and tandem shots. Well done, Sara.
Thank you Callie
[...] I published the photographs the response was overwhelming. Annie, blogger and advocate from PhD in Parenting, [...]
[...] Sara McConnell does some amazing breastfeeding photography and has some great shots, including some older nurslings and tandem shots. There are also some great shots over at Three Girl Pileup of her older nurslings. Be sure to take [...]