Monday 9 May 2016

Mothering Journeys

The woman in the photos is a lifelong friend.
When she gave birth to her first son (below right) she breastfed him like mothers do and watching her son breastfeed like I had seen done by other mothers probably formed part of my visceral drive to do the same with my baby.  As neurocogitive science into mirror neurons show, 'monkey see, monkey do.'

My stored images of her breastfeeding and others breastfeeding catalysed my breastfeeding journey. I wanted to be like these women, my friends from in our little part of the Caribbean.  It was a connection to home that in my self-imposed exile took me home.

Fast forward to 2011 when she was preparing to give birth to her second son, I found myself sharing my accumulated birth wisdom via social media when she was becoming anxious about labour.  Two years after and we were laughing about the challenges she was facing to wean her second son at 26 months old.

I love these photos because they speak to the timelessness of breastfed children.  They seek the comfort of the breast in many ways.  These photos exemplify how the lived experiences of our community and how a child's identity, security, comfort, and food are actualized in his mother's breasts. How our sexuality and motherhood can simultaneously be expressed through our breasts.

Tun, you are amazing.  Your influence has been deeper than you imagine.  Thank you and, Happy Mother's Day.

with permission
with permission
with permission