Photographer Fights To Prove That Bottle-Feeding A Baby Is Just As Beautiful As Breastfeeding

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock and missed it, there’s been a huge push to ‘normalise’ breastfeeding in public over the last couple of years.

Celebrities and mums worldwide have shared their own breastfeeding experiences and selfies (or brelfies, as they’ve been dubbed) to show that it’s a completely normal thing to do – and beautiful, too.

But while these intimate snapshots have certainty helped raise awareness of breastfeeding, and hopefully helped mums feel more comfortable doing it outside of their own home, it has excluded one huge group of parents – those who bottle-feed their babies.

So when a set of bottle-feeding pics landed on our desks today, we were thrilled. Thrilled to see that FINALLY mums who don’t breastfeed are being celebrated too.

Nikke Whitman, a US based photographer, is the creator of these images. She decided there weren’t enough photos that captured the bonding that happens while a mum bottle-feeds her baby and so made it her mission to correct the balance.

“Ever see those gorgeous breastfeeding images? I have and I LOVE them,” Whitman wrote on her website. "I have even taken some. There is something so raw and beautiful about the bonding you see. It's a wonderful natural event. As a birth photographer one of my favourite moments to capture is when the baby tries to breastfeed for the first time.

“Breastfeeding can have a difficult side, too. I have seen and heard countless women weep over difficulties breastfeeding; sometimes not being able to at all despite strenuous efforts, while others claim victory. Some women in shame pick up that bottle to nourish their child with the fear of being judged. This is not okay. Feeding your newborn should never feel shameful.”

From pics of mums lovingly gazing at their babies as they have a bottle to oh-so-sweet photos of children drinking from their bottles solo, the images prove that a child being bottle-fed is just as normal and natural as a child being breastfed.

“So, in conclusion, is breastfeeding beautiful? YES! Is bottle-feeding beautiful? YES!" writes Whitman.

The subject matter is one that’s close to Whitman’s heart, as she herself struggled to breastfeed her children for more than a few months.

“With my youngest it was great to see the whole family taking turns getting to feed [her daughter],” the photographer told Huffington Post UK. “I wanted to share these photos to show that bonding doesn’t only happen at the breast. While I support breastfeeding, I also wanted to show that I support bottle-feeding as well. What matters is that we encourage our babies to thrive and provide them with the tools to do that.”

[Photos Of Breastfeeding In Public – And Helps Normalise It] 

[The Celebrity Breastfeeding Photos You Absolutely Have To See]