Canadian photographer Trina Cary is known for her romantic, body positive photo shoots, many of which feature moms and their L.O.s. Back in July 2016, her gorgeous series of a mom celebrating her postpartum body went viral. Now, she's making headlines for a gasp-worthy shoot taken on a Kawana Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Australia during the March 2 full moon, featuring 14 breastfeeding mothers.
In her blog post on the series, Cary shared, "My My where to start… On March 2nd, I hosted my first Full Moon Breastfeeding Session and it was F***ING AMAZING (sorry for swearing mom) but… seriously. The moon didn't cooperate instead we got incredible storm clouds. 14 women came, some friends some strangers, one of them approached me toward the end that she would like to do some with her clothes off, of course if you guys know me you know I LOVE NUDITY and that I was hoping they would get naked anyway but to be asked! omg I love this woman."
She revealed that "the best most magical part" was that once one of her subjects stripped down, "two by two they all peeled their clothes off and ran together, embracing and loving each other."
All of the women who participated had of course experienced own unique journey when it came to breastfeeding. Many of them shared how they felt about the shoot with Cary, who included their quotes on her blog.
One mom named Hannah Callow noted, "I did it because I struggled with my first, second time around I was so determined and am successfully breastfeeding and couldn’t be more proud." Another named Leilani Power said, "Breastfeeding was a struggle for Bella and I. I had to use express and bottle feed for 3 weeks when she was just a few weeks old to rest my cracked and bleeding nipples. I had to use nipple shields for 3 months as Bella couldn't latch properly without them. I shed many tears but was determined to persevere. Now Bella is 9 months and feeding is second nature. I wanted to celebrate how far we've both come."
And Belinda Dorman shared, "I always imagined my journey to motherhood would be similar to those I ‘thought’ I knew about. That most women seemed to have a hard go of it during either getting pregnant, giving birth or caring for their newborn and in the postnatal period. You can imagine my heartbreak then when after finally having a successful pregnancy around 3 years from when we first started trying the birth of River and my postnatal period were extremely challenging. This is by no way a comparison or a ‘poor me’ post just my experience and reflections on my journey!"
Here are just a few stunning images from the shoot:
As for Cary, the photographer herself was completely thrilled by the result. "I couldn't wipe the smile from my face," she wrote. "I just love it when strangers come together and support each others journeys and bodies. The whole evening was oozing with empowerment, support and love." Cheers to that!
