Bride shares breathtaking breastfeeding moment, pic goes viral

In an ethereal shot posted to social media, a young bride is seen wearing a floral crown around her head and cradling her 8-month-old baby in her arms. One strap of her wedding dress is pulled down so her dolled-up daughter can breastfeed during mum’s wedding day.

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“I’m a young mum (19) from Seattle this was on my wedding day (Sep. 24th, 2016) and it’s one of my favourite pictures from that day. Being young I know the added pressure to do right by your child and I’m glad I stuck with it. Even on my wedding day I found a way to make it work,” reads the caption that accompanies the sweet, strong image.

The woman in the photo is 19-year-old Emma Coleman, and the baby is her daughter, Catalaya. “People tend to judge my parenting skills,” Coleman told the Huffington Post. “This photo is proof of my love for her and the sacrifice I’m willing to make to keep her happy. Even on a day as important as my wedding day,” she adds.

Since she is particularly fond of this snapshot, which was taken by photographer Hannah Malhan, Coleman decided to submit the photo to Facebook group Breastfeeding Mama Talk, and it has now gone viral. The pic currently has 12,000 likes and over 200 shares and comments — some supportive, others judgmental (it’s the Internet, after all).

One commenter in the latter camp wrote, “How can one have kid before wedding day ? Bit confused. Wondering and it’s beautiful to see that she doesn’t give up breast feeding at any cost.”

Others stepped in to defend the bride, with one explaining the obvious: “Some people have sex before marriage,” adding, “I was married the same day as her and have an 8 month old child.” Another Facebook user wrote, “I personally felt that the kids are blessed to get such type of parents because these people’s does not give up their love at any situation and bold enough to have baby before wedding .. astonishing to see such type of couples.”

Some fellow mums showed solidarity by sharing breastfeeding photos taken on their wedding day. One captioned her pic, “I hear you momma. feel I had to share this also. [Nursing] is part of life, normal yet still magical and beautiful. Just like a wedding.” Another wrote, “Same story with me, I got married and my younger daughter was just 2 months old, so I also had to find time to breastfeed her on that day !”

Except for a few negative statements, the comment section for the post is largely flooded with a word cloud’s worth of supportive terms, including “gorgeous,” “love,” “beautiful,” “proud,” “amazing,” and “rockin’.”

Coleman, whose wedding to her now-husband Adrian Hernandez took place in a friend’s backyard in Tukwila, Washington, said she felt it was a blessing to have her daughter present to celebrate her union to Hernandez and be part of the lifelong memories of her big day.

“When I was younger, I never imagined getting married this young or having a child before getting married. But I wouldn’t change a thing about my life,” she told the Huffington Post. “I have a wonderful husband who loves me and a beautiful daughter who means everything to us and our family.”

As for breastfeeding itself, the new mum admits that it wasn’t always easy for her. “At the beginning, it was hard and extremely demanding,” she told the publication, adding that it still is at times. “Breastfeeding is literally a full-time job!” she said.

Coleman hopes that people will continue to be inspired by the special bond that is captured in the photo. “When you look at the picture, you can feel the love that I have for her,” she said.

- Kristine Solomon

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