Having a baby is a big step in life. When it comes to the feeding schedule, some moms take different approaches. Some will breastfeed, while others will choose to put their children on a formula. And there are those breastfeeding mothers who will only exclusively pump. For those pumping mothers, sticking to a schedule is important so that you never miss a feeding appointment.
And for mom, Allison Hepler, she was one who planned out her pumping sessions with great care. Nothing would get in the way of them, not even photos at a friend’s wedding. When her best friend Rachael Down got married last October, the mother tried to juggle the two commitments. As the bride’s photographer, Amber Fletcher, was photographing the wedding party, Allison tried to squeeze in one of the four pumping sessions she was doing at the time. However, as the images show on Facebook, Allison didn’t quite finish in time for photos.
“It’s time for the bridesmaid photos!”“I’m still pumping”“Even better”amberfletcher.com
Posted by Amber Fletcher Photography on Sunday, October 4, 2020
That is when the photographer asked Allison if she wouldn’t mind posing for photos with her breast pump still attached. Allison explained, according to POPSUGAR, “I thought she was crazy but I’m all for a funny picture. I told her I didn’t mind doing it since I’m all for normalizing breastfeeding and exclusively pumping. I walked out like that while some people were already arriving for the wedding!”
The bride, Rachael, also had no problem with the photos, finding the pictures hilarious. Rachael is a mother herself, so she completely understood the routine. According to POPSUGAR, Rachael said, “We wanted to do a ‘Bridesmaids’-style shot and were trying to think of something funny to do. Half of us in the photo are moms who have pumped or breastfed and all of us are supportive of that, so it was just natural and funny that we could do it while taking photos! It’s just proof that moms gotta do what moms gotta do! Plus, anything that normalizes feeding babies is awesome to me!”
Here’s the story behind the viral photo!What happened moments coming up on the photo was that I finished the groomsmen…
Posted by Amber Fletcher Photography on Wednesday, October 21, 2020
The photo went viral after being posted to Amber’s Facebook, garnering lots of positive comments from people online. And that is perhaps the best outcome from this picture. I’m not a mother myself, but I definitely think that breastfeeding and all it involves needs to receive more normalization in the media. Being a mother is a full-time job, and that includes having to pump whenever and wherever – including at a best friend’s wedding. Happy to see that one mom was willing to be open and honest about the glamor behind caring for her child.
What do you think of the image? Let us know!