Breastfeeding in a Rose Garden

A Session for World Breastfeeding Week

August 1-7 each year is World Breastfeeding Week; a week celebrated world wide to promote breastfeeding and the health of babies. As a breastfeeding mom I think it’s incredibly important to highlight breastfeeding as a natural and beautiful thing to do for our children. During this time each year I offer breastfeeding sessions to show my support for breastfeeding mothers. This year I had the privilege of capturing a beautiful breastfeeding mom and her baby son in the rose garden at Reid Park here in Tucson.

August in the Sonoran desert is hit or miss weather-wise. It’s in the middle of our monsoon season, but monsoons are unpredictable. The day of the shoot was hot, over 100, but we were surrounded by delightful monsoon weather blowing in. The incoming storms kept a breeze circling us throughout the session, slightly dissipating the oppressive summer desert heat.

Emma looked gorgeous in a floor-length floral dress that flowed gracefully with the breeze. Her son wore just a diaper cover to stay cool, but its color matched the green of the surrounding rose bushes beautifully. Emma was incredibly sweet, and her son’s infectious smiles melted my heart. I had such a wonderful time meeting Emma and her son, and photographing them amongst the garden greenery and colorful roses.

I kept the session short, because of the heat, but captured so many beautiful memories of mom and son. The first part of the session we focused solely on breastfeeding, because her little one was hungry. Once fed, her son was brimming with smiles so I focused on images of the two cuddling, smiling and laughing. It’s an absolutely joy to see the unconditional love between a mom and child. I am so thankful I got to meet Emma and her son, and witness their special, loving bond.