This past weekend I joined a group of families as they celebrated breastfeeding and came together as a community of moms, dads and children to support each other in their parenting journey.
My Breastfeeding Story
Breastfeeding has always been important to me. Every mom has their own breastfeeding story and each story is unique and special. For me the struggle to breastfeed my son helped us to discover he had a tongue tie! I will never forget how helpless I felt in the first week of his life when I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He was latching and sucking, but the pain for me was excruciating and he wasn’t gaining any weight. I met with a doula and she observed how he was sucking and she is the one who realized he must have a tongue tie. This tongue tie was not only preventing him from latching properly, but even when he was latching he couldn’t fully suck, which meant he wasn’t getting any milk.
A quick visit to the ENT and they had his tongue tie snipped. James was breastfeeding like a champ within a day!! I thank God every day that I met with the doula as opposed to giving up on breastfeeding.
The Latch On Event!
The women and men at the Latch On event came together to support each other and to celebrate breastfeeding. For 1 minute women around the world all “latched on” their babies. As mothers breastfeeding is such an important part of our experience with our babies and yet not one we really photograph. Being able to walk around and take these images for the mamas to have was amazing!! I hope they bring them joy and fond memories of the days they spent breastfeeding.
The Gallery of Images
I created a gallery of images for the parents to download and enjoy the photographs from the morning. If you were at the event, you will receive an email with the password and pin to download your images.
The Organizer – Amanda DeWeese
Amanda DeWeese from Sidekicks Lactation was the organizer of the event and she is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. You can connect with her on Facebook or at this website. She would love to help you with any needs you have relating to breastfeeding.
Full Life Chiropractic hosted the event at their offices and they are huge supporters of breastfeeding.
Jeanine McLeod is the owner and lead photographer of Cloud 9 Studios, a full-service photography studio located in Wesley Chapel, Florida, just north of Tampa.
For almost 20 years, Jeanine has specialized in family, children, and baby photography that celebrates the joy and connection of family life. She’s best known for her storytelling approach to first birthday and milestone sessions, creating portraits that capture love, laughter, and the magic of childhood.
Jeanine’s mission is simple — to go through life with her clients, documenting each chapter of their family’s story through beautiful, heartfelt images.
When families search for first birthday photos in Wesley Chapel or family photographers near Tampa, Cloud 9 Studios is where the experience becomes as meaningful as the portraits themselves.
