I mean we are currently traveling around the country, and I’m currently breastfeeding a toddler. So naturally I am breastfeeding my toddler around the country.
But also, I’ve made it a point to document many of the amazing places I’ve breastfed him along this trip, and they are some of my most treasured photos ever. (Backstory if you’re not familiar: we sold our house to live in an RV and drive around the US this year with our 4 kids.)
It started with a “get in the pictures” moment at White Sands National Monument at the beginning of the year. I was nursing Wallace while the rest of the family had a picnic lunch in the back of our truck, and I handed my camera to Scott. “Here, take a picture. I don’t have any pictures of me today yet.”
Then I joked that by the end of this trip I could have a whole collection of me breastfeeding in national parks and other beautiful places. People encouraged me to do just that, including some Instagram followers- one who suggested I use the hashtag #MotherNurtureMotherNature when sharing future nursing-in-nature pics, and that’s how my growing collection of these pictures began.
At the beginning of our trip, Wallace was just over a year old and still nursing quite a bit during the day so I really was having to stop and feed him while hiking and exploring quite often. Of course, sometimes I took advantage of a really beautiful spot and offered him a snack, but many times it was just a natural opportunity to rest and feed him that presented as a photo opp.
As the year has gone on, and Wallace is now breastfeeding less frequently throughout the day, the opportunities have dwindled. I regret not getting any at Yellowstone! But we’re also always keeping safety in mind, and Yellowstone really exhausted us just trying to keep an eye on the kids. We drove so much at Yellowstone that I mostly just nursed him in the truck after we stopped for a break.
I don’t think we’re done capturing these photos though. Not yet. As long as Wallace is breastfeeding while we’re visiting these valleys, forests, mountains, lakes, deserts, and oceans, I’ll gladly hand the camera over to my husband and request a picture. Wallace doesn’t seem to want to wean anytime soon, so chances are we’ll capture many more #MotherNurtureMotherNature shots this year.
I really, really want to get a starry night sky photo of him enjoying a late night snack. I just need to work on my starry sky photo skills a bit. It’s my unicorn photo wish, though! I’m going to make it happen.
Have your own pics of you breastfeeding in the wild? Feel free to share them using the #MotherNurtureMotherNature hashtag, and be sure you’re following @BabyRabies on Instagram!
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