#NormalizeBreastfeeding Is Blowing Up On Twitter

When Nicole Trunfio graced the June issue of Elle Australia, she actually did it twice. In the first cover, the model appears wearing a lovely black frock and holds her sleeping, bare-bummed baby in her arms. (Side note: I do not recommend holding a bare-bummed baby when you're wearing a fancy dress. I can tell you from experience that projectile poop is real.) On the other version of the magazine cover—which is the one that will be be sent to subscribers—depicts Trunfio breastfeeding her 4-month-old son Zion and, in my humble opinion, it's even more beautiful. Of course, as you can imagine, unless breasts are there to be gazed upon as sex objects or are selling us hamburgers or something, people get all uncomfortable about them. But Trufino is not only standing by her cover, but is urging others to make such an image an every day sight. From Instagram:

There is nothing more powerful and beautiful than motherhood. The last thing I want to do is be controversial, so please take this for what it is, let us #normalizebreastfeeding. There is nothing worse than a mother that is judged for feeding her hungry child in public... I'm so proud of this cover and what it stands for. I obviously don't look like this when I'm breastfeeding, but this stands for all women out there, whether you breastfeed or not, we gave birth, we are women, we are mothers. Thank you to ELLE for being so bold and making such an encouraging, positive and healthy statement.

While hardly a full treatise on motherhood or breastfeeding, her main point—that breastfeeding is a completely normal aspect of human life and people frankly need to get over their hang-ups—is made succinctly and eloquently and I would like to shout it from the mountain tops, twirling and singing like some crazed, boob-obsessed Maria VonTrapp.

Yes, this is personal for me. For the past 4 years there have only been seven months where I haven't been either pregnant or nursing, so needless to say, I have nursed in public. While I have only had very lovely encounters with people (I credit this to living in a relatively breastfeeding-friendly area and my ability to completely ignore obnoxious judgey glances in my direction), most nursing mothers I know are not so lucky. So I'm delighted to see #normalizebreastfeeding on Instagram and Twitter share thoughts on and, more importantly, images of nursing to help make this every day necessity unremarkable and common.

For real. People seem to like boobs a great deal until someone exposes one to feed a baby.

This one is my favorite, because I feel like this just encapsulates nursing so well.

Lovely.

Nursing while wearing a Moby wrap; genius!

That kid is defying anyone to judge them.

I mean, come on! That baby is hugging their mama's boob! That's adorable! Who would be bothered by that?

I sincerely hope this hashtag sticks around for a while. At least for the summer, when so many breasts are out and about in their bathing suits anyway, #normalizebreastfeeding can highlight that breasts not only look good, but some of them are doing pretty hard (and vitally important) work, too!