Portraits Of A Native American Mom Breastfeeding Have A Powerful Message

A Native American mom hopes her breastfeeding photos will empower women and educate the world about motherhood in her culture. Enedina Banks is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta, Kansas. When photographer Vanessa Simmons stopped in Oklahoma City as part of her "Normalize Breastfeeding" tour, Banks traveled to the area to pose for photos in traditional Native garb while nursing her son, Nico. Banks told The Huffington Post she is passionate about breastfeeding as a very "natural" part of motherhood. "It's what our ancestors did," the mom said. "Keeping with tradition in this modernized world can be difficult at times. Everyone is always on the go or in a hurry, and breastfeeding becomes cumbersome." But the benefits can outweigh the burden, she added, noting that breastfeeding strengthens the mother-baby bond, helps moms "slow down" and is a wonderful opportunity to cuddle. Banks said her commitment to breastfeeding stems in part from an old Polaroid picture of her late mother, Dorothy Lucille Wahwasuck-Cervantes, nursing her as a baby. "Seeing how beautiful my mother was and how happy she looked in the photo impacted me as a young girl," she said. "I knew when I grew up I wanted that glow, that connection with my children." A breastfeeding advocate and cultural preservationist, Banks works for the Citizen Band Potawatomi in Oklahoma to help with revitalization efforts in preserving their Native language. She started following Simmons' ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news