A mother-of-four who was asked not to breastfeed her twins at their own nursery because it was deemed inappropriate and could be offensive, hopes that by standing up for her rights she will help other mothers.
Professional photographer Jennifer Mancuso, 38, from Ohio, faced criticism for tandem breastfeeding her twin daughters in a public space because some of the children at the nursery were of 'school age'.
Jennifer, who has four daughters Parker, four, Piper, three, and twins Aria and Asher, 18 months, as well as three other step-children, breastfed her two older girls until they weaned off, and is still nursing the twins.
An Ohio mom is using her own experience to raise awareness about normalizing breastfeeding in public.
Now, she regularly shares images, stories, and intimate moments from her tandem breastfeeding sessions, in hopes that it reminds other moms it may not be easy, but it is possible — and it is so, so worth it.
“It’s so nice to see a mama nursing who actually has larger breasts,” wrote one mom. “I see tons of photos where the mom looks super comfy and laid back and it looks perhaps ‘easier’ because they have smaller breasts … but for me, having larger breast tissue, I always felt it was more difficult to get in a comfy position with my babies.”
“Thank you so much for sharing your journey,” added another. “You have impacted and changed the lives of many. Nine months in breastfeeding my girl and I am already getting asked when I will stop.”
Mancuso has certainly come a long way since breastfeeding her first child. She can still remember turning red with embarrassment while trying to breastfeed in public for the first time, and admits there’s so much she’d like to go back and say to her younger self.
Instead, she’s sending those messages of encouragement and advice out to other new moms everywhere, who can certainly use them.
“Do not ever feel ashamed to do something so beautiful,” she recently wrote in one post. “Do not ever feel embarrassed to share something so beautiful with the world. The more we share our beautiful moments with the world, the more the world will understand just how beautiful this work is.”
“The more we can share our true, raw stories, the more we realize we’re all alike: living just another version of what everyone else is,” she says. “There’s comfort in knowing that. There’s strength in community.”
Which is why Mancuso strives so hard to make her page a place where new moms can feel encouraged, and never judged. And not just when it comes to their breastfeeding journeys, either.
Mancuso has also laid bare her struggles with postpartum depression, in hopes that others might feel less alone, and the story of how she advocated for a vaginal breech birth for her twins. She’s also pretty candid about what life with a blended family of seven kids is like, too.
