For months, I’ve been mulling the idea of documenting one of the most empowering moments in a mother’s life. Her child’s birth!

Taking back my creative outlet…

When I moved back to live on Martha’s Vineyard, I had to find a way to make ends meet. I was lucky enough to have found a full time job in a place that I absolutely love. For the past three years, my main focus has been to grow in my professional career while keeping up with motherhood.

This new found lifestyle meant that as much as I wanted to continue on with Breastfeeding World, as dedicated as I was before, it was practically impossible. After our most recent Big Latch On event in Times Square this past August 4th, I realized that something needed to change… Me.

Breastfeeding World has allowed me to get to know many many families. Since its conception back in 2013 I’ve been able to photograph over 150 mothers/families from different countries, ethnicities and beliefs. The best part of it all is that I’ve been able to learn about their parenthood journeys.

You know that feeling of pure accomplishment, wonder, passion, pride and happiness? That is what photography has meant to me since the day I grabbed my first camera. For the past three years my photography business has been somewhat dormant, just “a hobby for when I had time”. That phase has now come to an end.

Join us in our new and exciting endeavor our Martha’s Vineyard Birth Story Model Calls

My desire to continue documenting your family’s milestones with creativity, care and love has taken over. It’s time to take back your birthing experience and we can document every part of it together!

I’ve decided to host a Martha’s Vineyard Birth Story Model Call. I’d like to offer island families a chance to document this special loving day. These photo sessions are discounted to allow Breastfeeding World to introduce its photography services on the island.

Standby Martha’s Vineyard Birth Story Model Call

Birth photography is story telling of the moments that lead up to your baby’s arrival and afterwards.  The moment when you summoned up the strength to keep going after you believed you had reached your limit.  The moment when your partner expressed love, care and appreciation for what you were enduring to deliver your baby. The moments when your support team stepped in.  And finally, the moment when your baby first arrived into the world. The expression on your face and on your partner’s face when you first laid eyes on your newest family member!

Standby birth photography means that I’m not on-call.  This means that although I will not clear my calendar as I would if I was “on-call” (where I would have no other events scheduled from week 38-42 of your pregnancy) I will have my phone on me and available to you within reason based of my previous commitments.

There is no commitment for you to sign a contract or pay the full session fee until you call to tell me that you are in labor and I arrive. You will receive copy of all the documents to be signed prior to your due date so you can read through it ahead of time.

You will notify me when you’re headed to the hospital or when you contact your mid-wife. If there are no major impediments I will be there within minutes to capture your labor and delivery.

The Standby Martha’s Vineyard Birth Story Model Call includes: 

• Planning consultations on the phone, via e-mail or in person to discuss your birth plan.
• I’ll be there for you and your family starting with your active labor up to 1.5 hrs after your delivery.
• A custom gallery that includes 40-80 edited digital images in B&W and/or color that you can download directly to your computer.
• Print release so you at print at your convenience.

The regular cost of our basic birth photography sessions begins at $1500 and I’m offering it for only $500. Because this is a model call, I’ve significantly reduced the cost by 65%+ savings!

A $150 booking fee is required to confirm your participation in the model call, the remaining amount will be accepted once we meet for your birth coverage to being.  APPLY NOW

Fresh 48 Sessions & Lifestyle Model Call

My favorite moments to capture are those full of strength, love, excitement, and raw emotion. I love capturing the sparkle in your eyes as you hold your baby close, the way your partner’s hands become gigantic with your small baby inside them. The first few weeks of a baby’s life are incredible and I want you to be able to remember those moments forever too.

The Fresh 48 Model Call includes:

• Planning consultations on the phone, via email or in person.
• A loose on-call schedule to capture you and your new family within 48 hours of birth.
• A 1 hour session at the place of birth to document your baby, you and your partner, your new family members meeting your new baby for the first time.
• A custom gallery that includes 10 edited photos that you can share and use for your birth announcements.

The Lifestyle Family Model Call Session includes:

• Planning consultations on the phone, via email or in person.
• An at home comfortable 1 hour session to document your family with your new addition. This includes time for feedings, we go at your own pace. These sessions would take place up to 15 days after your baby is born.
• A custom gallery that includes 10 edited photos that you can share and use.

The regular cost of our Fresh 48 & Lifestyle Family Sessions start at $450 but for the purpose of this model call I’m offering it for only $200. APPLY NOW

A signed contract and model release are required for any of these sessions. Images taken may be used in promotional material for our website and social media platforms. 

Want to know more about Breastfeeding World? How it all began? Make sure you follow our Instagram to see our work and like our Facebook Page to be up to date on everything Motherhood related!

Alexia Garcia

I’m a proud mom to a beautiful little girl who is the reason of all my smiles | Creator and founder of the Breastfeeding World Project – passionate about normalizing breastfeeding | Professional photographer serving New York City

The post A new endeavor: Birth Story Model Calls on Martha’s Vineyard appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Summer, oh summer! It’s certainly one of the best seasons of the year but it’s also one of the busiest as well. Specially if you happen to live on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard. 

This year Breastfeeding World hosted its third annual Martha’s Vineyard Big Latch On and boy was it a good one. Back on August 5^th, 16 Martha’s Vineyard breastfeeding moms came together once again to make this event a great one.

Some new faces and some returning mothers who year by year make these events well worth it.

One of the special things I love about our Martha’s Vineyard Latch On is how intimate and empowering it always is. I’ve been able to see how these mamas and babes grow in their journeys and this year I had the opportunity to photograph the same ladies I met back in 2015 when we held our very first Breastfeeding World photo session on the island.

This time around, they came with their new babes and a full-term nursling. (Kudos to Sarah and Mili, you make us proud!).

The beauty of breastfeeding and motherhood is that each journey is completely different and unique in its own way. Not only from mother to mother but from baby to baby as well. No matter how many books you may read or how many classes you may attend to, by the time that the baby comes you might be very informed as to what is about to happen but, are you really ready? Probably not.

During this year’s Martha’s Vineyard Big Latch On a momma told me she wasn’t sure whether or not I would continue on with the events due to me not nursing anymore… Let me take the chance and tell you all a short version of my story, the one probably none of you know….

My sweet mini-me was born on this gorgeous island, surrounded by beautiful landscapes that make this location THE place to be during summer.  My experience with giving birth was astounding, I went in not feeling prepared but my birthing team at the Hospital was amazing.

I was very fortunate, although my baby’s father was not present and I was/am a single momma, I had more than what I had wished for: I had my mother and my sister next to me, they were part of my unmedicated natural birth and everything that came thereafter.

I can assure you that without them my breastfeeding journey would’ve only been a few weeks affair.

My mother Bella and my sister Shelyn, two breastfeeding veterans with 8 children altogether knew exactly what to do in my moments of despair. With tears in my eyes I recall one time begging them to take my baby away because the pain of nursing and cracked nipples was unbearable. (Can you relate?)

Mom would cook all the healthy foods that my body needed to recover while Shelyn would help me take care of the baby. My mama would pass on some old wives’ tales from Ecuador while teaching me some great breastfeeding techniques and some massages to relief engorgement and potential clogged ducts.

With their support I made it past the challenging first three weeks of breastfeeding. Tears flowing down my face on several occasions but they never let me quit when I wanted to.

 

Our next milestone was 6 months, we made it. One full year, we made it. Eighteen months, we made it. Two years, we made it… until we kind of stopped keeping track.

My sweet mini-me nursed for 4 ½ years and weaned off earlier this year. Was it a bumpy ride? HELL YASS! Was it worth it? Every minute of it.

 

Today, as we lay down to sleep, (we bedshare baby!) there are nights where she turns looking for her ‘tities’. She knows that no milk comes out but she feels safe and that’s all that matters.

Did I encounter criticism for nursing beyond 2 years? Yes. Was it uncomfortable? At times, yes. Did it matter at the end? No. My baby has grown to be a sweet child who is happy and smiles quite often, she knows that mommy works so hard on Breastfeeding World and she loves helping me every way she can.

To you my sweet mama, who wasn’t sure the events would continue because I stopped nursing… Oh YES they will!

Little mini-me was who inspired me to start Breastfeeding World in the first place, our journey through breastfeeding and motherhood in general is what kept me going. Getting to know women who identified with each other in many ways was my fuel to push through.

Although we stopped nursing this year there are thousands of new mothers (and existing ones) that are going through their breastfeeding & motherhood journeys and they Need. Us. 

Breastfeeding World is bigger than my baby and I because now, all of you are part of its history as well as its success.

The Martha’s Vineyard Big Latch On is all about celebrating you, strong women and mothers who lift each other up. No matter in what phase of your motherhood journey you may be in, at some point you will need the support system that I thankfully had and that is what we aim to be for you all: the encouraging voice that pushes you through all the obstacles.

Let us all celebrate these amazing Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms, you are amazing!

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms

2018 Breastfeeding World’s sponsors

We have so much love for our Platinum Sponsor @KindredBravely! Through the Spring and Summer they have sponsored our Breastfeeding Photoshoots and provided every guest with a nursing pad in our swag bag and each Big Latch On location with an amazing raffle prize for a mom! Find out more about them at Kindredbravely.com

@cookiesformilknyc  cookies are full of all the right ingredients and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Head to their website to read about the 5 galactogogues in their cookies. www.cookiesformilk.com. Cookies for Milk is a Diamond sponsor for Breastfeeding World’s multi-city Big Latch Ons! You were able to find awesome goodies from their line in every Swag Bag!

We loved having @fabulanebulae as our Gold Sponsors for our Seattle and Martha’s Vineyard Big Latch Ons! The Salve to Quiet the Storm was the first product Fabula Nebulae created, in the family’s search for a natural product to heal their children’s skin. The Quiet Storm is a soothing and calming concoction that is the base for all of Fabula Nebulae’s natural, fair trade products to meet every family’s needs!

What are your tips for saving every last drop of milk? For breastfeeding moms, we all know that leaky boob syndrome will happen at any time, any where. Thank goodness for Milk Savers from @fairhaven_health! As a Double Gold Sponsor for our multi-city Big Latch Ons, Moms in Seattle and New York City Big Latch Ons will have a chance to win one Fairhaven Health Prize pack, which includes Milk Savers! Tag a mom who needs this now! Get more from Fairhaven Health at FairhavenHealth.com

We’re so excited to announce @mollychanson as our Gold Sponsor for Breastfeeding World’s New York City Big Latch On! Molly is the designer and founder of Soulma, an urban women’s clothing brand that fits and flatters women in all stages of their life, including motherhood! Check out more of Molly’s awesome urban line at Soulma.com, plus enter to win an amazing 3-piece gift when you make a purchase using the code “SOULSUMMER” and save 20% as an added perk!

@mrspatels is a Gold Sponsor for Seattle’s Big Latch On event! We’re so excited to have them on board. Mrs. Patel’s lactation treats and teas are an awesome addition for moms who are looking for options to get the best nutrients in while building milk supply. You can check out more at www.mrsmilk.com!

admin

A photography project founded in late 2014 by Alexia Garcia, photographer a Alegares Photography. Breastfeeding World aims to promote breastfeeding and encourage new moms to nurse their babies through the art of photography and story telling.

The post Celebrating Martha’s Vineyard Breastfeeding Moms appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Enjoying it for the second year in a row….

This year we were extremely happy seeing familiar faces that had previously participated in our Latch On last year, we had seven nursing moms that came back this 2017 to participate with their now toddlers. What gave us more satisfaction was knowing that many of them were continuing with their extended breastfeeding journey.

“So wonderful to be part of this gathering again! I loved seeing the mothers and kiddos I met last year as well as made some new friends.” – Elizabeth Bonifacio ’16 &’17 MV Participant.

Breastfeeding into toddlerhood can bring its own set of challenges and if your family has grown then it can be even harder but definitely not impossible. A lot of people truly think that once the baby hits the first year mark there is no reason to continue nursing but the reality is that extended breastfeeding continues to provide your baby with enhanced nutrition, it helps boosts their immune system and brain development and it is also soothing and calming for both moms and their little ones.

As well as our local and All Star Donators:

• The Little Herbal
• Logan & Lenora
• BettyRatBag
• Young Living Oils – Olivia Butler
• Lularoe – Kealee Rainaud
• Frida Baby
• Goddess Garden
• Hooked on Awe
• Crow Bear’s Chunky Chews
• Earth Mama Organics
• Diono
• Hakkaa
• Cat & Wolf Cloth Diapers
• Ewe leave me in stitches
• Bessies Best
• Oat Mama

“So happy to have shared today with you. It was such an amazing experience to share the day with so many different moms from so many different backgrounds and everyone just getting along. There was no judgment, no sneers, not a single negative aspect of the entire event. I know I didn’t talk to many people but it was still an amazing experience to share.” – said Lee Jaime Lutke 2017 MV participant.

As long as you support breastfeeding you are welcome to join us in celebrating these moms that have pushed through in their journeys. We look forward for yet another successful and happy event in 2018. Thank you all for your support!

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

Alexia Garcia

I’m a proud mom to a beautiful little girl who is the reason of all my smiles | Creator and founder of the Breastfeeding World Project – passionate about normalizing breastfeeding | Professional photographer serving New York City

The post Vineyard moms together celebrating Breastfeeding appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Over 700 attendees later in our tri-state events, It is my pleasure to announce that Breastfeeding World will be holding it’s second annual breastfeeding celebration & Big Latch On on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard this upcoming Friday August 4^th.

For those who might be asking, what is the Big Latch On?

It’s an event that takes place at registered locations around the world, women gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other. It aims to strengthen national and global support for nursing mothers and their children.

Moms around the globe come together in groups, large and small, and nurse their little ones for a synchronized session that lasts one minute starting at exactly 10:30 am. You can learn more about the global event here.

Remembering Martha’s Vineyard’s First Latch On…

On 2016 we had sixteen nursing mothers who joined us and our supporters in celebrating breastfeeding by coming together for the Global Big Latch On on the island. This event was part of Breastfeeding World’s initiative to bring these types of amazing family gatherings to smaller communities to create awareness and build stronger friendships between our moms.

In between laughter, excitement and a whole lot of cute little faces and baby toes the moms that attended last year expressed that they felt empowered, they felt united but most importantly they felt a part of something big.

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We are truly excited at the prospect of choosing this year’s location soon. You see, I started Breastfeeding World as a photography project to showcase the beauty of breastfeeding and the importance of being able to do nurse in public as well. Iconic outdoor locations for our events have always been an important aspect to us and choosing the right one on this lovely island is truly a hard decision because Martha’s Vineyard has beautiful scenery no matter where you go.

Contribute to this year’s accomplishments

Breastfeeding World started as a self funded photography project and it slowly developed into a growing online community of like-minded families. It now relies on the superb team of volunteers that have joined me in making this dream come true.

To this date we are still self funded but as a team we work hard to be able to bring these events to the communities we love. We have decided that this year once again we would love to give our local businesses the chance to collaborate with us by joining our team of contributors.

If you are a business owner on Martha’s Vineyard that would like to contribute to our cause while getting promoted within our beautiful community of new mothers and families, please fill in the form below so we can chat more about it.

It is exciting for us to see how each year our number of participants and supporters increase, this means that our efforts and hard work are paying off because our message of “Sharing the breastfeeding love” is truly spreading around. Because of this we are open to get as many help as possible, if you are a breastfeeding supporter and would like to volunteer during our event please fill in this form and our volunteer coordinator will get you going.

How To Participate In This Year’s Martha’s Vineyard Big Latch On

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Latch On Participant: 

Are you a Breastfeeding or Pumping Parent with a nursling? Let us know to expect you, get a free raffle ticket and swag bag by Pre-Registering Here! Then all you have to do is join us the day of and check in!

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Sponsor: 

Would you like to support our local Breastfeeding community while marketing your brand to our participants? Email me at agarcia@breastfeedingworld.org for more details, and Register Here

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Volunteer: 

Everyone at Breastfeeding World volunteers our time and love because of our passion for the breastfeeding community. Are you interested in helping to make this event possible? Please email Alexia Garcia at agarcia@breastfeedingworld.org

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Save the date: Martha’s Vineyard’s  Second Annual Big Latch On – coming August 4th, 2017

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Alexia Garcia

I’m a proud mom to a beautiful little girl who is the reason of all my smiles | Creator and founder of the Breastfeeding World Project – passionate about normalizing breastfeeding | Professional photographer serving New York City

The post Martha’s Vineyard’s Second Annual Big Latch On – On it’s way! appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Thanks to the support from the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard we were able to host our event there during their weekly Breastfeeding Café gathering. It was very nice getting to meet some amazing mamas and little ones.

Breastfeeding World was very fortunate to have had the sponsorship and donation from nationwide business: MilkMakers, Mamma Chia, Silverette, The Naked Nursing Tank,  as well as local Vineyard stores such as Citrine MV and Made MV. While enjoying their milkmakers lactation cookies the moms gathered shared their breastfeeding stories of success with us.

It made us very happy knowing that all of the moms had been previously prepared and well informed of all of the amazing benefits of breastfeeding prior to giving birth. Although they knew the possible difficulties they would encounter at the beginning of their journey the excruciating pain was unbearable, but they pushed through it.

Continuing with our photography projects’ original goal we decided to find “Martha’s Vineyard’s Breastfeeding World”. With the sponsorship of Alegares Photography we will be capturing the love and beauty of breastfeeding on the Vineyard. Alegares Photography will offer one free group photo session for all the breastfeeding moms on the island who wish to participate, if you’d like to be part of it sign up by filling out the form on Alegares Photography “Contact Us” page. 

Enjoy the pictures from our event: Best Milk? Mom’s Milk  during the Breastfeeding Café on Martha’s Vineyard

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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admin

A photography project founded in late 2014 by Alexia Garcia, photographer a Alegares Photography. Breastfeeding World aims to promote breastfeeding and encourage new moms to nurse their babies through the art of photography and story telling.

The post A Breastfeeding Café on Martha’s Vineyard appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

The island has been our home for quite a while and it is my relaxing gateway during summer time. I remember during my pregnant days how much I loved being able to work with the nurses and doctors from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital who gave me great advice and support when I most needed it.

I remember meeting just a few moms on the island who gave birth and breastfed but all of them were done nursing by the third month so it caused me a bit of surprise.

After our past Big Latch On I saw the importance of continuing to work towards our goal of promoting and normalizing breastfeeding and I knew hat reaching small communities were, although breastfeeding is supported it is not widely practiced, was important for the breastfeeding world on the island.

Considering that August is Breastfeeding Awareness month we will be celebrating it our own way! Best Milk? Mom’s Milk is an initiative created by us Breastfeeding World with the help of the Maternity Ward from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and the Breastfeeding Network on the island. We will be uniting forces to encourage islander mother’s to take the path of nursing their little ones and we truly hope to reach as many current breastfeeding moms to join us. We will have a super amazing event including raffles, giveaways, Breastfeeding Counseling, discounted photo packages for a memorable breastfeeding photo session with Alegares Photography and most importantly we will have a free group picture, we want to photograph Martha’s Vineyard’s Breastfeeding World.

Best Milk? Mom’s Milk will take place on Wednesday August 26 at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Thankfully we have been able to collaborate with some great businesses from around the country that believe in the beauty and benefits of breastfeeding so please give it up for our amazing sponsors who have made our upcoming raffle possible! Thank you for supporting our cause!

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We had the amazing collaboration of two island businesses: CITRINE MV & MADE MV thanks for pledging your support to the island’s breastfeeding community!

Make sure you join us for this super fun event and invite all of your pregnant moms to come and learn some great breastfeeding tips. 

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #NYCBreastfeedingWorld 

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Alexia Garcia

I’m a proud mom to a beautiful little girl who is the reason of all my smiles | Creator and founder of the Breastfeeding World Project – passionate about normalizing breastfeeding | Professional photographer serving New York City

The post Best Milk? Mom’s Milk appeared first on Breastfeeding World.