How 1 Mom Is Giving Other Mothers the Gift She Never Had

Throughout Alicia Folden's entire pregnancy, she was determined to breastfeed from the moment she gave birth. For this mom and professional photographer, it wasn't just about the health benefits for her baby — she was also after that "almost indescribable" bond between mother and child.

However, like many new moms, Alicia quickly discovered just how difficult nursing can be. After having to supplement her baby with formula because her milk had yet to come in, her newborn stopped latching at all. "I tried and then tried again. But nothing seemed to be helping," Alicia told POPSUGAR Moms. "I continued to pump for three to four months after that to ensure that she was still getting all of the benefits from it."

Alicia's baby was full and happy, which is what her mom cared about most, but she later realized that there was something missing. "The one thing that I regret is not documenting that special moment of when I could breastfeed her when she was latching," Alicia said. "That's when I came up with this idea. What if I documented these moments for other moms? Would these photos mean as much to them as it would have for me?"

After Alicia posted her idea to a few mom group Facebook pages, she quickly realized just how powerful her idea was. "Almost 100 people contacted me and I started planning. What I had pictured in my mind was that I would need a location that would look magical," Alicia said. "I wanted people to feel all different kinds of emotion when they looked at these photographs, the same kind of emotions that these amazing moms feel while feeding their child."

Even though her idea originated from wanting to help prevent moms from missing out on this incredible moment, Alicia realized that her photos could do much more. "When I heard all of their stories, I not only wanted to photograph the moment, but I also wanted to bring awareness to normalizing breastfeeding. It's a shame that so many moms go through things on a daily basis for something that is completely natural," Alicia said. "I've done four [breastfeeding photo shoots] so far and I will continue to do these sessions until my camera isn't able to take any more pictures."