Serah Small, a teacher and hockey player in Alberta, Canada, is also a new mom to an 8-week-old, and because of that, the mama now has the sweetest pregame routine we've ever seen. In photos shared to Facebook, Small can be seen dressed from the waist down in her hockey gear and baring all from the waist up, Ellie nursing [1] right in the middle of the goings on of the Grovedale Vipers' locker room.
The new mom signed up for two hockey tournaments while she was still pregnant with Ellie, assuming she'd bounce right back into the same level of athletic activity postbirth and without considering the challenges that would come with being a nursing mom [2]. During one of those long days of tournament hockey, Small realized she forgot her pump as she started to leak under her pads throughout a game, so she had to use the breaks in between periods to feed her little girl.
Now, she's sharing the photos of herself feeding Ellie in the locker room to help normalize breastfeeding [3] and show that it can be done anywhere at any time.
"I have been so scared to post this photo that I absolutely adore. Why? Because society has made breast sexual," Small wrote in a post to Facebook. "After sharing the photo with a lactation consultant [4] that has helped me and Ellie, I have come to realize that it should not be something to be ashamed of but proud of. I have a really hard time feeding Ellie covered and have chosen not to cover her at all. Although at times I feel the burn of judgmental eyes, I feel more empowered than anything to be able to meet my baby's needs [5] the way my body intended."
And on the topic of getting back into her hockey pads so quickly after Ellie's birth, the mom added: "Being a mom is absolutely amazing and I'm so happy I got to do something I absolutely love while still meeting my baby's needs. Our bodies are amazing and this weekend was the first time I truly appreciated mine."