This Mom Had Women Submit Their Public Breastfeeding Photos For 1 "Empowering" Reason

Abby Theuring — a mom and podcaster at The Badass Breastfeeder— believes that breastfeeding is the ultimate way for mothers to bond with their children. In fact, she's such a proponent for women feeding their children in public, she recently ran a contest inviting moms to submit their favorite breastfeeding photos.

"Dianne Cassidy and I started The Badass Breastfeeding Podcast because there is so much misinformation about breastfeeding floating around that many people do not reach their breastfeeding goals," Abby told POPSUGAR. "Our mission is to fight back against this misinformation and empower people to breastfeed for as long as they want, wherever they want, no matter who they are. The simple act of seeing someone breastfeeding or pumping can make breastfeeding or pumping easier for someone else. Sharing these photos and showing all different kinds of people breastfeeding and pumping helps to normalize it."

Abby believes spreading a positive message about breastfeeding is especially important in the US, where breasts are often sexualized in the media.

"Breastfeeding is not something we see in our culture," Abby explained. "We are used to seeing breasts in ads and think of breasts as something purely sexual. But we don't often see breasts being used for the biological purpose, making milk. It's important for people to understand the biological purpose of breasts. If more people understood this then people wouldn't be so shocked when they see breastfeeding or pumping in public."

After sifting through dozens of entries, Abby whittled them down to 10 finalists, and as expected, each image tells a unique story. Scroll through to get a look at the photos and make sure you vote for your favorite shot in the comments section.