Hi Hello ! Followed with a hug. When I first met Celeste, I see her as a cute young girl who is full of energy and cheerfulness. We talked like we have knew each other way before. What meant to be a short meet up lasted for hours as she introduced me and tried to poison me with Tokidokis and Tulas (these are hot items in the motherhood circle btw).
As we talked about motherhood, pregnancy, life in general, I was impressed by this little mother. She is actually a fighter in life. This 22 years old was clear on where she is heading and is determined to do everything right. This side of her is strong and brave.
As we were talking, Baby Ellie was hungry, naturally she was nursed in the most comfortable way. Then, I saw another side of Celeste. The strong mode was switched to a gentle mode. She became a vulnerable care person to baby Ellie. Her speaking tone became cutesy, the volume of her voice tuned low. Hahaha.. what a switch! When we come to the topic of breastfeeding, it was a bittersweet experience for her. Mastitis, engorgement, oversupply etc are some of the problems that she faces, but she quickly turn it around and saw it as a blessing in disguise. She donated close to 1000 packets of expressed milk to other mummies who needed help. As a fellow nursing mum, I can tell you it is no easy feat to feed, pump, store, organise the milk stash, it is definitely easier to just dump it.
Her generosity has blessed many others, and maybe her spirit of giving is why she is receiving so much goodness from life. She gives credit to her hubby Ethan who she thinks is the best hubby/ father they can ever have. No matter how tough it is, she is determined to persevere as much as she can to provide the best nutrients for her darling and continue to bless her excess supply to other babies. Against all social stigma, she will stay true to herself, and stand firm for her baby.
Together with my team, we carried out the vision I had for the documentation of Celeste’s journey. I wanted to portray her personality in one image. We are very pleased with the outcome! We hope her story motivates and inspires new mummies who are facing difficulties with their own nursing journeys.
Press on Mummies. Lets normalise Breastfeeding.
Love, Jen
Photos: Jen & Ray
Post Edit: Jen & Ray
Conceptualising & Wardrobe: Jen
Make up: Genie, G Eye Star MUA