Photo of mom breastfeeding during her wedding goes viral
MONTREAL, Canada (MEDIA GENERAL) – What did Christina Torini-Benton do when her 9-month-old daughter got hungry in the middle of her wedding ceremony? She fed her, of course.
And the beautiful photo of Torini-Benton breastfeeding her daughter Gemma in the front pew of Resurrection of Our Lord Church in Lachine, Quebec, on June 18 has gone viral.
Torini-Benton posted the photo on the Facebook page Breastfeeding Mama Talk, writing, “That moment when you’re getting married and your baby gets hungry 😉 feeling SO proud of myself! Fighting that good fight!”
The photo has since been shared hundreds of times, encouraging other moms to post similar photos.
Breastfeeding bride Jade Wolfe posted a photo of her breastfeeding in her wedding dress with the caption: “Ten minutes before I walked down the aisle! It’s one of my favorite photos from the day!”
Danielle Shab also posted a photo feeding her 8-month-old son, writing, “Love this! This was on my wedding day, during the reception.”
Torino-Benton told People Magazine she tried to allow family to calm Gemma down but her mother’s instinct quickly kicked in. She knew what she had to do.
“I tried for maybe two minutes to allow some family members to calm her down, but having missed her nap, and in that heat, it wasn’t going to happen,” she recalled. “There was no question. I had to nurse, and I wasn’t hesitant about it at all.”
Torini-Benton told The Huffington Post no one, not even the priest, cared she was nursing her daughter.
“The people at my wedding were not surprised with me feeding Gemma mid-ceremony because I’m always feeding her at some point or another in front of them,” she said.
She made the post on Breastfeeding Mama Talk thinking she’d get a few hundred likes. She never thought the post would go viral.
She says she’s been met with “nothing but positive vibes” since.
“Everyone has been very encouraging and supportive,” Torini-Benton told The Huffington Post.The Huffington Post and People Magazine contributed to this report. Photos courtesy Lana Nimmons Photography.