Would your partner do this if he could?

Project Breastfeeding is all about destigmatising public breastfeeding, educating men and empowering women. The way they are getting their message out is just beautiful.

Alan and Avalee

 It was the images that first caught me eye. The gender-bending images of men in breastfeeding poses with their babies with the words “Project Breastfeeding. If I Could, I Would” beside them.   The photos are at once stunning and confronting but the story behind them is just beautiful

Caleb and Willow

 Destigmatise public breastfeeding, educate men and empower women.
In an attempt to support breastfeeding women, a dad in the US State of Tennessee has started a project not only to get more fathers involved in actively supporting breastfeeding, but to destigmatise public breastfeeding, educate men and empower women.

Luis and Dielani

 Professional photographer and father of one, Hector Cruz had waited a long time to become a father and wanted very much to be involved in the whole process, but he felt robbed. To him it felt like he just sat there in the corner and twiddled his thumbs, he wasn’t the support person or the father he wanted to be. Cruz watched as his wife struggled when it came to feeding their daughter Sophia. As he watched his wife visibly shake in anticipation of the pain associated with her breastfeeding (the pain only because she was having some trouble with breastfeeding) he wondered to himself if he would feed his baby if he could – and from that was born the idea of “If I could, I would” a slogan that accompanies the amazing photographs that Hector is taking of men with their babies.

Father and Daughter

The role of the father

Cruz says, “It’s evolved into trying to get education and support for fathers and helping them understand how crucial and what a vital role they actually play in the breastfeeding role with their spouses and their children. You see, as fathers, we think our role is to figure out what the best car seat is, to figure out what the best carrier or stroller is, have the right car and make sure we put up the crib and get everything in order, but our roles go so much further than that. This project is really helping them, it’s getting education to those men to make them better fathers and husbands.”

Father and Kids

Studies show that if a breastfeeding mum has a partner or significant other who is educated about, and supports her choice to breastfeed she is much more likely to be successful. And in turn the studies show that dads who know more about breast-feeding are better able to encourage their wives or partners.
Whatever the studies say, no one can deny that babies benefit from love and nurturing. To see fathers involved at such a level is to see true love at work.
 Hector Cruz also takes photographs of mums breastfeeding their kids as well as full family photos. You should view them all on his website here because they are simply beautiful. Project Breastfeeding are looking for funding so if you are motivated to help in anyway you can do that here.