2020 will no doubt forever live on in our memories as the year we ‘stayed at home’. For many mamas, staying at home involved lots of time with their little ones and more time spent breastfeeding. The result was that more mamas than ever were sharing their breastfeeding journeys and photos. But which ones made the biggest impact and went viral? Let’s take a look at 10 breastfeeding photos that broke the internet in 2020.
1. Ashley Graham
Since giving birth to her son Isaac earlier this year, model and body positivity activist Ashley Graham has shared lots of breastfeeding photos. It’s this one of her lying naked in bed feeding her son that broke the internet. Shot by her husband, it made it into the Elle friends and family issue 2020. This photo also made it into the top 8 most influential breastfeeding photos of all time.
2. Myleene Klass
Musician and presenter Myleene Klass has shared a lot of photos of her breastfeeding her young son Apollo, but it’s something she gets a lot of grief and criticism for. Yet she keeps on sharing photos to help normalise breastfeeding. This was her most defiant photo where she unapologetically promoted breastfeeding.
3. Bekah Martinez
Breastfeeding or not, TV personality Bekah always has a big smile on her face. She’s a multi-tasking mama of two and loves sharing ‘real-life’ pictures of her family and homelife. This photo of her tandem feeding her little girl and baby son went viral, and we can see why.
4. Emma from @a_mothers_tale
Online influencer Emma shook up TikTik this year when her video of her breastfeeding her youngest son Harry was taken down for indecent exposure. She hit back with a defiant Instagram post, a petition to change social media policy, and getting her story in the national papers. Needless to say, her video was re-instated and she’s still on a mission to change how breastfeeding is treated on social media. You can check out this podcast episode where Emma goes into detail about the TikTok controversy.
5. Alanis Morissette
The iconic singer songwriter Alanis Morissette has been vocal about the benefits of breastfeeding since she had her first son ten years ago. Now breastfeeding baby boy no. 3, she’s even more open about her motherhood journey in an effort to help others. This candid photo made the front cover of Health magazine and garnered lots of publicity.
6. Bri from @moonandcheeze
Bri’s instagram account moonandcheeze has grown massively in the past year thanks to her beautiful photography and open displays of motherhood and breastfeeding. It’s this family portrait she posted during Black Breastfeeding Week that went viral. Bri is breaking down barriers and doing her best to shrug off the stigmas – “I am a Black woman married to a white man and we have two children. I know the stigmas and I will talk about my experience to normalize every Black experience with breastfeeding.”
7. Romee Strijd
Dutch model Romee Strijd gave birth to her first child at the end of 2020. Named Mint van Leeuwen, the first picture the model shared of her new bundle of joy was one in which she was breastfeeding lying down. What a powerful photo to post – it made waves online and offline.
8. Coco Austin
Reality star and wife to IceT, Coco Austin has been open about breastfeeding beyond babyhood. Her daughter Chanel is four years old and Coco says she has no intention of stopping breastfeeding. This is a choice that divides many, and when Coco defiantly posted this picture earlier this year she was met with equal amounts love and hate.
9. Millie Mackintosh
Ex-reality TV star Millie Mackintosh gave birth to her daughter Sienna earlier this year. From the very beginning she has been open about the ups and downs of her breastfeeding journey. This picture was posted to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week and it’s easy to see why it went viral on Instagram. Millie has since stopped breastfeeding due to issues around Sienna’s silent reflux and her needing to be in a hip harness.
10. Hilaria Baldwin
It would seem that mama of five Hilaria Baldwin, wife of the actor Alec Baldwin, is never far from controversy. She is an avid Instagram user and often posts pictures of her breastfeeding, doing yoga and hanging out with her large brood. This selfie of her in the bathroom generated equal amounts positive and negative comments but Hilaria hasn’t let it put her off posting other breastfeeding photos with her youngest son.
