‘UNITED WE FEED’
Area woman’s project lauds moms, the way they feed their babes
When a recent Cosmopolitan magazine blog featured pictures of mothers bottlefeeding their babies from her United We Feed photo series, Caitlin Domanico was thrilled. The Upper Gwynedd woman had created United We Feed “to celebrate all mothers and the way they feed their babies as a way to bridge the gap and stop the ‘mommy wars’” — specifically, the seemingly endless debate over choices related to so-called “natural” versus medicated birthing, breast versus bottle-feeding, cloth versus disposable diapering, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
“I have to admit I almost fell off my chair when I saw I had an email from Cosmo telling me they had found my project and were wondering if I had bottle images I could contribute to their article,” says Domanico, who specializes in family photos. “The author did mention that she was having difficulty finding photographers who specifically take photos of moms using a bottle to feed. I feel like breastfeeding is becoming more and more accepted, and this helps start the conversation that will end the mommy wards. Kudos to Cosmo for thinking about the other side.”
According to Domanico, her United We Feed photos “support the ‘radical’ notion that babies and their mamas can be just as in love, just as bonded and just as wellnourished no matter the delivery of milk.”
The resultant images — portraits of women in a variety of child-feeding modes — are currently posted on her website, but Domanico anticipates staging “a gallery event” at her North Wales studio and ponders the possibility of expanding her concept into book form. In “the very long term,” she hopes to photograph subjects internationally.
“When I was a baby, my mom nursed, but many women were using formula,” says the 32-year-old mother of Ava, 6, and Genevieve, nearly 2. “As I came closer to becoming a mom, I knew I also wanted to nurse. I sought out support from other nursing moms so that when Ava was born, I felt somewhat confident about breastfeeding.
“At the same time, many of my friends and my sister were having babies, (and) I started to notice we all did things a little differently. Between all of us, we gave birth at home, in a birthing center, in a hospital without meds, in a hospital with meds, via C-section after hours of pushing and via scheduled C-section.”
That was just the beginning.
“We cloth diapered, and we used disposable diapers,” adds Domanico, also a special education teacher and independent contractor for birth through three-yearold services via Eagleville’s Arc Alliance. “We went back to work, we stayed home, or we worked from home. Some babies took a bottle of formula right away, some mommies pumped their milk, some nursed, and many did a combination.”
She observed the same variables among her photography clients. Regardless, all were “just fine, we could say with certainty our babies were loved, we could say with certainty we had a beautiful, everlasting bond with our little ones.” Still, as Domanico saw it, “there was always a little pang of guilt, of comparison, of defense” among the various camps. Which options made for smarter, better-adjusted, more-bonded kids? Turns out, they all did. “At the end of the day, most moms have one goal in mind — to love and nourish their child,” she maintains. “We all want our children to be healthy, strong and intelligent, and we are all working hard — day-in and dayout — to ensure that our little ones receive the best care.”
Along the way, Domanico came across the personal journal entry that triggered her United We Feed photo series: “One goal, same goal, moms unite, bridge the gap, every mother, every baby, baby’s gotta eat, all moms unity.”
“As I was reading (this) to my studio mates, I yelled ‘United We Feed,’” she remembers. “Yes! The project was born.”
And continues to evolve as Domanico expands her subjects beyond the traditional.
For example, “learning about tube-feeding schedules and all kinds of other awesome ways that families work together to nourish their little ones,” she continues.
“Coming up on my calendar is a beautiful family of three — two mamas and their new little one — and I am currently scheduling two more mommies and their baby girl. I also hope to settle on a photo
date with (a family) that has a little boy who is tube-fed and ... has Down syndrome. As I meet more families and talk about the project, I hope someone will be able to connect me with two dads and their baby as well as other family (and) feeding structures. For example, babies with cleft lips.”
For now, Domanico prefers to let things “develop organically at the same time, chasing the snowball as it races down the hill gaining more and more momentum.”
“Sometimes, you receive a calling in life, and this seems to be one of mine,” she muses. “It combines all of my passions, and, as an aside bonus, I get to educate my little ones about the beautiful ways families work — traditional marriage, same-sex marriage and families with special needs.”
To date, outside response has been “amazing.”
“So many women have been emailing me and writing me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to thank me for including the bottle moms,” Domanico says. “One mom even told me she cried and got a sense of healing from it. That is so magical to me — the power of a photo as well as community support.”