Canadian Hockey Player Serah Small Goes Viral for Breastfeeding in the Locker Room! Empowering Facebook Post Wins Hearts on Social Media
Serah Small, who is a teacher and hockey player from Alberta, Canada, revealed what being a nursing mom in the middle of the game looks like. She paused to nurse her eight-week-old daughter Ellie during intermission of her game.
It is important to normalise breastfeeding in public placed or legit anywhere the baby is hungry. Unfortunately, it is still seen as a taboo to breastfeed without covering up. However, some women wish to change the narrative for good. Serah Small, a Canadian hockey player is one of them. A pic of her breastfeeding her little one is going viral on social media. She also made a long hard-hitting Facebook post talking about breastfeeding, motherhood and "bouncing back" as a lactating mother.
Breastfeeding is natural and can happen anywhere. Serah Small, who is a teacher and hockey player from Alberta, Canada, revealed what being a nursing mom in the middle of the game looks like. She paused to nurse her eight-week-old daughter Ellie during intermission of her game. She also took to Facebook to share how she had signed up for the game because she thought she would easily “bounce back.” However, it took her no time to realise that it wasn't very easy BUT not that she is in any mood to give up!
“This weekend I played four games with a short bench and really learnt how different my body really is,” Small wrote on Facebook. “I felt slower and lost at first on the ice. My body wasn’t doing the things my brain thought it could. But I have never been more proud of myself and my body.”
She forgot her breast pump at home, and started to feel her milk drip when she was out on the ice. So she decided to take off her jersey and gear between periods to breastfeed, and the moment gave Small a greater appreciation for her body. “Being a mom is absolutely amazing and I’m so happy I got to do something I absolutely love while still meeting my babies needs,” she wrote. “Our bodies are amazing and this weekend was the first time I truly appreciated mine.”
Small’s mom also snapped a photo of the moment, which Small loved — but she was afraid to share the image at first. “I have been so scared to post this photo that I absolutely adore. Why? Because society has made breasts sexual,” she said.
After talking with her lactation consultant from Milky Way Lactation Services, Small agreed to let them share it on their Facebook page where it quickly went viral with thousands of likes, comments and shares. That encouraged her to post another image on her own page, and Small tells PEOPLE that she was thrilled with the largely positive reaction. “I would like to thank everyone for the supportive comments and messages,” she says. “When I read them I hear the empowerment in women, moms and families. I love hearing about those who have only covered for others and are now inspired to ditch the cover.”
Talking about normalizing breastfeeding she says, “I just want all moms to know that they are amazing and inspiring in their own ways". She further continues: "Being a mom is hard and it’s amazing to see all these moms, women and men taking a stand and making a movement to stand up against mommy shaming. The only way to normalize breastfeeding is to show that it can be done anywhere, anytime!"
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2021 01:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).