Monday, April 27, 2015

Ivette Ivens / Breastfeeding Goddesses


Something about Ivette Iven's photography resonated with my soul the first time I scrolled past one of her photos on Facebook. It was a photograph of a stunning, laughing woman with blue hair breastfeeding her daughter in the snow. The mother looked blissfully happy while her daughter, cradled in her breasts, looked innocent, safe, and secure. It perfectly captured everything I felt about breastfeeding. The empowering, natural, beautiful journey that creates an immeasurable bond was perfectly showcased in this one photograph.


After seeing that first photograph, I found her photography's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IvetteIvensPhotography). I was inspired by her photographs and wanted to share them with my blog followers, so I started posting several of her breastfeeding photos on my blog's Facebook page. Each photo tells an individual story of mother and child, but I believe that all of the photographs speak to breastfeeding mothers. The looks of adoration, strength, determination, and unconditional love on these mother's faces have all been our own faces looking at our children as we nurse them. These children's looks of happiness, contentment, and joy have all been the faces our own children. The beauty of breastfeeding is universal, and I believe that Ivette Iven's photography captures that beauty wonderfully.



Ivette Ivens was kind enough to allow me to interview her about her photography, her upcoming art show, and her upcoming book. All photographs shown on this post are her's.


"I started photography nursing when I realized how controversial breastfeeding is," she said. "The most natural, instinctive thing is being questionable and restricted. It always felt so celestial to me and I'm expressing that in my images."

Ivette is a natural light photographer, and because of her love of nature she does not even have a studio.

"I'm a free bird; so is my art," she said. "My nursing images express the inner emotion of the mother. I know breastfeeding is beautiful, but only a mother who does it knows that it feels even more angelic than it looks."

She breastfed her older son until he was a little over 3 years old, and she is still nursing her 10-month-old baby.


"I was lucky enough to experience tandem nursing for six months, and I loved every second of it!" Ivens said. "I was pretty maternal for most of my life, I think, so home birth, breastfeeding, and attachment parenting, was something I always imagined myself doing."

Ivette's book, "Breastfeeding Goddesses," is available for pre-order on her website (http://www.ivetteivens.com/) and on Amazon on May 3rd. After that you can find it in bookstores and baby boutiques.

"There are so many books these days who show the raw side of motherhood, and it's beautiful," she said. "'Breastfeeding Goddesses' is a book that shows how mothers actually FEEL while nursing their children. In reality, breastfeeding can be messy, uncomfortable, and even painful at times. But a mother's inner consciousness tells another story. These images depict the way each woman feels while nursing: pure, beautiful, saintly, celestial. I want people to feel that. I want the book to encourage new mothers to be confident."


Her art show, "I breastfeed my toddler," will be May 3 from 3-6 p.m. at 1858 W Grand in Chicago, Illinois. She said the idea for her show came along with the book.

"I noticed that people get weirded out when they see mothers nursing their toddlers," Ivens said. "I believe that children should self wean, and I admire mothers who have the strength and ability to nurse until then. Nowadays society needs events like 'I breastfeed my toddler'! I will make it happen!"

Prints will be available for purchase at her art show. Her prints are also available online.
If you'd be interested in participate in the project for her book, contact her at ivetteivens@gmail.com.





1 comment:

  1. waw nice i love it so much <3 <3 <3 <3

    ReplyDelete