Bride Breastfeeds 9-Month-Old Baby During Wedding Ceremony, ‘She Needed Me, So I Was There’
All moms, whether they breastfeed their children or not, know that certain undeniable cry… the “feed me” cry. It doesn’t matter where they are, or what they are doing, when they hear that cry, they know they have a limited amount of time to feed their baby before the child becomes inconsolable.
For mom, and bride, Christina Torino-Benton, it wasn’t even a thought when she heard her 9-month-old daughter Gemma crying during her wedding ceremony at Resurrection of Our Lord Church in Lachine, Quebec on June 18. Christina and her now-husband Danny Benton were standing in front of hundreds of their closest family members and friends, but that didn’t mean Christina wasn’t going to put off her motherly duties. When Gemma started crying, she looked at Danny, said “it’s happening,” and sat down to breastfeed her little girl.
“I made it work… I had to!” Christina told The Huffington Post. “Danny has always been so incredibly supportive on this breastfeeding journey, so he just nodded in agreement.”
Bride breastfeeds her daughter during wedding ceremony: “She needed me, so I was there” https://t.co/SMby6iPIct pic.twitter.com/dgaJsQfSEe
— People Magazine (@people) June 27, 2016
“I tried for maybe two minutes to allow some family members to calm her down, but having missed her nap, and in that heat, it wasn’t going to happen,” Torino-Benton continued during an interview with People Magazine. “There was no question. I had to nurse, and I wasn’t hesitant about it at all.”
Christina has always been open about breastfeeding her daughter, which is why none of the attendees even batted an eye when the bride slipped her breast out of her strapless dress to breastfeed her baby.
“The people at my wedding were not surprised with me feeding Gemma mid-ceremony because I’m always feeding her at some point or another in front of them,” she said.
Bride breastfeeds her baby girl during her wedding ceremony https://t.co/P3W5nil8Lr via @Femail
— Mark Omondi (@thedarlettes) June 27, 2016
“This is something that has become so natural in my life that I didn’t even have to think about it,” Torino-Benton said. “She needed me, so I was there.”
Christina and Danny’s wedding photographer Lana Nimmons took a picture of the sweet moment, which ended up being one of her absolute favorites.
“When Lana sent me the photo I was SO happy she captured the moment,” she says. “It is very special to me.”
The bride later posted the photo on the Breastfeeding Mama Talk Facebook page for other breastfeeding mothers to see, and appreciate. The photo has since gone viral, with over 7,000 likes and nearly 300 shares. While breastfeeding in public has become a controversial topic, Christina said she has received nothing but positive feedback for her picture.
Ghana News – Bride breastfeeds baby during wedding ceremony https://t.co/s16Wn4ygt8 pic.twitter.com/YA65p5ADdV
— John Can Do (@candogh360) June 26, 2016
“I’m feeling nothing but positive vibes from the public response,” Christina said. “Everyone has been very encouraging and supportive.”
She added, “I thought I would get a couple hundred likes on the breastfeeding group – I never imagined for a second it would go totally viral! It’s really incredible.”
While there are those who will always chime in with a negative comment, Christina said she is focusing on the positive posts, including the many she has seen about other mothers who had to breastfeed their children during their weddings.
“The photos that are being shared are absolutely beautiful,” she said. “I love seeing them!”
[Photo via Shutterstock]
