As Anna participates in a half-marathon, she needs to take a break to breastfeed her baby…. Though she’d planned to stop and pump on the sidelines for a bit, she decided in the moment to keep moving while she pumped.
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The super mom of the year award goes a half-marathoner who pumped her breast milk in the middle of a race. “I had a hard time bonding with her.I couldn’t understand because I’m her mother”.
Young said, “I chose to keep walking and moving with the flow, more people started passing me, I wasn’t sure anyone could tell what I was doing because they were coming from behind”.
After the race, she said she was pleased to discover a race photographer had snapped a picture of the moment. Young told ABC News that runners had to be really early on the day, and they were shuttled up to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah where the downhill course would begin.
That’s right. Anna Young recently managed to complete a half marathon, despite the fact that she had to pump her breast milk right in the middle of it. She had to leave her house at 4:30 in the morning to catch the bus to the starting line, so she brought her gear along, knowing it was likely she’d have to pump. She started training with her young child by getting a jogging stroller and starting slowly.
Young told HuffPost Canada she an her daughter had a rocky start breastfeeding.
Young said she found information and support through online groups such as La Leche League and Occupy Breastfeeding that helped the two solve their problems. As of Saturday, there had been more than 10,000 reactions to the photo and 1,800 shares.
“I was just really surprised and I just thought it was kind of a neat photo”, she added. “I’ve had a few mothers reach out to me personally to say that they thought they would have to put off running until after they’ve weaned their babies, and it touches my heart to know I’ve made an impact in their lives for the better”.
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined my photo would gain so much attention”, she said. Her daughter had a tongue and lip tie, and Young said she was tempted to give up. “But that struggle has made me more passionate and grateful to be able to breastfeed my daughter”. Now, she hopes her story can help normalise the practice.
“Running the race in general was a thrilling experience”, she said.
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Public breastfeeding and pumping is an often stigmatized element of motherhood.
