A local photographer is taking unique steps to raise awareness about breastfeeding mothers.
Megan Soto has used her lens to capture more than 20 moms breastfeeding all over St. Johns County. Her goal is to change how people see public nursing.
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Five years ago, Soto wouldn't feel comfortable breastfeeding in public, much less in front of our camera.
Now she gets behind the camera, getting St. Johns County moms to pose while publicly nursing.
"Breastfeeding in public is still kind of taboo and not a lot of people see it on an everyday basis," Soto said.
She said that stigma affected how she breastfed her first child.
"I was extremely uncomfortable breastfeeding her and it was a lot of work. You have to bring the cover and the bottles and the pump and I wound up not breastfeeding her for long. That relationship was cut short," Soto said.
That's why she felt drawn to the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project. She's one of 70 photographers worldwide who takes photos of moms breastfeeding around town to erase the stigma and make it the new normal.
"We hope that when they see a mom nursing in public, that they don't look twice. That they don't, you know, have to give a dirty look or make an inappropriate comment. And we hope that moms who are uncomfortable nursing in public see this and say, 'You know, wow, they were comfortable doing it and now I should be able to do this as well.'"
