Being the mom of a new baby isn't an easy job. You're trying to juggle self-care with the needs of an infant, and often there's just not enough time in the day to accomplish everything you want to get done. But one Texas mom is taking multitasking to a whole new level. Carlee Benear is going viral for stunning Instagram photos that show her breastfeeding while doing yoga.
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Benear is a busy mom of three who started practicing yoga after her second pregnancy. She continued the practice while carrying her third baby and got right back onto her yoga mat just a few weeks after giving birth. Eventually she started bringing her brand-new daughter, Maramaylee, onto the mat with her and says they have a special connection that just naturally evolved to include breastfeeding throughout her practice.
Breastfeeding yoga mom
Breastfeeding yoga mom
Benear doesn't always do yoga while breastfeeding, but she says the practice helps her feel centered and calm throughout the stresses of being a stay-at-home mom. It also helped her get through the early struggles of establishing a breastfeeding relationship with her daughter. Some have criticized Benear, saying her poses look like they're putting her baby at risk, but the mom says she's confident in her abilities and would never put her daughter in harm's way.
Breastfeeding yoga mom
Breastfeeding yoga mom
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Breastfeeding yoga mom
Welcoming a new baby can be extremely stressful and difficult, especially when you already have other children at home. You're trying to keep a newborn cared for and fed around the clock while also giving your other kids all the attention, interaction and affection they require. You're also healing from labor and delivery, establishing new routines and adjusting to the expanded size of your family. By the time you're done taking care of everything else, there's very little time left for you, and it's easy to feel like you're stretched too thin.
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Obviously every new mom isn't going to run out to buy a yoga mat and adopt a breastfeeding-yoga practice, but Benear's photos are going viral because they speak to a real need each of us has to establish our own ways of coping with the challenges of motherhood. No two moms are alike, but each of us feels a yearning to reconnect with ourselves as women and to find ways to bond with our kids while still maintaining a sense of self. Benear's unique yoga practice is her way of doing that, and her photos are an inspiration to many moms to figure out what works for them.
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