by Melissa Willets posted in Parenting

Extended breastfeeding is a practice often met with brutal judgment. But for one mama who recently participated in a bold, brave, and beautifully intimate photo shoot with photographer Trina Cary and her breastfeeding 2-and-1/2-year-old daughter, how others feel is far from her mind.
"I don't often feel judged," mom Domonique told BabyCenter in an email about breastfeeding her toddler, Blessing. "When I do, it's usually masked in the question, 'So how long are you going to breastfeed for"' It's asked as though there should be a natural cutoff."

Domonique is yet to reach that cutoff.
Even though she only planned to breastfeed Blessing for 2 years, she now says, "I don't want to quit," and adds, "It's a time in which we bond; time no one else can encroach on. We communicate without saying words during these moments."
"I guess extended breastfeeding to me means time that I will never regret giving," the mom told us. "I'm not sure when I'm going to quit. I've noticed my body starting to feel more fatigued while breastfeeding, so we'll see how it goes... 1 month, 6 months, 2 years.... when the time feels right, I guess."
Domonique says it was important for her to have this special time photographed for one reason only. "I wanted to capture her breastfeeding as a toddler; what it feels like, what our connection is. When I look back at these pictures as an older wom...