Trick or treat? More like trick or teat! One Virginia women is using her Halloween pumpkin to send a message of support to nursing mothers.
Taylor Tignor, 23, is passionate about breastfeeding. "I did it with both of my sons," the mother of two told TODAY. "It's really important to me because it’s a very natural bond ... (the baby gets) nutrients; there are all these benefits."
While Tignor hasn't personally faced backlash for breastfeeding — in part because she's always preemptively covered herself in public — she belongs to several breastfeeding support groups and has felt moved by stories shared by other women.
"I've seen so many people being shamed for it," Tignor said. "Women should feel like they can express a natural thing that God gave them to do ... People sexualize something that isn’t sexual at all."
After being inspired by a photo of a breastfeeding "pump-kin" she saw online, Tignor decided to create her own rendition that reflected her breastfeeding experience.
Tignor's version features a baby pumpkin on one side and a breast pump on the other, since she often deals with leaking (and is great at multitasking, apparently).
Tignor first shared the photo in a private Facebook group, where members suggested she post it on larger page, Breastfeeding Mama Talk. From there, it took off, gathering 14,000 likes and more than 6,800 shares at publish time.
Tignor never expected the response, but loves that she's been able to play a part in normalizing breastfeeding. She hopes other women will feel inspired to own their mothering choices ... and perhaps even create their own nursing pumpkin tableaus to spread the message.
"Be who you are, in a natural and respectful state," Tignor said. "Don’t be ashamed of what God has given you to do."