Shannon Sarna, editor of The Nosher, contributor to Kveller, and author of “Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More,” is an awesome Jewish mom who wants to normalize and de-stigmatize breastfeeding. Recently, Sarna was featured in Glamour’s roundup of moms breastfeeding, proving that moms can breastfeed anywhere — in her photo, she was rendering shmaltz–which is like the super-Jewy chicken-fat version of lard, basically.
I asked Shannon her thoughts on posing for the photoshoot, and she told me that while breastfeeding isn’t easy, it’s also part of her life:
“Nursing isn’t easy, and my road to breastfeeding my two daughters had a rocky start like many mothers. Both my girls were tongue tied, and had minor surgery to alleviate the issue and allow them to nurse more effectively (and relieve my bleeding nipples). With each it was a good 6-8 weeks before I was able to consistently and comfortably nurse them.
So sharing photos of my real life–schmaltz or no schmaltz–fills me with pride. There’s that saying, anything that is worth doing isn’t easy; and nursing is that–it takes dedication and sometimes a lot of hard work. But for me it was worth it. And how many people can claim they have rendered schmaltz while nursing an infant?!”
Take a peek into Shannon’s life, which is full of love, kids, and nosh on her Instagram:
