Two Mums, Triplets and a Toddler: Johanna King's Nursing Photos

Johanna King's Portraits of a Breastfeeding Family

Dublin photographer Johanna King spent a year photographing breastfeeding mothers at home, and one session stood out: Cliona and Sue, a married couple who were both nursing their children. Sue was feeding six-month-old triplets, often two at a time, while Cliona nursed their toddler daughter, Aoife. King's photos show four children, two mothers and one busy living room, and they were picked up by HuffPost in February 2017, where they reached readers around the world.

Below is the story behind the pictures, the feeding problems the couple had to overcome, and some background on what makes breastfeeding multiples possible.

A photo project about ordinary feeding days

King, herself a breastfeeding mother, photographed about ten nursing families in 2016. Rather than a studio, she worked in their own homes, aiming to capture feeding as it really happens: on sofas, on the floor among toys, between nappy changes and cups of tea.

She met Cliona and Sue through Cuidiú, an Irish volunteer charity that supports parents from pregnancy through the early years, including breastfeeding classes, peer groups and one-to-one help from trained counsellors. When King suggested a session at their house, the couple agreed straight away.

She later described the atmosphere as relaxed from the start: I felt instantly welcome when Cliona opened the door, and I believe they felt at ease too.

Two mothers, four children

The family's set-up is unusual. Cliona gave birth to their first child, Aoife. Sue later gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls. Each mother breastfeeds the children she carried, and Cliona can step in to feed the triplets when needed.

That flexibility turned out to be practical rather than symbolic. If one of the babies had a hospital appointment, Cliona could take them and settle them at the breast without packing bottles of expressed milk. Sue, by her own account, still did nearly all of the triplets' feeds. Aoife was once offered a feed by Sue and declined, reportedly because it tasted "too spicy".

During the two-hour shoot, King watched Sue work through a careful rotation, nursing two babies together and then switching so that each of the three got its turn. At six months the triplets were exclusively breastfed, and King estimated Sue had barely half an hour in a whole day and night without a baby feeding. The photographer also noticed how much help Sue had from Cliona and from her own mother.

The hard start: tongue-tie, prematurity and mastitis

Neither mother found breastfeeding easy at first, and their experience is a useful reminder that early problems do not always mean the end of nursing.

Cliona and Aoife. When Aoife was born, she could not latch well and Cliona switched to formula. Once Aoife was diagnosed with a tongue-tie, lactation consultants helped Cliona rebuild her milk supply, a process known as relactation, and she was able to go back to breastfeeding.

Sue and the triplets. The triplets arrived two months early and spent about a month in hospital, where staff wanted feeds measured closely. Sue pumped milk around the clock while recovering from a caesarean, coping with badly damaged nipples and, at one point, mastitis, a painful breast inflammation that can come with fever. All three babies also turned out to have tongue-tie. With time and support she moved from pumping to nursing all three directly.

What is tongue-tie?

Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) means the band of tissue under the tongue is short or tight, which can limit how far the tongue moves. In some babies it makes latching difficult and causes sore nipples; in others it causes no trouble at all. A small procedure called a frenotomy can release the band. Research on when it helps is mixed, so the decision is best made with a midwife, lactation consultant or doctor who has examined the baby.

Can you really breastfeed triplets?

Yes, though it takes planning, stamina and help. Milk supply largely follows demand: the more milk is removed, by a baby or a pump, the more the body tends to make. That is why many mothers of twins and some mothers of triplets manage to feed them all, at least partly at the breast.

A few points that come up again and again for parents of multiples:

Tandem feeding saves time. Nursing two babies at once, as Sue did, roughly halves the hours spent feeding. Pillows and positions such as the "football hold" make it easier.
Rotation matters. With three babies and two breasts, parents often rotate who feeds first or which side each baby gets, so every baby gets enough and supply stays balanced.
Combination feeding is still feeding. Many families mix breast milk, expressed milk and formula. Cliona summed up their own choice simply: breastfeeding was the best way for their family, not the only right way.
Support makes the difference. Groups like Cuidiú, lactation consultants and practical help at home are often what keeps breastfeeding going.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding alongside other foods to two years or beyond, but families' circumstances vary widely. Any worries about a baby's weight, feeding or a mother's health are best taken to a midwife, health visitor or doctor.

How two mothers can both nurse

People are often curious about how a mother who did not give birth to a baby can still breastfeed. Cliona had already been nursing Aoife, so her milk supply was established. Lactation can also be started without a recent pregnancy, a process called induced lactation, using breast stimulation, pumping and sometimes medication under medical supervision. Adoptive mothers and some co-mothers in same-sex couples use it so that both parents can feed their baby. It is a medical decision that should be made with a doctor or lactation specialist.

Heartwarming Photo Series Of Mothers Breastfeeding Their Four Children

Aoife, the couple's older daughter, nursing during Johanna King's session at the family's home in Dublin, with Cliona's arm wrapped around her.

Why the photos struck a chord

The couple were delighted with the results. Cliona said the pictures captured the real feel of their home: I think they reflect what our house is like ― the madness and sheer chaos of it. She added that in the middle of exhaustion it is easy to forget the lovely moments, and the photos would help them remember the time when the children were tiny.

She also hoped other parents would see two things: that feeding triplets at the breast can be done if you keep at it, and that a family can be happy even when the house is untidy and nobody has had time to wash their hair. For King, the purpose of her work is to help nursing mothers feel proud of what they are doing and to let viewers feel the love in each home.

Cliona's own reflection was perhaps the most telling. Both she and Sue had underestimated how much breastfeeding would change them: Before we had children, we just viewed it as ‘food,’ but it is so much more than that.

The series is part of a wider shift toward showing everyday family life without polish, much like the honest pictures in Parenting in Pictures: The Funny, Messy Everyday Moments.