Mother’s Milk
Adding to his work around Mental Health awareness, Nicky’s latest image is a striking and poignant addition to his ongoing project. Focusing on postnatal depression, Nicky speaks candidly about the idea behind this latest image and draws from his experiences.
“Postnatal depression is a very sad and lonely time for sufferers, which I witnessed myself through my wife’s experience after the birth of our firstborn 15 years ago. This shot was inspired by the dreamlike delirium my wife suffered. The lack of sleep, mixed with that overwhelming feeling of love, she found herself engulfed in the constant fear for our baby’s safety and her newfound responsibility.
At the tender age of 24, the unplanned arrival was life-changing. For a while, my wife lost herself. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. She was young and inexperienced, and family and friends would bombard her with advice - some of which would fight against her motherly instinct. That period was a real marathon of emotions for her, and we both felt overwhelmed at times, but ecstatic with the arrival of our tiny son. Our friend Scarlett who features in this picture had recently come to visit. For most of the day, her baby was on the boob - relentlessly feeding. Despite Scarlett’s carefree spirit, she was exhausted, she looked at me with a tired smile and asked, “when will it end?”.
The very next day I woke up still connected to the feeling of what Scarlett was going through. She was ok, but not ok. She was battling love, exhaustion and the loss of self. I called Scarlett and asked if she would feature in the project - breastfeeding her son Gabriel, whilst sitting in a fridge full of milk! "Of course," was her emphatic response. I knew I had the perfect mother and child to help tell this story. Thank you, Scarlett. This picture has so much depth and detail, I hope that people can connect with it. It was a joy to make.”
