Milk Tales
A Journey of Motherhood and Breastfeeding
Are you breastfeeding your new baby and feeling in pain, broken, and misunderstood?
I see you. And I’m so sorry.
Thirteen years ago, I was there too. Sitting in the dark, thinking I wasn’t a good enough mum.
Crying through feeds because the pain was too sharp, and the guilt was even sharper. I didn’t know what was wrong or why it felt so hard.
If you're in that place right now, please hear this: you are not alone, and you are not broken.
You are simply trying to breastfeed in a society that doesn’t prioritise it.
A world where mothers are too often unsupported, unheard, and made to feel like they're failing, when in truth, it’s the system that’s failing you.
What Is Milk Tales?
Milk Tales is a photography and storytelling book about the unseen side of breastfeeding, the part that lives behind closed doors, beneath whispered questions, and in the hearts of mothers who were never told how hard it could be.
This book brings together portraits and personal stories from over 20 mothers. Some breastfed for years. Others struggled and looked desperately for help. Some grieved. Some healed. All of them were honest.
Through their voices and faces, Milk Tales gives shape to the tough, powerful, emotional reality of breastfeeding. The guilt, the pride. The tears, the closeness. The self-doubt, and the strength that rises quietly beneath it all.
Whether you’re in the middle of it, holding the memory of it, or supporting someone else through it, this book is for you.
What’s Inside the Book
Inside Milk Tales, you’ll find more than just stories, you’ll find reflections of yourself, your friends, your sister, your clients, or the mother you once were.
✦ Over 20 real stories of breastfeeding, from first latch to last feed, from determination to surrender
✦ Black and white portraits that capture the quiet power and vulnerability of each mother
✦ Honest words about pain, guilt, connection, identity, and the journey of becoming
✦ Creative images woven with symbolism from mirrors to plasters, milk drops to shadows
✦ QR codes throughout the book linking to behind-the-scenes videos and blog posts
You can read this book from start to finish or open it on a random page and find truth waiting for you there.
Milk Tales isn’t a guide. It’s not a how-to.
It’s a space to feel seen. To pause. To remember you’re not alone.
Why I Created This Project
Milk Tales began with my own story, 13 years ago, as a new mum in pain, convinced I was failing.
I didn’t expect breastfeeding to be easy. But I didn’t expect it to break me either.
I cried through feeds, felt guilt I couldn’t name, and longed for someone, anyone, to say, “Me too.”
That moment never came.
So I created this book. For my old self and for self-healing. For other women.
What started with one photo became a wave of stories, each one adding truth, tenderness, and strength to a narrative that’s so often left in the dark.
These mothers didn’t just sit for a portrait, they opened their hearts. They trusted me with their pain, their pride, their power.
This book is our shared space. A soft place to land. A record of what’s real.
Milk Tales will be available to order soon in paperback and ebook.
Printed in the UK. Ships worldwide.
Want to be the first to know when it launches?
Join the Launch List!
Valentina Rebeschini is an Italian-born, London-based photographer, mentor, and mother.
For over 15 years, she has captured motherhood through a simple, heartfelt lens, specialising in maternity, newborn, and women's portraiture.
Milk Tales is her first book and most personal project to date.
Follow Me
This photo? It’s actually two images merged into one.
The eye you see? Hers.
The reflection?
A moment of feeding, held in her memory and now in this frame.
It’s not just editing. It’s storytelling.
Inspired by her journey. Created from emotion.
Because photography isn’t just about what you see, it’s about what you feel.
And this? This one feels like truth.
Working from a new spot because staring at the same screen in the same room wasn’t doing me any favours.
Sometimes all it takes is a shift in perspective (and some cloud therapy)
Do you have a go-to place when your brain needs a reboot?
Drop your favourite focus spot in the comments: your garden? a café? kitchen table? I’m all ears.
Not my first time at the House of Lords… I know, I know. You’re probably thinking “Her again?!” 😅
But I promise, it never gets old.
Today was all about creativity (of course—hello, we’re talking about Adobe!), and how refreshing it is to chat with other small businesses in the creative world.
Huge thanks to the fab @adobeexpress team and @britainsmallbiz for putting together such a great course and for filling the room with so many lovely, inspiring people.
(And yes… I still take photos every single time I go!🙈)
What’s your favourite ‘pinch me’ work moment so far?
It’s hot.
It’s Friday.
And I’m spending the day not relaxing in the sun, but sweating over who’s going to print my book because Amazon KDP just isn’t cutting it.
I didn’t think this part would be so hard…
Finding someone to literally hold your story? Turns out, it’s an emotional commitment.
If you’re also spending your Friday in a plot twist you didn’t ask for, know you’re not alone.
We’ll get there. Maybe slightly late. Maybe slightly sweaty. But we will. 💪
Curious to see how this all turns out?
Tap follow or drop a 🍹 if you’re with me on your own chaotic ride.
Before they were in your arms,
they were already in your heart.
That invisible bond, the quiet connection that grows long before you meet deserves to be remembered too.
This is what I love most about maternity photography: not just capturing how it looked,
but how it felt to carry love in your body 🤍
If this speaks to you, save it or send it to someone still waiting to meet their little one.
#MaternityPhotography #PregnancyPortrait #mayernityshoot #LondonMaternityPhotographer #maternityphotosession
Nobody talks about this part of the creative process.
The part where writing a book turns into:
→ cleaning your desktop
→ questioning all your life choices
→ remembering your password for Canva (yes, again)
→ deciding to rewrite everything, which somehow turns into version 10.5.
I thought I had a plan. I set a deadline in my mind.
And now… I have a slightly-delayed book and a newfound respect for anyone who’s ever published anything ever. 😅
But you know what? I’m still showing up.
Because this project means everything to me.
Because these stories deserve to be told, even if it takes a little longer.
If you’re in your own messy middle right now… keep going.
We’ll get there. Maybe not on time. But with heart.
Curious to see the final book? Hit follow or drop a 🤍 so I know you’re with me.
#messymiddle #creativeprocesses #londonphotographer #maternityphotographer #breastfeedingbook #booksaremagic
