Meet Valentina: Your Maternity and Newborn Photographer

It’s been 17 days since I last posted.

I had to check the date because honestly, I didn’t notice. And that’s new for me.

For years, I’ve felt the pressure to show up constantly.
To post multiple times a week.
To be visible. To prove I’m here, I’m working, I’m relevant.

But somewhere along the way, I started asking myself: is there value in posting just for the sake of posting?

If I posted every day saying “book a shoot with me,” I’d bore myself.
So how could I expect you not to be bored too?
There’s already so much noise online. And I don’t think you need mine too.

So this year, I made a choice.
To show up when I have something worth saying. To prioritise depth over frequency. To invest in myself rather than performing for an algorithm.
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve read 9 books.
I’ve studied. I’ve learned. I’ve grown.
And I feel more valuable now than I did when I was posting three times a week just to tick a box.

I’m not saying social media doesn’t matter. It does. Visibility matters.
But so does substance.
So does intention.
So does showing up because you have something real to offer, not because you’re afraid of being forgotten. And Now I’m here to drop this reflection.

I’m still here. I’m still photographing families. I’m still creating work I’m proud of.
Actually I’m more busy than usual.
I’m just not shouting about it every day anymore.

And I’m okay with that.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear it.
Because I think a lot of us are tired of the noise.

I never thought I`d see my story in Grazia.

But here it is. My journey with breastfeeding. The struggle. The guilt. The feeling of failing. And why I turned all of that into Milk Tales.

When I was breastfeeding, I felt completely alone. I thought I was the only one crying through feeds. The only one who couldn`t make it work. The only one drowning in guilt when I stopped.

But I wasn`t alone. None of us are.

That`s why I wrote this book. To collect the stories nobody tells. The truths we`re all too afraid to say out loud. The guilt, the grief, the pressure, the relief.

Because however you feed your baby is enough. And you deserve to feel supported, not judged.

If you`ve ever felt alone in your feeding journey, Milk Tales is for you.
Available on Amazon (link in bio).

Thanks to @melhunterwrites for listening to me and writing this beautiful piece and @graziauk for publish it.
Read the full Grazia article here: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/parenting/breastfeeding-guilt/

Tag a mother who needs this.

#milktales #breastfeedingjourney #motherhoodunplugged #graziamagazine