Moms and Midwives Pose for Cheeky Calendar to Raise Down Syndrome Awareness
A new calendar featuring two babies with Down syndrome is creating quite a stir.
Miracle in Progress, a pregnancy and scanning clinic in Leicestershire, England, recruited babies Eliza, 8 months, and Jorja, 14 months, along with their mothers and a handful of midwives to participate in the calendar shoot, which will help raise funds for the U.K.-based Down’s Syndrome Association.
In one of the shots, the ladies — and the babies — go completely nude, and in another the midwives show off their wild socks, part of a growing campaign to raise Down syndrome awareness. In other photos, both the women and the babies strike a handful of cheeky and cute poses.
Joanna Proud, the director of Miracle in Progress, told The Mighty the group spent a day with photographer Julie Moult, whose studio Jules Photography frequently works with the company.
“We laughed so much, and the babies loved it,” Proud said of the shoot. “Julie was amazing, and she even edited the calendar in just 12 hours, as we wanted it ready for Down syndrome awareness week.”
Proud has been a midwife for 12 years, and after caring for Jorja and Eliza’s mothers during their pregnancies, she said she wanted to find a way to give back. “I thought the Down’s Syndrome Association would be a great cause,” she told The Mighty. “They help families and people with Down syndrome live full and rewarding lives, and they give support and education to new parents of babies with Down syndrome. It’s really important that we help out charities like this.”
Jorja’s mother, Julia Newton Winfield, revealed that she was devastated after learning about her daughter’s diagnosis. “I didn’t deal with it well,” she told the Daily Mail. “I adored her from the moment she was born… but I couldn’t say the words [Down syndrome] without bursting into tears… The only thing holding Jorja back is us, and we are not going to do that. I hope people see the photograph and think what a lovely girl she is and how proud we are of her. She is absolutely amazing and by doing this picture we are saying [Down syndrome] shouldn’t be a taboo or a hidden subject.”
Proud added to The Daily Mail: “As midwives, we are not exactly shy of the human body but taking your clothes off for a photograph was daunting. We were worrying about our stretch marks and tan lines, and then you see Eliza and Jorja and those concerns are put into perspective.”
For more information, visit the Miracle in Progress website and be sure to check out Jules Photography on Facebook and the web as well.
h/t Bored Panda
Have you seen the first film with a national release to star a person with Down syndrome? Check out the film “Where Hope Grows” today!