Ashley Graham just had a baby, and she's already crushing it as a mom. On Tuesday, Ashley and her husband, Justin Ervin, debuted their newborn on her podcast, Pretty Big Deal. Now she's sharing a beautiful and intimate picture of her son breastfeeding with her followers on Instagram.
Breastfeeding selfies, sometimes called "brelfies" for short, are a hot-button issue! Some people love to see them, while others think it's overexposure. But one thing is for sure, Ashley is definitely embracing the motherhood experience and keeping with her tradition of sharing every bit of her journey on social media. Of course, her followers love it.
In the new Instagram photo shared on Tuesday afternoon, Ashley is holding her son, Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin. Her husband is in the photo, too, looking lovingly over his wife's shoulder as she feeds their newborn baby. It couldn't be any more swoon-worthy. It's no big surprise that the post already has more than 1.6 million likes.
Along with the beautiful picture, Ashley also shared a few words on her post. "I remember holding Isaac for the first time and telling Justin, 'Now we’re family forever.'"
It's such a sweet sentiment that all new parents can definitely relate to when they start their families.
Ashley continued, "I have so many reasons to be grateful; all of the love and support from this amazing community, an incredible husband, and a beautiful baby who has opened my eyes to just how amazing this world really is. @mrjustinervin and Isaac, thank you for being my favorite @prettybigdealpod guests so far ❤️." The post is incredibly touching, but it's also not the first glimpse we've seen of Ashley's baby.
It's only been a couple weeks since Ashley and Justin welcomed their baby, but luckily, we've been getting to see some of what's going on behind the scenes — just a little, though. Ashley shared an adorable photo of her baby's little fingers the day before her brelfie post. While Ashley has always been pretty vocal on Instagram, she hadn't shared a peek of her new baby until then.
Like many new mothers, Ashley was likely basking in the new baby bliss and enjoying staying out of the spotlight during the fourth trimester. Now she seems a bit more eager to share what's going on with her fans.
Along with the first picture she shared a little bit about her new baby. "At 6:00PM on 01/18/2020, we welcomed 7lbs 5oz of love into our world. Meeting our son has made our hearts incredibly full and we can’t wait to introduce him to you on @prettybigdealpod tomorrow," she wrote, referring to her podcast.
On the podcast, Pretty Big Deal With Ashley Graham, Ashley had a chat with her husband, Justin. They talked about the emotional birth and what it was like going through that experience together. Then they brought their baby son on camera. We got to hear his sweet little coos, and it was just too cute. You can check out the video on YouTube.
We got to learn about where Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin's name came from. Justin said he had the name in mind as a potential baby name since he was in middle school. How sweet! "I brainstormed my own name for my future son, and I knew it was gonna be Isaac," he revealed during the podcast.
The couple shared that Menelik means "son of the wise," and was the name of Ethiopia's first emperor. Ashley and Justin felt inspired to choose this name after a trip there last year. It's such a powerful name!
The Giovanni part was recommended by a friend. It's pretty well-rounded, don't you think? This third name is also a nod to Ashley's grandfather, who is named John, which is the English version of Giovanni.
Of course, not everyone loved Ashley's brelfie. This is the internet; there are always going to be a few haters out there. But hey, you can't win 'em all. Still, the comments on Ashley's post were mostly positive.
It's hard to imagine what anyone could find wrong with such a beautiful image of a mother feeding her newborn baby. More than likely, Ashley has enough to worry about that she's not too down on it. Knowing Ashley, she's pretty bold about what she puts out into the world, and she doesn't let criticism bother her. Nurse on, Ashley! And keep sharing your journey with the rest of us.
