Image source: Getty / Disney Junior
The artist Anna Belenkiy, known on Instagram as annabelle_illustrationShe has built a following on social media for her portrayals of Disney princesses.
But her drawings show another side of fairy tales – namely, each character’s journey to motherhood after happily ever after.
Ranging from pregnancy announcements to morning sickness and cravings, the illustrations offer a different, less magical take on the daily lives of characters many of us grew up with.
One illustration in particular grabs attention because it deals with a more difficult aspect of pregnancy that many people feel shame or fear about: breastfeeding dysphoria.
In the picture, Mulan is sitting and breastfeeding a small child. There are stretch marks on her stomach and her expression is sad as a tear trickles down her face. in the caption, Belenkiy writes“This illustration is very special to me and it’s quite difficult to talk about. [As] as soon as i started breastfeeding, i suffered from depression and negative feelings about myself, motherhood and my achievements. I ended up in tears and self disappointment each time, literally thinking I was going insane. Just a few minutes after the feeding was over, I felt better.”
Belenkiy noted that she wasn’t able to name her struggle until she read an educational post about breastfeeding issues on Instagram.
Breastfeeding dysphoria — also known as dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) — is characterized by sudden negative feelings that can accompany breastfeeding. A case study published in PubMed reports that D-MER can range from nostalgia to self-loathing, occurring just before milk delivery and lasting only a few minutes after. The study suggests these feelings could be related to “an abrupt drop in dopamine when lactation is triggered.”
Although more research is needed on D-MER, a study found that up to nine percent of breastfeeding parents had D-MER, meaning people with these symptoms are not alone in their ailments. Often, just acknowledging the realities of life after childbirth—which can certainly include joy and wonder, as well as issues like postpartum depression, stress, and uneasiness—can transform a person’s attitude toward parenthood.
The reception of Belenkiy’s illustrations makes this clear. Her take on Disney princesses makes parents feel seen, understood, and less alone — and that can be incredibly powerful.