This Sports Illustrated model mama breastfeeding on the catwalk is everything 👏

When model Mara Martin was one of 16 finalists selected to walk in the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swim Search show, she was thrilled to fulfill a lifelong dream. And when she woke up the day after the show to see that she and her baby daughter had made headlines around the world, she was thrilled all over again.

Martin breastfed her 5-month-old daughter Aria while walking in the runway, and the story spread quickly.

“It is truly so humbling and unreal to say the least,” Martin wrote in an Instagram post Monday. “I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and hopefully normalize breastfeeding and also show others that women CAN DO IT ALL! But to be honest, the real reason I can’t believe it is a headline is because it shouldn’t be a headline!!! My story of being a mother and feeding her while walking is just that.”

Martin joined 15 other women of various sizes who were selected to model in the inclusive show after an open casting-call process.

SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day says the breastfeeding moment wasn’t planned in advance, but it worked out wonderfully. Day was speaking with the models backstage when she noticed Aria was peacefully nursing away. Having breastfed her own two children, Day recognized this as a powerful moment in the making, according to SI Swimsuit.

“I asked Mara if she would want to walk and continue to nurse. She said ‘Oh my gosh, yes! Really? Are you sure?’, and I said absolutely! I loved the idea to be able to allow Mara to keep nursing and further highlight how incredible and beautiful women are,” Day explained.

Martin hopes that her moment in the spotlight can help other mamas feel comfortable nursing when and where they feel like it, but she doesn’t want to overshadow some of the other women who took part in the show.

“One woman is going to boot camp in two weeks to serve our country,” she wrote. “One woman had a mastectomy ( @allynrose ), and another is a cancer survivor, 2x paralympic gold medalist, as well as a mother herself ( @bren_hucks you rock) Those are the stories that our world should be discussing!!!!”

And thanks to Martin’s powerful motherhood moment, now, people are.