While walking in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search fashion show on Sunday night, model Mara Martin strutted down the runway in a sparkly gold bikini while breastfeeding her 5-month-old daughter. The proud mother was one of 16 finalists selected from an open casting call to take part in the runway show as part of Miami Swim Week.
– A model taking part in a Sports Illustrated swimwear fashion show stole the spotlight with one of the most unusual runway walks ever. Mara Martin strutted during Miami Swim Week while breastfeeding her 5-month-old daughter, reports People. In a video clip, you can hear the audience cheering when they realize what's happening. (The baby is wearing protective ear muffs.) “I can’t believe I am waking up to headlines with me and my daughter in them for doing something I do every day,” wrote Martin on Instagram after the weekend show. “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," wrote Martin, who was one of 16 models chosen to take part in the show at W South Beach hotel from an open casting call. Sports Illustrated swimsuit editor MJ Day says it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. "When I was talking with the girls backstage prior to the show beginning, I saw that Mara's baby was sleeping and peacefully nursing," she tells Sports Illustrated. "I asked Mara if she would want to walk and continue to nurse. She said 'Oh my gosh, yes!'"