08/06/2025
Just because breastfeeding is natural doesn’t mean it comes naturally!
It’s a learned skill (for you AND baby), and like anything new, it takes time, support, and some good old fashioned perseverance, especially through those first couple weeks. Breastfeeding is WORK.
I had no idea what I was doing with my first... but I leaned hard on the IBCLCs around me and with a lot of support and reassurance from them, my partner, my own mom, and mostly a lot of other moms who had been through it before, we found our way.*
*Until that 4ish month hump when my supply seemed to tank. I blew through the freezer stash, tried all the pumping tricks, changed up my routines and near-militantly convinced myself that "I could do it without formula." I put so much pressure on myself, both consciously and subconsciously, that I later realized was a significant contributor to some pretty heavy untreated postpartum anxiety.
I had it etched in my head that breast was best, and that I was made to do this, and that I had been doing it already so then shouldn't I be able to keep it up?!
Yes, our bodies are designed to feed our young, and yes, there are many amazing and unparalleled (evidence backed!) benefits to breastfeeding for both baby AND mom... but just because I had been doing it for months already did NOT mean I needed to continue to exclusively breastfeed to the detriment of my health. A fed baby is best. A mom who prioritizes her own well-being (for the sake of her baby's... and herself) is best.
I'm here to support you no matter what your feeding method or journey is. Studies show that when parents feel supported (especially in the early days), they’re more likely to reach their feeding goals — whatever those look like.
So I guess my message for is: try to learn about breastfeeding before birth: take a class, read about it, podcast it, ask people about it who have done it (most are eager to give you the need-to-know details). 💛 Preparing is something that IS in your control amidst all that's not.
