The Breastfeeding Journey No One Talks About: Kicking Off World Breastfeeding Week

No one really tells you how hard breastfeeding can be.

Not in the pamphlets. Not in the hospital. And not in the well-meaning social media posts with dreamy photos of peaceful nursing sessions.

No one talks about the emotional rollercoaster that can come with trying to feed your baby. About the learning curve that comes with your own body—how it changes, how it responds, how it sometimes surprises you or lets you down. No one tells you that even if you’ve done this before, baby number two, three, or four can be an entirely different experience.

No one prepares you for how a C-section—or a traumatic birth—might impact your milk supply or how you feel in your body as you try to recover while also trying to feed another human.

I’ve had the honor of nursing both of my babies, but neither journey went the way I imagined. From the struggles of tongue and lip ties to the overwhelming decision of whether to revise them. From constantly being told what I should or shouldn’t be eating to soothe my baby’s symptoms, to navigating the minefield of unsolicited advice from people who think they know better.

Learning how to breastfeed in public, managing the shamey side-eyes or “shouldn’t that baby be eating something thicker by now?” comments. Trying to keep a baby fed while building a freezer stash for going back to work—it’s a lot.

This week, in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I’ll be sharing one post each day about the messy, sacred, overwhelming, powerful journey of feeding our babies.

We’ll talk about:

• The gentle, affirming lactation consultants… and the ones who left us wondering what just happened.

• The parents who donate milk to others in need.

• The parents who donate in memory of a baby they didn’t get to keep.

• The ways we grieve, adapt, and persist.

• And the deep beauty in all of it, even the moments when we’re questioning everything.

Because breastfeeding is often glorified—but rarely honestly talked about.

So we’re going to talk about it. The real stuff. The hard stuff. The incredibly beautiful stuff.

You are not alone.

Come back each day this week as we honor every version of this journey.