Breastfeeding Set Me Free

I grew up learning how to be contained.

Sit still.

Be quiet.

Make sure your skirt is long enough, your hair neat enough.

Don’t be too loud, too brash, too opinionated.

Shrink yourself to fit the space you’ve been given.

And for years, I listened.

I learned how to make myself smaller, how to accommodate before I even knew what that meant.

At 28, after a miscarriage and the end of a toxic marriage, I found myself standing in the rubble of the life I thought I was supposed to have. I had followed all the rules, ticked all the boxes. And yet, there I was—lost.

So I did what any woman searching for herself might do. I packed a bag, got on a plane, and flew to the foothills of the Himalayas to train as a yoga teacher.

I went looking for healing.

For meaning.

For myself.

I wanted to learn how to listen to my body. To honor it, to trust it, to stop seeing it as something to control and start seeing it as something to be in awe of.

What I didn’t know then was that my biggest teacher wouldn’t be found in a yoga studio, but in the quiet moments of early motherhood.

Because as much as yoga taught me how to love my body, breastfeeding taught me how to trust it.

Breastfeeding Taught Me How to Take Up Space

When I became pregnant again, my body grew in ways I had never allowed it to before.

And when my son arrived, breastfeeding demanded something of me that nothing else ever had—space.

Physically, mentally, emotionally.

For the first time in my life, I couldn’t make myself small. I had to take up space—with my body, with my needs, with my choices.

There was no hiding when I nursed in public. No shrinking when someone disapproved.

Breastfeeding became my rebellion. It was the first thing I ever did with my body that belonged to me alone. I didn’t wait for permission. I didn’t look for validation.

I fed my son—wherever, whenever, however we needed. And with each feed, I expanded.

Yoga Taught Me to Honor My Body. Breastfeeding Taught Me to Trust It.

In yoga, I learned to move with reverence. To see my body as a miracle—not because of how it looked, but because of what it could do.

But yoga teaches stillness. Control. Balance.

Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding was messy, raw, relentless. It was surrender. It was trust. It was giving in to the wisdom of my body without question.

Yoga taught me that my body was powerful.

Breastfeeding proved it to me.

Choosing When to Stop Was Just as Powerful

I loved breastfeeding. I loved the closeness, the connection, the way it had healed parts of me I didn’t even know were broken.

But I knew when I was done.

My baby still wanted to nurse, but I was ready to stop.

The world tells mothers that our bodies exist for everyone but us. That we should keep giving, keep sacrificing, keep saying yes—even when our bodies are begging us to stop.

But my body mattered too.

Just like I didn’t ask permission to start, I didn’t need permission to stop.

I listened.

I honored my limits.

I made the choice that was best for both of us.

Breastfeeding Set Me Free

It expanded me, when the world told me to shrink.

It grounded me, when I had spent my life making myself small.

It taught me to trust myself, when I had spent years doubting my voice.

For some, breastfeeding is just a way to feed a baby.

For me, it was a reclamation.

Because the power of breastfeeding wasn’t just in nourishing my child. It was in learning to see myself as a wonder, too.

Are You Ready to Wean? Let Me Hold Your Hand.

Breastfeeding is deeply personal, and so is weaning. If you’re feeling lost in the process, if you’re ready to move forward but aren’t sure how to do it gently, confidently, and without guilt—I have created resources to support you:

🌟 Weaning with Love Course – The step-by-step, 8-week program that helps you stop breastfeeding in a way that feels aligned, intuitive, and empowering. Join here

🌟 Weaning with Love Webinar – A one-hour deep dive into gentle weaning strategies, plus a FREE copy of my Weaning with Love guide. Watch now.

🌟 Weaning with Love Guide – A 40-page resource designed to walk you through the process smoothly. Get your copy here.

Weaning is a transition - huge one. But you don’t have to navigate it alone. Let me hold your hand.

With love,

Danielle

❤️