Breastfeeding Set Me Free

I grew up learning how to be contained.

Sit still.

Be quiet.

Make sure your skirt is long enough and 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. I learned how to accommodate even before I understood what it meant.

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

A Journey of Self-Discovery

So, I did what any woman searching for her identity 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, and to stop seeing it as something to control. Instead, I aimed to see 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.

The Power of Breastfeeding

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

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

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

Physically, mentally, and 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, and 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 did with my body that belonged to me alone. I didn’t wait for permission. I didn’t seek validation.

I fed my son—wherever, whenever, and however we needed. With each feeding, I expanded.

Yoga and Breastfeeding: A Beautiful Contrast

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, and balance.

Breastfeeding?

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

Yoga taught me that my body was powerful. Breastfeeding proved it to me.

The Power of Choosing When to Stop

I loved breastfeeding. I cherished the closeness and the connection. It healed parts of me I didn’t even know were broken.

But I also 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 ourselves. We should keep giving, keep sacrificing, and keep agreeing—even when our bodies beg us to stop. Yet, 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

Breastfeeding 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.

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 the process of weaning.

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

Ready to begin weaning with confidence and care? My Weaning With Love course is a step-by-step guide to help you stop breastfeeding gently, intuitively, and at a pace that feels right for you. You don’t have to do this alone. Join the course here.

With love,

Danielle

❤️