04/09/2026
THEN: Baby was always near mom (held, worn, or playing on the ground nearby) and the whole family worked out of the home
NOW: Swaddles, pacifiers, shushing machines, cribs, baby swings, daycare or moms at home alone with all the kids all day
TRUTH: Proximity naturally increases early responses to hunger cues and a more robust hormonal responses to infant’s needs
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THEN: Mothers watched their babies and responded accordingly
NOW: Mothers watch the clock, the scale, their friends… anything but their individual baby
TRUTH: Intuition will get you farther than textbook expectations will
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THEN: Breastfeeding = nourishment + comfort + regulation + connection
NOW: Breastmilk = one of several options that checks the box for calories, protein, carbs, fat, and vitamins
TRUTH: Breastfeeding meets multiple needs, not just nutritional ones
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THEN: Cultures had ancestral postpartum practices for recovery
NOW: “Bounce back” culture + early productivity + under-nourishment
TRUTH: Stress and depletion can disrupt the hormones of milk production and affect long-term supply
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THEN: Weaning was gradual and often child-led
NOW: Time-based milestones and external expectations
TRUTH: Relationship-led > rule-led
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THEN: Feedback loop between baby + breast
NOW: Artificial interruptions like pumps, apps, ni**le shields, trackers, supplements that draw attention away from learning your baby’s cues
TRUTH: Modern advancements can be life-saving, but they can also distract us from the human element of breastfeeding and make it needlessly complicated
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Of course the past wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but sometimes making things simpler instead of more complex is the shift we need. The basics of breastfeeding haven’t changed, but how we approach it has. Keep baby close, feed on demand, and pay attention to feedback loops before adding more things into the equation.
✨✨Comment PRENATAL if you want to prepare for breastfeeding in a way that combines maternal intuition + modern evidence for the best of both worlds✨✨
➡️ Plus, if you purchase in April, you get my postpartum cookbook for FREE 🙌🏽