With so many opinions out there about how—and how long—to breastfeed, it can sometimes be tricky for each individual mother to figure out what’s best. Fortunately, Sarah was able to cut through the noise and do what felt right for her and her baby. Though her journey has come with plenty of challenges, it has brought enormous rewards as well—rewards that are still sparking joy for Sarah and her family even now.

 

Not only that, but Sarah is also bringing hope to fellow mothers through her generous donations of breast milk to the Milk Bank, where it helps babies who are in the NICU. Her breastfeeding journey is directly touching the lives of families whom she has never met, but who are benefitting from her hard work, determination, and love.

 

We are incredibly grateful to Sarah for sharing part of her experiences here, where we hope that her story will inspire you just as it has inspired us. She tells it so beautifully in her own words, remaining honest about the hard parts while ultimately highlighting the wonderful parts.

 

And of course we are thrilled to have crafted a keepsake for her that she can now cherish as a physical reminder of this truly irreplaceable journey.

 

Photo of 185 Ounces Donated to the Milk Bank


Sarah’s Story

I never set a specific goal for how long I would breastfeed, just a promise to try for as long as we were both happy and thriving. And here we are, fourteen months in and still going strong.

This journey has been equal parts sacrifice and reward: cutting all dairy and soy from my diet for my son, supplementing with formula when he needed extra weight gain, enduring late nights, early mornings, a clogged duct, tender and aching moments, and even the biting stage of teething. There were times I thought our journey might be ending when work, pumping schedules, and supply worries felt like too much, but we pushed through.

 

I have pumped between meetings, in cars, and in quiet, stolen moments at work. I have cried, I have celebrated, and I have learned just how strong both my body and my heart can be. By pushing through the hardest days, I am able to provide not only for my son, but also to donate 185 ounces of breastmilk to the Milk Bank to help save the lives of NICU babies.

 

Every second, hard, beautiful, exhausting, and deeply bonding, has been worth it. And here we are, still side by side in this journey.

 

Photo of Handwritten Note


Reflections

With that final observation, Sarah has managed to put into words what so many mothers feel—that “Every second, hard, beautiful, exhausting, and deeply bonding, has been worth it.” She rightly focuses on how, despite all the difficulties, the entire journey has been completely worthwhile. Yet part of what we so admire is the way she doesn’t flinch away from talking about the lows right alongside the highs.

 

As you can see, Sarah is honest about how her decision to breastfeed has involved sacrifice, from powering through sleep-deprived nights to giving up all dairy and soy from her own diet. When she needed to return to work, she carved out time to pump between meetings and even in her car. When her son needed to gain a bit more weight, she supplemented with formula because that’s what was needed.

 

And when Sarah took a step back and thought about her larger community, she decided to use her breast milk not only to nourish her own son, but to help save the lives of babies in the NICU by donating to the Milk Bank. At the time we are sharing this story, Sarah has donated an impressive 185 ounces of breast milk. And after fourteen months, her breastfeeding journey has not yet come to an end.

 

Like so many of us, there were times when Sarah found herself wondering whether all the physical, emotional, and logistical challenges might bring this particular chapter of her story to a close. But she did not yet feel ready to say goodbye to that uniquely rewarding phase of motherhood. And so she dug deep and figured out how to keep on going.

 

 

No doubt when she and her son are finally ready to move on to another stage of mother-child bonding, Sarah will do so with the grace, strength, and generosity of spirit that she has shown on every step of their journey so far. And she will always be able to remember those precious steps with a personalized memento that has been lovingly created just for her.

 

 

“Nothing can ever “Thank you for taking the time to create something beautiful to honor and remember my breastfeeding journey. I can’t wait to proudly wear my rings!” Sarah Summertake away the bond that was forged.”