My breastfeeding chapter has finally come to a close: I weaned my third and last baby girl. After spending the last SIX years straight either pregnant and/or breastfeeding, this is a huge transition. My breastfeeding journey inspired me to create Lunnie, which has definitely added to the emotions. But like everything in motherhood, one season has passed and another is beginning.
I think back to my early days breastfeeding my first daughter in 2018. Whatever preconceived notions I had about breastfeeding feeling "natural" were quickly debunked. She had jaundice so I endured triple feedings around the clock for weeks. I pumped extra milk to build a frozen stash for when I returned to work. But as exhausted as I was, we eventually found our groove. Breastfeeding became easier and I grew to love the bonding time with my daughter.
My second daughter was born in 2020 and while breastfeeding came more easily, she had horrible reflux. She would spit up after every feed so I breastfed her constantly as she was always hungry. When she was five months old and I was in the throes of postpartum during the pandemic, I had my lightbulb moment to create a leakproof nursing bra. I formed a community of moms as I tested my prototypes, in part because I desperately needed a community myself. This idea quickly became an obsession and Lunnie was born.
I launched Lunnie in March 2022 and gave birth to my third daughter in June 2022. It was a whirlwind launching a company and giving birth near the same time, but I was so passionate about Lunnie's product and mission that it didn't (usually) feel like work. It was surreal giving birth to my daughter and then nursing her at the hospital in the very Lunnie bra I had created. Thankfully, my third was easier to breastfeed although we had some bumps along the way (hello, mastitis).
I nursed my first daughter for 18 months and my second daughter for 19 months. I had planned to wean my third daughter around the same time, but she had other plans. She was my most attached child to breastfeeding by far, so I ended up nursing her until 21 months. I had several teary-eyed nursing sessions thinking it was the "last" one, until one random Tuesday it finally was.
While this chapter closing is bittersweet, I am very excited to have my body and freedom back. My second and third daughters refused bottles (perhaps due to being pandemic babies and me always being home). This meant I was always nearby, never gone for more than two hours at a time. After almost 5 years of breastfeeding, I'm ready for my next chapter.
My breastfeeding chapter may be over, but Lunnie lives on. These nightgowns are sewn from the same fabric used in my first Lunnie production run. Thanks to my sweet mom for sewing these for my three daughters!
I am so grateful for my breastfeeding journey with my three daughters. For all the middle of the night feeds and tears of exhaustion, there was joy and bonding. I'm thankful for the time and support I had to make breastfeeding successful. (Because we know it takes a village!). How you feed your baby is a very personal choice and moms should never feel shamed.
A few months ago, I held a Lunnie Fitting Party at a local shop for moms to try on my latest Lunnie bras and give feedback. We jammed to Usher music, drank wine, and laughed tons. Never in my wildest dreams could someone have told me as a first-time mom crying over triple feeds that one day I would invent a nursing bra and create a community around it. That breastfeeding and postpartum could be fun when you do it alongside other moms.
So thank YOU for being part of my village that supported my breastfeeding journey. Thanks to my daughters, my husband, and my own mom for helping me through the tough times. And a big thank you to my body for growing and nourishing my three daughters.
Now the big question is am I still wearing my Lunnie bra? Absolutely! It's still my favorite bra, breastfeeding or not. It's comfortable, flattering, and truly built to last. So whether your breastfeeding journey lasts days, weeks, months, or years - Lunnie always has your back.
Because I'm a data gal, here's my breastfeeding stats. The time women spend breastfeeding is tremendous - almost the equivalent of a full time job.
58 months (18 for my 1st, 19 for my 2nd, and 21 for my 3rd)
4.8 years
8,640 hours (4.8 x 1800/average hours per year)
360 days straight of breastfeeding
Xx,
Sarah
Founder & CEO of Lunnie