Grateful for the Journey: Reflecting on Your Breastfeeding Story This Thanksgiving
By Ileana Berrios, MS, IBCLC
As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us feel a natural pull to slow down, breathe a little deeper, and take inventory of the moments that have shaped us this year. For parents on a breastfeeding or pumping journey, this season offers a beautiful opportunity to reflect—not on perfection, but on growth, resilience, and the small but meaningful moments that make this path uniquely yours.
Breastfeeding is not just about feeding. It’s about connection, courage, patience, and learning to trust both your body and your baby. No matter how your journey looks, you deserve space to honor it.
Honoring Your Body and the Work It Has Done
Your body has been working continuously—sometimes joyfully, sometimes painfully—to nourish your baby. Whether you've navigated latch issues, flange sizing challenges, supply concerns, pumping schedules, or postpartum healing, there is something powerful about acknowledging everything your body has contributed.
This Thanksgiving, place a hand on your chest and simply thank your body for what it has done. Maybe you produced ounces; maybe you produced drops. Every bit of effort reflects devotion and love. Gratitude isn’t about reaching a milestone—it’s about honoring the journey.
Finding Gratitude in the Bond You’re Building
Feeding your baby—through nursing, pumping, bottle feeding, or a combination—is full of tiny moments that are easy to overlook in the busyness of life. Your baby’s sleepy smile after feeding, the warmth of skin-to-skin contact, or the quiet closeness during nighttime feeds are worth holding onto.
These small pieces of connection are often the ones parents remember years later. Take time this season to recall a moment from your feeding journey that made you feel deeply connected to your baby. Those memories are gifts worth celebrating.
Recognizing the Growth That Came From Hard Days
Breastfeeding doesn’t always match the image we see online. It can involve tears, troubleshooting, unexpected setbacks, and a lot of learning. This season, give yourself permission to acknowledge those hard days—not as failures, but as chapters filled with strength.
Maybe you found the courage to ask for help. Maybe you learned how to pump more efficiently, found a better flange size, navigated a NICU stay, or pushed through a difficult growth spurt. These experiences shape you as a parent and highlight your resilience. Gratitude can coexist with exhaustion, and it can help bring perspective to everything you’ve overcome.
Appreciating the People Who Have Supported You
Behind every breastfeeding journey is a village—some large, some small, but always meaningful. Partners who wash pump parts, friends who check in, doulas and IBCLCs who guide with compassion, nurses who cheer you on, family members who hold the baby while you shower—these supporting hands matter.
Thanksgiving is a natural moment to recognize the people who made your journey feel a little lighter. Even a small acknowledgment, a thank-you message, or a mental note of appreciation can deepen the gratitude you feel this season.
Being Present With the Season You’re In
Each stage of feeding—newborn snuggles, cluster feeding marathons, distracted nursing, pumping while returning to work, or preparing for weaning—carries its own rhythm. Some days feel long; some feel like they’re gone in a blink.
This Thanksgiving, pause to ask yourself: What part of this season will I want to remember?
Maybe it’s the way your baby pauses mid-feed to look directly into your eyes. Maybe it’s the pride you feel as your supply grows stronger. Maybe it’s the comfort your baby finds in your arms, no matter how feeding happens.
These moments are fleeting, but they are also grounding, meaningful, and worth holding onto.
Gratitude for the Decisions That Protected Your Well-Being
Every parent makes choices that reflect their family’s needs—some planned, some unexpected. Perhaps you supplemented when it felt right, decided to exclusively pump, mixed feeding methods, sought extra support, or stopped earlier or continued longer than you imagined.
Whatever your path, it was shaped by love, effort, and thoughtful decisions. You can be grateful for the way you adapted, protected your mental health, and supported your baby in the best way you knew how.
A Thanksgiving Message for Every Parent
No matter how your breastfeeding journey began, where it is today, or where it leads next, this Thanksgiving is your invitation to pause and honor it.
Honor the small victories.
Honor the hard-won progress.
Honor the love that fuels every feeding decision.
Your journey is uniquely yours—and it is worthy of gratitude.
This season, may you feel proud, supported, and deeply appreciated for everything you do. Happy Thanksgiving from one parent to another, and from one heart to yours.