37 Comments
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Selene's avatar

Thank you, Violet, for creating such important space 🙏🏻 Here is to Motherhood becoming mainstream 💪🏻

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Violet Carol's avatar

Thank YOU for sharing your pub with me so I could include you! And yes to that 💌

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Ellie Nova's avatar

Thank you Violet for gathering these stories together - it is so moving to read them and everyone's different experiences, as well as the similarities. Thank you for sharing my words here; it means a lot.

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Violet Carol's avatar

Absolutely, I cried reading the post in its entirety; feeling rly grateful for everyone's openness and I'm so glad you contributed. You are so welcome!! 💌

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Meredith's avatar

I loved reading through these ❤️ it’s truly wild how the BF experience is so different for everyone, and yet there are so many common threads. Mothers are superheroes 💪🏼

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Violet Carol's avatar

Totally, and I had NO clue until I gave birth. I hope this post finds more women in pregnancy - mothers are indeed superheroes 💌

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Charlotte Stephens's avatar

You are a beautiful soul for putting together this post. I am currently recovering from possibly the worst mastitis I've had and let me tell you the doctors had absolutely no idea what to do with me. It was horrifying to see (AGAIN) how clueless medical professionals are when an issue is "feeding related" and I was given frankly dangerous advice on how to manage my symptoms. One nurse even told me as I was discharged from hospital "maybe wait 24 hours until you feed again" - luckily I have experience working with new mums as well as having researched these things myself, so knew what I actually needed to do.

Anyway, your post made me cry. Thank you for writing it x

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Violet Carol's avatar

Gosh the "medical system is harmful to women and mothers" topic is a whole other can of worms. I am SO sorry you had horrible mastitis again, it's unbelievable that you weren't able to get the proper help. It shouldn't be on you alone to figure out.

YOU make me cry with your beautiful words and I so hope you're feeling better. You're a superwoman! 💌

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Meredith's avatar

So so so so so sorry to hear you have mastitis (again!). It literally pains me to read it. It is the absolute worst thing.

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Wildy Nurtured's avatar

This is so helpful to read. I just wrote a piece this week about my conflicting emotions about my breastfeeding journey coming to an end. So helpful to read other mums’ experiences.

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Violet Carol's avatar

I'm so glad it spoke to you, I'm going to read your piece shortly! Thanks for sharing ❤️

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Ashton's avatar

Thank you for creating a space for moms to share their experiences — I truly loved reading each story. I’m 2 months postpartum with my second and this breastfeeding journey is wildly different than with my first. Mothers are magical.

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Violet Carol's avatar

Thank you so much for this comment! All of these stories made me cry a little 🥹 Kudos to you on your second round, I hope you feel comfortable and empowered this time around despite it being so different than the first 🫶🏼

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Danusia Malina-Derben's avatar

Loved this so much. I realised the other week that I’ve been silent about feeding my ten children. So I wrote a piece especially focused on feeding my youngest, who are triplets. Everyone said it was impossible esp as they were micro preemies.

This is a crucial topic, kudos for this awesome collective focus 🙏🏻

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Violet Carol's avatar

Heading over to your page to read tonight! TEN children, WOW. Incredible, I am so impressed by that truly. Thank you for this kind comment 🫶🏼

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Danusia Malina-Derben's avatar

Ha, yes—ten. A wild, deliberate, and deeply proud life choice (with no returns policy). Delighted you’re popping by—I’ve got my eye on your work too…👯‍♀️

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Violet Carol's avatar

INCREDIBLE ❤️

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Amber Adrian's avatar

This is a beautiful effort. 👏🏼✨ Important for us to be talking together as women in a world that is so very anti-woman.

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Violet Carol's avatar

Absolutely!! Substack has been very inspiring for this collective writing/reading community that’s being curated online 🥹

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CP's avatar

Beautiful, what a wonderful collaboration. We are all in this together.🥹🫶❤️

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Violet Carol's avatar

Thank you so much! We rly are 🥹❤️

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Amanda Aaron 🇨🇦's avatar

For any mama's reading through these comments, Lactation Consultants can make or break your experience. My friend, Jessica Bell, is absolutely amazing. She's located in the Greater Vancouver area in BC, Canada, but if you need support and aren't local, I still recommend you reach out to her. Here's her website if you're curious: https://connectingpostpartum.com/about-me/

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Violet Carol's avatar

Oh AMAZING — thank you for posting her info!!! I’m going to keep her contact if I have Baby #2 🫶🏻

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Amanda Aaron 🇨🇦's avatar

This is absolutely incredible, Violet. What a resource! And how cool to see all these stories back to back.

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Violet Carol's avatar

Thank you so much! I was floored at how many stories were sent in, rly cool 🥹❤️

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Amy's avatar

I really enjoyed reading these stories and I found bits of my breastfeeding experience in all of them! Thank you so much for this project. It needs to be talked about SO MUCH MORE!!

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Violet Carol's avatar

I'm so happy to hear you resonated with it! I found myself in so many as well; and it encouraged me to try again if I ever have a second baby. To more breastfeeding stories!! 💌

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Get Off My Back!'s avatar

The beginning to stopping the secrecy that surrounds breastfeeding right here. Thank you for putting together such a valuable resource to have so many iterations, different angles, real life experiences.

It’s been a pleasure to be included too.

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Violet Carol's avatar

Yesssss. So so grateful to you for letting me link your pub and for sharing your story as well; to stopping the secrecy!! 💌

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Kasey Butcher Santana's avatar

Thank you for assembling this treasure trove! Reading everyone's stories was such an emotional experience and took me back to this sweet but intense time in my relationship with my child.

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Violet Carol's avatar

I was floored how many subs came in, I cried reading all of them! So glad you enjoyed it as well 💌

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Julie Laufer's avatar

Thank you so much for putting this together and for creating space for these stories. It’s an honor to be included alongside such thoughtful and honest reflections. Writing this piece led me to explore my experience even more deeply, and I ended up expanding on it in a longer reflection (https://www.thismightbecringe.com/p/54-weeks-of-breastfeeding). Grateful for this opportunity and for all the voices shared in this collection 🫶

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Violet Carol's avatar

This makes me SO happy to hear and I'm glad you shared yours!! Still haven't had time to dive into your post but it's on my "bedtime relax" to do list hehe 💌

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Kiya Taylor's avatar

Oh my, what a beautiful thing this is. Such amazingly honest stories. I want to pour a cup of tea and keep coming back to this to be reminded just how extraordinary mothers are. Thank you for doing this, and thank you for including me xx

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Violet Carol's avatar

Same!! Thank you so much again for sharing your story, your joyful experience has rly inspired me to try again if I ever have a second baby 💌

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