My Breastfeeding Journey & Mental Health

Pursuit of Wellness

Mari Llewellyn & Pursuit Network

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Fitness

4.7 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Breastfeeding has been such a meaningful part of this season for me and it also challenged me in ways I did not expect. In this episode, I’m opening up about my breastfeeding journey and the mental load that came with it. From the early days of colostrum, cluster feeding, and pumping to navigating oversupply and constant feeding schedules, I quickly realized how much of my life started to revolve around breastfeeding. I talk about the anxiety of leaving the house, planning everything around feeds, and the pressure I put on myself to keep up. Even simple things like driving alone with Cai or going to a class felt overwhelming when I was constantly thinking about milk, timing, and whether he had enough. We also get into the emotional side of it all the guilt, the comparison, and how breastfeeding impacted my mental health more than I expected. I share what led me to introduce formula, start weaning, and how that decision helped me feel more present, balanced, and like myself again. I also touch on real-life moments, navigating outings, and the confidence that slowly comes with doing hard things for the first time as a new mom. If you’re breastfeeding, combo feeding, weaning, or just trying to figure out what works for you, I hope this episode makes you feel less alone. You’re allowed to choose what’s best for you. _____ Leave Me a Message click here! (https://sayhi.chat/pursuitofwellness) For Mari's Instagram click here! (https://www.instagram.com/marillewellyn/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU%3D) For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast's Instagram click here! (https://www.instagram.com/pursuitofwellnesspodcast/) For Mari's Newsletter click here! (https://marillewellyn.com/) For Mari's TikTok click here! (https://www.tiktok.com/@marillewellyn?lang=en) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's so easy to talk about this before you have a baby and have like,
0:04.6	oh yeah, I'm only gonna breastfeed or I'm only gonna do this.
0:07.9	I felt like every time I left the house, I was on a countdown.
0:12.8	Even though I had a freezer supply, for some reason I was so resistant of dipping into the freezer supply.
0:18.8	To me, that was like an indication that I had failed.
0:21.7	I almost felt guilty because I had a good supply,
0:24.9	but it was ruining my mental health.
0:26.8	And I was like, should I just keep going?
0:28.9	Like, is this how it should be?
0:31.1	Should I feel like this?
0:32.5	This is the Pursuit of Wellness Podcast,
0:34.7	and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn.
0:40.8	Hi, guys. Pursuit of Wellness Podcast and I'm your host, Marie Llewellyn. Hi guys, welcome back to the Pursuit of Wellness podcast.
0:45.9	Today, we're going to talk breastfeeding.
0:48.8	And I've been excited to discuss this topic.
0:52.1	I made a little post about it on Instagram in my story and I had so many
0:57.6	responses and this really is like such a big topic in the mum community I think and there's a lot of
1:04.4	like emotions around breastfeeding. There's a lot of opinions I would say. Before I get into this topic, I just want to say this is my experience.
1:14.2	And I think the reason I want to talk about it is it can feel very isolated when you're at home in your bubble in your newborn era.
1:24.4	You don't know what's, you're just like so focused on what's going on with you and baby
1:28.8	that it can feel very daunting. There's a lot of guilt involved. There's a lot of pressure involved.
1:37.2	And I think just like societal pressure too when we talk about breastfeeding. And even as I
	...

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