If this feels harder than you expected... it is not because you are doing it wrong. You are trying to mother inside a culture that does not truly support mothers. Your exhaustion makes sense. And you deserve more than being told to try harder...

If you feel both overwhelmed and strangely numb... nothing is wrong with you. Your body is trying to protect you from too much, too fast, with too little support. You are not failing. You are adapting. And that distinction matters more than you might think right now....

I'm on the couch, my son sleeping on my bare chest, my tank top splotchy with breast milk that’s leaked and dried. The living room is quiet, filtered with soft afternoon light. A breastfeeding pillow still rests across my lap from his last feed. My breakfast plate sits empty on the side table beside a half-finished cup of coffee and an empty water bottle — I never imagined being this thirsty while breastfeeding...