August is one of my favorite months. Not only is it the national month dedicated to breastfeeding awareness, but it also carries so many personal milestones for me. I had my first son and my first daughter in August.
As I look back on my own journey, I can see just how life-changing and beautiful the gift of breastfeeding truly is. As we close out August, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the beauty and the benefits of breastfeeding.
When I say breastfeeding is beautiful, I don’t mean it’s always easy. In fact, I often remind moms that breastfeeding is probably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. But just like the hardest parts of life, it is also one of the most rewarding.
There Are No “Non-Benefits”
I’ve said it countless times:
there are no negative sides to breastfeeding.
The only “downside” is that it requires you, the mother, to commit.
Everything else about it is pure gift — for your baby, your health, your emotional well-being, and even your spiritual life.
Science continues to back up what mothers have always known: breastmilk is priceless.
It is the perfect food for your baby, uniquely created for them at each stage of development.
It’s loaded with antibodies, supports healthy brain growth, lowers risks of allergies, obesity, and diabetes, and even protects your own health as a mother well into your postmenopausal years.
One study I love to share is that breastfeeding for a year improves a mother’s cardiovascular health by 15% later in life.
That means those long nights and tired days actually prepare you for stamina in your grandmother years — the years when you want to be running around joyfully with your grandkids. God, in His wisdom, provides long-term blessings through our present sacrifices.
The Struggles Are Real — And Normal
But let’s be honest: those early days can feel like an uphill battle.
New moms often expect breastfeeding to come naturally, and when it doesn’t, the frustration can be overwhelming. I’ve sat with countless mothers who have cried, feeling like failures because the latch wasn’t working or the baby wasn’t feeding on schedule.
Here’s the truth: the trying is the doing. Every attempt, even the ones that don’t seem “successful,” are part of learning the skill. Just like walking or talking, breastfeeding is something mother and baby learn together. And it’s normal to stumble before finding your rhythm.
I remind moms that even when a feed doesn’t go as planned, that’s not failure. It’s part of the process. Skin-to-skin contact, patience, and persistence are powerful tools. Babies want to eat. They will learn. And you will learn too.
Breastfeeding and Faith: The Narrow Gate
Something I’ve discovered is how much breastfeeding parallels the life of faith. Jesus told us to take the narrow road — the harder way — because it leads to life. Breastfeeding is like that. It isn’t the easy road, but it’s the life-giving one.
In faith, there are days when prayer feels effortless and days when it feels like a heavy burden. In breastfeeding, some feeds feel natural and smooth, while others feel like an impossible chore. Both journeys ebb and flow. But both build resilience, patience, and deeper love when we keep going.
It’s no coincidence that breastfeeding requires sacrifice. It is a daily act of love that mirrors the sacrificial love Christ calls us to. Every time a mother chooses to nurse her baby — tired, sore, or discouraged — she is living out that call to self-gift.
Lessons in Motherhood
One of the most beautiful aspects of breastfeeding is how it teaches you to mother. Nursing forces you to sit down, to slow down, and to bond with your child. In a world that tells us to be constantly busy and productive, breastfeeding reminds us that sometimes the most important task is simply to be present.
It also teaches boundaries. A newborn and a toddler nurse differently, and learning to navigate those needs shows a mother how to guide with love and wisdom. Nursing a toddler through a meltdown or a scraped knee becomes a way to offer emotional regulation and comfort — a tool no bottle can provide.
And here’s another hidden gift: breastfeeding rewires your brain. The oxytocin released during nursing reduces stress, increases feelings of love, and helps calm anxiety. Studies even show that it decreases the risk of postpartum depression. While it doesn’t eliminate the challenges, it equips mothers with a natural support system written into their very bodies.
The Practical Benefits
Beyond health and spiritual growth, breastfeeding has very practical perks. Formula is expensive, and preparing bottles in the middle of the night can be exhausting. Nursing, by contrast, is ready to go anytime, anywhere. Mothers who breastfeed actually average 45 more minutes of sleep per night compared to those who formula feed, simply because they can nurse in bed or sideline safely with their babies.
Traveling with a nursing baby is also far simpler than lugging bottles, formula, and warm water through airports. I’ll never forget the difference between traveling with bottles and traveling while nursing — it was night and day.
Breastfeeding Builds Resilience
Parenting is the hardest job I’ve ever had, and breastfeeding is one of the ways God prepares us for the long road ahead. Those long nights, those tears of frustration, those moments when you wonder if you can keep going — they all build resilience.
And resilience is what motherhood requires. Every challenge you overcome in nursing strengthens you for the bigger challenges that will come as your child grows. Breastfeeding teaches you patience, creativity, problem-solving, and the kind of grit that will serve you through all of parenting.
A Tool for Every Mother
Not every mother’s breastfeeding journey looks the same. Some will exclusively breastfeed for years. Some will pump. Some will struggle and need supplements. Some may stop sooner than they hoped. But wherever your story lands, remember: breastfeeding is a tool, not a test. It doesn’t define your worth as a mother, but it can equip you with unique gifts if you are able to do it.
I want to say clearly: this is not about judgment. This is about encouragement. If you couldn’t breastfeed or didn’t, that doesn’t diminish your love or your motherhood. But if you are in the middle of the struggle, I want to remind you: the benefits are worth it. Your sacrifice is holy.
Love Is Never Wasted
Mother Teresa once said, “Love is never wasted.” That is the heart of breastfeeding. Every feed, every quiet hour in the night, every sacrifice of your comfort for your child’s growth — it is love poured out. And love always bears fruit, even when we don’t see it right away.
So, mamas, take courage. Whether your baby is two days old or two years old, whether your journey is smooth or rocky, know that breastfeeding is a sacred act of love. It nourishes not only your baby’s body but your own heart and soul. It shapes you into the mother God has called you to be.
And most of all, remember this: you are not alone. Every mother before you has faced the same doubts, the same tears, and the same exhaustion. And every one of us can testify that it is worth it. Because breastfeeding, like love, is truly priceless.