An Open Letter to Moms--The Silent Struggle of Motherhood Deserves a Louder Response

A Message from the CEO of Willow during National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was confident in my feeding plan. I knew the medical guidance, and of course, I'd do what was best: I'd breastfeed my baby for the recommended year (at least). Sitting in my son's nursery a week after giving birth, with a frantic baby attempting to launch, surrounded by nursing pillows and nipple creams and burp cloths and pump parts, the reality hit me hard. This wasn't actually "natural," and no matter how many books I'd read or products I'd bought, I was fundamentally unprepared for breastfeeding. After a few weeks, we got the hang of it, but I was still stressed about my milk supply throughout. When I returned to work, everything became even harder. Pumping was time-consuming and not going well. With each passing day, I'd watch the ounces dwindle until I had to finally give up around seven months. I felt like such a failure and like my body just wasn't enough.

What I didn't know then—and what I wish someone had told me—is this: my body nourished my baby for seven months, and any failure to breastfeed beyond that wasn't mine, but a lack of systems and support to help me succeed. I wasn't broken. I was strong. What was broken was the support around me.

Unfortunately, my story is all too common.

There have been many conversations lately about how to acknowledge mothers and the hard work we do as parents. In all of those conversations about how we can support families, children, and mothers, there isn't enough talk about the actual experience of being a breastfeeding mom. Becoming a mother is a beautiful, astonishing, disruptive, and challenging transformation in a woman's life. And yet we navigate this chapter without adequate social and societal support. We are expected to nourish, bond, recover, and return to work (for many American women, just two weeks after giving birth), all while learning to be a new version of ourselves, discovering new ways our bodies function, and without the support of a village. It's become cliché to talk about how there is no village, but parenting this way is a profound loss, contributing to parental burnout, mental health disorders, and reduced breastfeeding rates. And loneliness. According to a 2024 survey by The Ohio State University, two-thirds of parents reported feeling lonely and isolated due to the demands of parenthood. Eighty-three percent of moms begin breastfeeding at birth, but within the first month, 70% encounter difficulties, including a perception of insufficient amount of milk, pain, and fatigue. Only 40% of infants born in 2021 were breastfed for the recommended year. This is a systemic failure, and it's time for change.

My company, Willow, created the first in-bra, wearable breast pump —an invention that puts women at the center of pumping. We enabled women to fit pumping into their life, rather than their life into pumping, and we've continued since our inception to build an ecosystem of products and services that honor, center, and support women in their postpartum journey.

At Willow, we believe in a different narrative. One that celebrates your strength. One that honors your body for everything it has done and everything it continues to do. One that supports you fully and without judgment. And one that provides you with the tools and guidance to live into your strength as a mother. Today, as the world kicks off Breastfeeding Awareness Month, let's flip the narrative. You brought life into the world with your body. You are strong, you are powerful. And from that essential knowledge, we can together demand a better world, not just in breastfeeding, but beyond. You deserve better.

Demanding better for women in motherhood is not just about products or individual or corporate efforts; that is why we're using our voice to advocate for structural change, pushing for paid leave, flexible work, access to childcare, and comprehensive maternal care. Because no mom should have to choose between caring for her baby, caring for herself, and keeping her job, this Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and beyond, we are continuing to move forward in building a sustainable support system for all moms and changing the narrative about motherhood.

And, if you're in the thick of it—tired, tender, questioning everything—here's your reminder:

You are not broken if you don't "figure out" breastfeeding immediately. You and your body are powerful. You are not alone, even if the village you desire is not always there. You are part of something bigger. You are not less of a breastfeeding mom if you do not have a large freezer stash or decide to combo feed. You are more than enough.

I firmly believe in the power of moms' collective voices and how rewriting the story we tell ourselves and others about motherhood can change the ways moms are honored, valued, and supported.

A new and stronger version of yourself is emerging, and I am cheering you on every step of the way, from your first drop to your last feed, and beyond.

With love and solidarity,
Sarah O'Leary
Mom of Two
CEO, Willow

About Willow
Willow Innovations, Inc. (Willow) is a mom-led company on a mission to elevate the maternal experience. Founded in 2014, Willow revolutionized the breast pump by inventing the first fully in-bra wearable breast pump in 2017. Willow forever changed how women pump with its award-winning wearable pumps—Willow 360^® and Willow Go^®—allowing for total pumping freedom, optimal output, and comfort.

Rated #1 in Customer Satisfaction among breast pumps, Willow continues to challenge the status quo of early motherhood through its pumps, pumping accessories, and advocacy work. Visit onewillow.com to learn more and join the supportive Willow community on Instagram and Facebook.

SOURCE Willow Innovations, Inc.