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Your trusted companion on the journey of nurturing and nourishing your little one. We understand that breastfeeding is a unique experience for every family, filled with joys and challenges alike. Our mission is to provide you with evidence-based information, practical advice, and a supportive community to empower you in your breastfeeding journey.
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The Leaky Boob
The Leaky Boob is a resource centered around baby and toddler feeding and throughout the entire parenting journey run by a lactation educator and parenting and relationship coach.
Check out our sister podcast: For Tits and Giggles.
If you’ve been struggling the last several days and aren’t sure why, you’re not alone.![]()
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I was in a funk this past weekend. Not my usual “too much to do, not enough time and I just want to relax” kind of weekend funk typical for how full my life is with kids, running a business, family activities, and house stuff. This funk was different. I was more drained, vacillating between almost an emptiness of nothing, brain fog and lack of focus, and overwhelming conflicting emotions of rage and grief and hopelessness and an urge to smash things (particularly the patriarchy).![]()
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I realized why on Sunday.![]()
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The Cornell 7- 2 expelled, the rest had to write essays. Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, Scott Kretzschmar. ![]()
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And that guy on the United Airlines flight that fiddled his sausage while seated next to a woman. ![]()
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And that football player at LSU who had his Title IX suspension reduced. ![]()
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And the 14yo boy with a restraining order after plunging a knife into a 14yo girl 10 times because she broke up with him.![]()
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And the other stories of SA against women and the lack of accountability for the perps. ![]()
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Again. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.![]()
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The fatigue that comes with this permeates my entire being. I feel like I ran up 10 flights of stairs just writing that.![]()
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Weariness.![]()
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Weariness that won't stop me.![]()
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I won’t look away. I won’t ignore it. I won’t let it take me. I won’t stop being informed. I won’t give up. I won’t let it deaden me inside. I won’t stop being aware. I won’t stop speaking out. I won’t stop believing that better is possible. I won’t despair. I won’t stop fighting. I won’t stop feeling.![]()
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And I won’t let it consume me. It will burn me, it is wearying but it won’t take over.![]()
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That’s why I’m so tired. It is why I was (am?) in a funk. Why I’m distracted, worn out, exhausted, melancholy, avoidant, unmotivated, hungry AND nauseated at the same time, foggy-headed… and also wanting to cuddle my kids, eat some chocolate, and watch Bluey.![]()
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Because through it all I must still function. Not only function but function with clarity, peace, joy, love, and connection. for my children, for my students, for my clients, and for me. As I hear that yet again women aren’t safe in the world and men so often aren’t held accountable for how they are unsafe for women, I have to make dinner, teach, help my children with their homework, play with my toddler, cuddle my sick 6 year old, pay my bills, grocery shop, find a new childcare provider, cheer at my kid’s soccer game, show up for work, and function. Even as my entire body aches with the fatiguing knowledge of how moving through this world as a woman is dangerous because of men and the men that would never do it are complicit because they also don’t speak up to stop it, step in to end it, don’t prosecute it, and far too often say things like “we need to wait for the whole story… fact matter… what was her part in it… was she drinking… how short was her skirt… why did she go there in the first place…”![]()
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***Note: if you are reading this and are a man that doesn’t see himself reflected here and you’re offended, take a deep breath and please tap into that inner manly confidence that is preached about and just be secure enough to know that this isn’t about you so don’t go making it about you. Us women have enough to handle without having to manage your feelings for you too.***![]()
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I’m not alone in this. Women all over are experiencing stress reactions, trauma triggers, unexplainable fatigue, sadness, dissociating, weariness, rage, burnout, hopelessness, fury, exasperation, shutting down, brain fog, and a desire to lock our door and go to bed that flips to burning anger to storm our legislator offices and call the president of Cornell repeatedly demanding accountability.![]()
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We’re not all the same, some barely notice anything, others are struggling to get out of bed. But on some level, most women I know are feeling it in some way.![]()
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Somehow though, it can feel so lonely.![]()
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I see you.![]()
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To the woman nursing her baby and having a hard time feeling fully present with your little one; I see you.![]()
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To the woman having a hard time focusing or having any clear thoughts but still trying to send the email and get your job done; I see you.![]()
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To the mother that was already touched out and now has anger just under the surface with the noises and the constant touching; I see you.![]()
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To the woman sick with anger that after so long woman are STILL not safe and giving her son a kiss on the head wondering if she’s done enough to make sure he understands his privilege and will use that privilege to dismantle the system that puts women at risk; I see you.![]()
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To the mother weeping for the daughter growing in her womb, overwhelmed with the sinking feeling that she can never really keep her safe; I see you.![]()
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To the mother showing up to your kid’s games and performances still in work clothes when all you want to do is turn off the lights and crawl into bed; I see you.![]()
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To the woman carrying weary rage in her chest trying to explain to her partner/brother/father/friend/coworker/friend’s husband/etc. how “not all men” isn’t helpful and how it isn’t about them and how choosing the bear isn’t actually an attack on them… I see you.![]()
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To the woman watching her daughter take on the world with vibrant energy and grieving the reality she is going to have to know of what the world is for her; I see you.![]()
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To the mother tenderly kissing her son’s knee and coregulating with him through his pain while shouldering the burden of how to teach him to be a man that not only doesn’t SA others but also speaks out against it and stops not only the act but the mentality when he encounters it in others; I see you.![]()
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To the mother bravely breaking cycles with a fury burning in her that the systems aren’t changing fast enough to not harm her children; I see you.![]()
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To the woman drained and treading the waters of despair but still meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking dinner; I see you.![]()
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To the woman feeling the pain of the women in the news right now and remembering their own pain and sense of being discarded while responding with joy and love for the child before you sharing the newest rock they found; I see you.![]()
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To the mother analyzing the conversations she has had and has yet to have with her son about how to handle rejection and the importance of consent without coercion or intoxication and balancing that with supporting him, connecting with him, and being able to have a good time with him; I see you.![]()
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To the mother who closes her eyes and relieves some of the scariest moments of her life but gets up with tenderness to respond to her child in the middle of the night even when she’s not slept more than 20 minutes; I see you.![]()
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To the woman who suddenly tastes again the bitterness of no accountability for the one that touched her with vile but feeds her family and smiles at their stories of their day; I see you.![]()
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To the woman fighting back biting tears and stifling raging screams while singing bedtime songs; I see you.![]()
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To the mother awake with worry for her child that just went to college a few weeks ago far from the safety net of your arms but sends fun emoji filled texts and is upbeat on calls; I see you.![]()
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To the mother in a mysterious funk who is avoiding social media, the news, and talking to people but is still trying to be informed, present, and available to the ones she loves and cares about; I see you.![]()
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To the woman being present with her family, her heart heavy for a young woman she never met; I see you.![]()
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We're not imagining this, our nervous systems are responding to the reminder of what threat of terror we live with and many of us have lived through. It is understandable.![]()
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I see you.![]()
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I see me too.![]()
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I hope you can take care of you. Rest. Process. Take space. I know that the world doesn't allow room for that and it's one more thing on your to-do list and one more area you have to wrestle to have and that's wrong, it isn't reasonable or good or fair or right. And I know that when I'm in this kind of funk it is better for me to cancel some plans and cuddle with my child and watch Bluey if that's as good as it can get for me.
I have never regretted breastfeeding. ![]()
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At times, over the course of feeding 9 babies, I have felt like maybe I regretted aspects of breastfeeding or even breastfeeding itself. I have wondered if I was cut out for it (the answer now, 9 babies later, is “obviously”).![]()
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But somewhere along the way after my 2nd baby I realized something:![]()
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I didn’t actually regret breastfeeding. Even though there were things I don’t like about breastfeeding such as how I can get so touched out and I have at times experienced regret with breastfeeding, it never was breastfeeding I regretted.![]()
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It was so much around breastfeeding that I regretted. The social structures and social pressures, the lack of education for myself but even more for others, the lack of support, the lack of protection, and prevalence of judgment, the attitudes, the ignorance of others, and the pressure to breastfeed as though I didn’t have to work and to work as though I didn’t breastfeed.![]()
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I have had regrets around breastfeeding but I have never regretted breastfeeding.![]()
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I have regretted weaning before my child and I were ready because I felt pressured into it by a health care provider that was not well informed on human lactation during pregnancy. ![]()
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I have never regretted breastfeeding. ![]()
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I have regretted letting someone make me feel small for feeding my baby with my body and giving in to give a bottle of my pumped milk instead when we were out… I really regretted the engorgement and discomfort and having to pump when I got home. ![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding. ![]()
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I have regretted judging myself harshly for wanting “my body back” when I was tired and felt stuck and wanted a break from breastfeeding. ![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding. ![]()
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I have regretted not holding boundaries around breastfeeding sooner with my baby.![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding. ![]()
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I have regretted judging and not understanding someone else’s choice to breastfeed their child longer than I thought I would ever do with my own before I had children (and then I went on to breastfeed my own child even longer).![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding.![]()
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I have regretted letting myself give in to pressure to formula feed when I encountered difficulty that my health care provider didn’t understand.![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding.![]()
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I have regretted worrying about what others would think of me breastfeeding my baby in public.![]()
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I haven’t regretted breastfeeding.![]()
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I have regretted being a part of a society that doesn’t truly support breastfeeding.![]()
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But I have never regretted breastfeeding.![]()
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***Photo credit to Meghann Street Photography***
testimonials
"If you've ever had a child or been a parent you know what it means to say that each day is a new experiment. There is so much to figure out, and so many self-proclaimed helpful resources. Fortunately, Jessica Martin-Weber, owner/creator/author of The Leaky Boob, has the answers based on science, best practice, and practical advice stemming from her own experiences raising nine children. TLB is a go-to for all people expecting, lactating, raising children, or counseling any of the aforementioned groups. Want advice on speed dial? Check out TheLeakyBoob.com."
Kim Updegrove, MSN, MPH, APRN, CNM, chairperson and Past President of Human Milk Bank of North America, Executive Director at Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin
"I found TLB and Jessica when I was desperately trying to figure out how to keep breastfeeding my eldest, who my lactation consultant still says had the worst latch she has ever seen. Jessica had created something so special-amazing information, a supportive community amidst the mommy wars, content in many different formats for those of us who need to see/read/hear in different ways, and it is no exaggeration to say that her work was instrumental in not just saving that breastfeeding journey (which would extend through 3 years, 18 months of that tandem nursing) but in setting me up for success and support in future journeys, and truly for motherhood as a whole. The down to earth way she writes makes the information relatable and easy to digest and apply. I am forever grateful."
Dr. Jennifer Stone, PT, DPT, OCS, PHC, TPS, HLC
"The Leaky Boob has met a need in the lactating community since its inception. Jessica’s breastfeeding support group is a true pioneer in the online breastfeeding community, offering families exceptional education and unwavering support long before similar pages emerged. Her transparency, authenticity, and heartfelt encouragement create a safe and empowering space where parents feel heard and guided. It’s a shining example of what real, compassionate leadership looks like!"
CHRISTY JO HENDRICKS IBCLC, RLC, CCCE, CLE©, Doula
Hi there!
Jessica and Jeremy Martin-Weber are the dynamic duo behind The Leaky Boob, a trusted resource dedicated to supporting families on their parenting and breastfeeding journeys. As parents to nine children, they bring a wealth of personal experience, humor, and compassion to their work. Together, they have created a safe, inclusive space where parents can access evidence-based information, practical advice, and a thriving community.
Jessica leads with her passion for normalizing breastfeeding and empowering families, while Jeremy provides a supportive voice for partners and caregivers, fostering collaboration and connection. Their shared mission is to celebrate the uniqueness of every family's story and provide resources to help navigate both the joys and challenges of nurturing little ones.
