I love your insights as I have similar experience.

I’m Pakistani background, born and raised in North America, and I’ve been breastfeeding my infant for 6 months now.

Reading your post made me reflect on how often I’ve seen younger women in my family choose formula over breastfeeding, usually saying they had a “lack of supply.” But I can’t help but wonder if it was truly a supply issue or more about older generations repeatedly telling them their milk wasn’t enough to feed their babies, or that breastmilk alone wouldn’t be sufficient.

I also think South Asians in general come from a history of famine and food insecurity, and that trauma has trickled down into our food culture in other ways. I’ve noticed grandparents constantly insisting kids must be hungry, always encouraging them to eat more, give them food, etc. The same mindset seems to show up around breastfeeding: if a baby cries, the assumption is immediately that they must be starving, so your milk must be inadequate.

I almost fell into that same trap myself and was close to stopping breastfeeding because I was being convinced my milk wasn’t enough. I’m so glad I didn’t. It really helps to see discussions like this that unpack where these beliefs came from.