The five-time World Champion surfer welcomed daughter Olena Lililehua with her husband Luke Untermann on Feb. 24, 2025
Credit: Carissa Moore/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Carissa Moore reflects on her 17-month breastfeeding journey and the emotional challenges of weaning her daughter Olena
- The Olympic gold medalist returned to competitive surfing in May after stepping back to focus on motherhood in 2024
- Moore said she’s cherishing new ways of bonding with her daughter
Carissa Moore is experiencing a wave of emotions.
The Olympic gold medalist surfer, 33, shared a heartfelt Instagram post reflecting on the end of her breastfeeding journey with her 17-month-old daughter, Olena Lililehua, on Saturday, July 25, in which she admitted to feeling “broken inside” after weaning.
“This chapter for us has come to an end. 17 months of breastfeeding 🥹🫶🏼 I feel super grateful that we went as long as we did and that my body allowed me to provide for my girl in this way. It just felt right with all the traveling and new places,” Moore began.
Credit: Carissa Moore/Instagram
“It was comfort for the both of us. Our time to slow down, connect and ground each other. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad,” the professional surfer, who welcomed Olena with her husband Luke Untermann on Feb. 24, 2025, continued. “There is a part of me that’s excited to have my body back to myself but I’m gonna miss those tender moments of just us.”
Moore, who made a triumphant return to competitive surfing in May when she claimed her 29th Championship Tour win after stepping away from full-time competition following the 2024 Paris Olympics to have her daughter, went on to share her hesitations about weaning.
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“I’ve been worried about what the new moments of ‘us’ would look like. I left for a few day trip to ease the transition. Boob out of sight, out of mind,” she wrote. “Lena was thriving with dad at home, I was having an emotional melt, haha.”
“No one talks about the hormonal shift that happens when you wean. It’s a real thing,” the decorated medalist continued. “The day after I got home, I go to get her up in the morning. We usually sit in the rocking chair, she feeds and wakes up slowly but this time, she didn’t ask for it at all.”
Credit: Carissa Moore/Instagram
Although Moore admitted that she initially struggled with the transition, she said she found comfort in a new way of connecting with her daughter.
“I was a little broken inside, wanting to fill the void and connect with my girl so badly,” she wrote. “I laid her down on the carpet and curled up next to her. We played with her stuffies and she shared her blanket with me and then crawled on me and laid there.”
“Heart to heart, belly to belly. And we stayed that way for what felt like forever,” the Hawaii native said. “We did the same thing after her nap later that day. Not sure if this is our new thing but I’m loving it.”
Moore concluded her post by reflecting on how quickly her daughter is growing up and why she’s cherishing every moment. “Everyone says it goes fast and it really does,” she said.
Credit: Rambo Estrada/World Surf League via Getty
“You fall in love with one version of them and then they grow and you have to grow with them,” continued Moore. “Each stage, so beautiful but so fleeting. I guess that’s why it’s special. I’m gonna do my best to enjoy every one of those cuddles before they’re gone.”
The five-time World Champion surfer won an Olympic gold medal for surfing during the 2020 Tokyo Games. Three years later, she finished fifth in the Paris Games, and announced her pregnancy on Instagram soon after.
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