There is a reality many mothers live with but rarely talk about — going without so their children don’t have to. It’s a phenomenon known as maternal buffering, where mothers sacrifice their own
basic needs, including food and water, to ensure their children have something to eat and drink.
When there isn’t enough food on the table, a mother may tell her children she has already eaten, skip a meal or drink less water so that her children can have more. For many women, this isn’t a once-
off sacrifice; it’s a daily reality shaped by poverty, financial pressures and the responsibility of keeping a family going. But what does this kind of sacrifice do to a mother’s physical and emotional well-being? Why do so many women feel compelled to put their children’s needs ahead of their own, even when it means going hungry? And how do we begin to address a reality where mothers are forced to choose between feeding their children and feeding themselves? Tonight, we unpack maternal buffering, the hidden cost of maternal sacrifice, and what it tells us about hunger, motherhood and the
support available to women raising families.