Too many women feel guilty about breastfeeding or, on the contrary, feel a lot of pressure to do it without any difficulty. People may comment that the baby is too old to still be breastfeeding, or that a woman isn’t maternal enough because she didn’t breastfeed her baby. But many celebrities are challenging these prejudices by making and defending their own breastfeeding decisions. They do it because they can, because they want to, and because they know that, with their example and influence, they can support and inspire all women to do the same.
1. Miranda Kerr
2 months after giving birth to Flynn, the little boy she had with Orlando Bloom in 2011, Miranda Kerr was ready to flap her angel wings again on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk. Her secret? According to her statements, a little genetics and a lot of breastfeeding. And, although she says she wasn’t in any hurry to get her figure back, both genetics and breastfeeding certainly helped.
“I was focused on having a healthy baby, and I had a 10-pound baby!” she said. “I just loved breastfeeding. It was something that came very easily to me and it helped speed up my metabolism. I nursed for a year and a half, and I pumped when I was at work.” Miranda has shared more than one photo with her baby on her social media, where she looks proud of being a mom and of her breastfeeding decision.
2. Hilary Duff
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On the other hand, Hilary Duff didn’t have such a good time when mixing breastfeeding and work. Like her, there are many women who are suddenly surprised to feel tremendously guilty for not being able to feed their little ones as they would like, because they have to attend to other responsibilities. For this reason, the actress shared her experience and the reasons that led her to discontinue breastfeeding, a completely valid and respectable decision:
“My goal was to get my little girl to 6 months and then decide if I (and her of course) wanted to keep going. Let me tell you. Pumping at work sucks. I had zero down time and was usually pumping in a hair and makeup trailer while 4 hands work to get me ready for the next scene with lots of other people around. Your milk supply drastically drops when you stop feeding as often and you lose the actual contact and connection with your baby. I want to say I enjoyed (almost) every moment of feeding my daughter.
I felt so lucky to be so close to her and give her that start. I know that many women are not able to and for that I am sympathetic and very grateful that I could. But I needed a break. I was going to break. I was sad and frustrated and feeling like a failure all of the time. Moms get high on feeling like superwomen… because we are! Doing too much, because we can!
I cried many times and felt so depressed while weening. Something scary was hovering over my brain and my heart. I was missing good times with my baby. But I was really missing that natural oxytocin high. Those chemicals are powerful hormones and no joke. I hope this helps anyone who is struggling! Whether you are pre- or postpartum, or just a busy mom.”
3. Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is one of those actresses and models who have openly declared their views on breastfeeding, repeatedly. Her first public statement was made shortly after giving birth to Otis, in 2014, during an interview for a prestigious magazine in which her photograph was taken: “Being shot with Otis is so perfect because any portrait of me right now isn’t complete without my identity as a mother being a part of that. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing. I don’t know; now it feels like Otis should always be on my breast,” she declared.
On another occasion, she revealed her opinion about the prejudice and stereotypes with which breastfeeding has been censured for years and years: “People should be allowed to breastfeed wherever they want, whenever they want. There should be no pressure on women to breastfeed, or they should not be made to seem like they are terrible mothers. I think that’s really unfair.”
That’s the same position she has held through different interviews, like one she did to talk about Daisy, her other baby: “It should be a choice for everyone. I don’t like the idea of breastfeeding being forced on anyone or anyone feeling guilty.” And, although it wasn’t easy for her, it’s something she enjoyed: “It’s not easy; it’s messy. Like 90 percent of the time, you are soaked in milk. It is a difficult thing. But it is, personally, for me, a great experience.”
4. Alanis Morissette
One celebrity who is absolutely convinced that there’s nothing better for a baby than breastfeeding is Alanis Morissette. On multiple occasions, the singer has tried to normalize breastfeeding in interviews and by posting several photographs of her breastfeeding her young children on her social media.
“For me, I protect his safety and his well-being and his attachment. That stage of development is a very important stage.” She also told a journalist that she’s an advocate for extended breastfeeding, as her children were who the ones who decided when to leave their mother’s breast, regardless of their age.
In addition, Alanis joined other breastfeeding advocates to produce a documentary titled The Milky Way, which centers on demonstrating that companies that sell baby formula encourage mothers to avoid breastfeeding at all costs with the intention of increasing profits for their products.
“We live in a very funny society, a society that on one hand says that we’re just sexual objects and then when this other sort of otherworldly, biological wind-in-the-hair goddess power comes out in the form of feeding our children in a very beautiful, animal way, that can actually be more intimidating,” she expressed in the documentary.
Even before having children, Alyssa Milano was already defending the rights of mothers, and, more so, of babies, to breastfeed. With the arrival of her children, this “protest” became a flag with which she chose to sail. “I loved having that closeness with them and having that alone time with them,” she said during an interview, “I loved breastfeeding more than I thought I would,” she confessed.
Moreover, she also had the chance to publicly share her views regarding the usual insecurity that mothers face when breastfeeding their little ones: “I can’t believe this is still an issue. When people tell a nursing mom to go in the bathroom to feed their baby, it’s like telling someone to go in the bathroom to eat their sandwich. Would you eat your lunch in the bathroom? Or under a blanket?”
The actress decided to empower breastfeeding mothers through her social media by sharing shots of moments where she was feeding her daughter.
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