Chrissy Teigen opens up about breastfeeding struggles
"You are doing it right if your baby is fed, mama."
Chrissy Teigen is hoping she can help break down the stigma regarding breast milk versus formula by opening up about her own breastfeeding struggles.
In a lengthy Twitter thread on Sunday, the "Cravings" author called to "normalize formula."
"Normalize breastfeeding is such a huge, wonderful thing. But I absolutely felt way more shame having to use formula because of lack of milk from depression and whatnot," Teigen said, pointing out that pushing breastfeeding can have unintended consequences on a new mom's confidence.
"People have surrogates, people have trouble breastfeeding and all you hear as a new, anxious mom is how breast is best," the 35-year-old went on. "Your baby is gonna be BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT, AND OKAY."
Teigen then explained that when her children were infants, she used to spend a great deal of time pumping on the "highest mode," and "it drove me mad to the point I could only get an ounce. An ounce!"
"The stress of it, combined with the guilt that you cannot do nature's most natural thing for your own baby is too much," the model said. "I dunno why this is my crusade now. I just remember the sadness I felt and want you to know you are doing it right if your baby is fed, mama."
This isn't the first time Teigen has advocated for mothers. Most recently, she defended Meghan Markle from critics after the duchess opened up about her pregnancy loss, weeks after Teigen suffered a pregnancy loss of her own.
Teigen is the mom of Luna, 4, and Miles, 2, both of whom she shares with husband John Legend.