No feeding journey is easy—whether breastfeeding, formula feeding, combination feeding, or pumping, each is filled with its own unique set of challenges and emotions. It’s comforting to know that even public figures experience the same range of feelings, including anxiety, stress, guilt and inadequacy.
While it’s true that celebs might have more help—from at-home doctors, nannies, lactation specialists, doulas, masseuses and more, when they are raw, honest and vulnerable, it makes us all feel less alone. That’s why we love when famous moms share their breastfeeding stories—the good, the bad and everything in between.
From models and actresses to musicians and beyond, these influential moms discuss facing low milk supply, the physical demands of breastfeeding, normalizing feeding in public and the emotional struggle of switching to or supplementing with formula.
In honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, read about these eight celebrities who have been refreshingly honest about what breastfeeding is really like, providing a sense of support and understanding in the universal experience of motherhood:
Chrissy Teigen
This multifaceted star known for her candidness, is a mother of four, but her journey to parenthood has been anything but easy—as well as her breastfeeding experience. Despite her history of breast augmentations, Teigen successfully breastfed her children, challenging common misconceptions about the process.
Chrissy shared her children latched quickly and that she loved to pump, sharing photos of herself breastfeeding on Instagram.While she’s faced criticism from many, including that the photos were too “revealing” or “disgusting,” we applaud her. After all, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your child however you can and are able to. Chrissy is helping break the stigma around breastfeeding, supporting mothers on their own unique journeys.
Candice Swanepoel
One of the most iconic Victoria’s Secret Angels, Candice Swanepoel, has opened up about her journey with breastfeeding. She also took to Instagram to share a photo breastfeeding her son and shared her thoughts in her caption about society’s perception of public breastfeeding.
“Many women today are shamed for breastfeeding in public or even kicked out of public places for feeding their children,” Candice wrote. “I have been made to feel the need to cover up and somewhat shy to feed my baby in public places but strangely feel nothing for the topless editorials I’ve done in the name of art…?”
We thank Candice for helping to destigmatize the topic and empowering women to feed their child wherever they are, whenever they’re hungry.
Serena Williams
Tennis legend, Olympic champion and grand slam icon Serena Williams shared her story of stopping breastfeeding her daughter in 2018, when she decided to switch her baby to formula feeding.
In a candid interview with USA Today, Williams opened up about how many things she heard about breastfeeding were untrue. Contrary to popular beliefs about weight loss and breastfeeding, Serena’s experience was different. As an elite athlete, she needed to prioritize her training and made the difficult decision to stop breastfeeding her daughter, Olympia. In an emotional moment, Serena shared her decision with Olympia, emphasizing the importance of her return to tennis. This experience underscored the unique nature of every woman’s breastfeeding journey.
“I literally sat Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it. I told her, ‘Look, I’m going to stop. Mommy has to do this,’” Williams said. Through this experience, she learned that every single body is different, and that’s no exception when it comes to breastfeeding.
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an actress, director and producer who has played and created iconic roles in television and movies. In a TODAY article, she shared breastfeeding her two children was messy and complicated—but it was a rewarding experience for her.
Because of her own journey, it was important to her to defend women who make the choice not to breastfeed.
“It should be a choice for everyone. I don’t like the idea of breastfeeding being forced on anyone or anyone feeling guilty,” Wilde explained.
Olivia has also shared photos of herself breastfeeding her daughter on Instagram with captions like “My drinking buddy. #neverunderestimatethepowerofawoman.” Her openness and acknowledgment of the hard and often emotionally-fueled decisions mothers make about breastfeeding contribute to normalizing feeding choices for all women.
Khloe Kardashian
The mother of two, American media personality and iconic Kardashian sister shared her struggles with breastfeeding. Khloe faced challenges with breastfeeding for weeks after giving birth to her first baby.
“For me, it was so painful but I also was not producing a lot of milk. So I had to pump every time she was napping,” Kardashian wrote in a Twitter post.
Like every new mom does, Khloe tried everything: she went to doctors and lactation consultants, drank special tea and did massages—but nothing worked.
Once she realized her daughter was losing weight because of it, she switched to formula. Khloe’s journey is a reminder that formula feeding is a viable choice for mothers to make for their mental health and the health of their baby. And it’s not your fault if you have trouble with breastfeeding. As we all learn in pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood—not everything is in our control.
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham is a world-renowned model, body-positive advocate and a mother of three boys—two being twins. She has been very transparent about her experiences with motherhood and frequently shares candid breastfeeding photos on social media.
With a busy professional career, pictures like those emphasize normalizing breastfeeding in public and professional spaces. In a People exclusive, Ashley opened up about realizing she couldn’t exclusively breastfeed her twins.
As she switched to formula, she found the stereotypes around it interesting. “I didn’t realize a lot of the statistics that were around breastfeeding and formula stigma,” Graham said to People. “I realized how important this conversation actually was because there were a lot of people that had shame on both sides.” Her story encourages other mothers to feel empowered and unashamed in their breastfeeding journey.
Hillary Duff
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Actress and singer Hillary Duff shared her thoughts on breastfeeding in an Instagram post in 2019. “Pumping at work sucks. I had zero downtime and am usually pumping in a hair and make-up trailer while four hands work to prepare me for the next scene with many other people,” Duff shared in a caption. “Even if I had the luxury to be in my room, it’s not even considered a ‘break’ because you have to sit upright for the milk to flow into the bottles!”
Stopping breastfeeding for Hillary was an emotional decision—and she felt conflicted about switching to formula. But she needed a break and it was the right choice for her. Hillary’s honesty helps normalize the pains behind breastfeeding and how hard a decision to stop can be.
Rachel McAdams
Actress Rachel McAdams made headlines when she beautifully rocked a breast pump in a 2018 photo shoot. When Rachel had her first baby in 2018, she found herself extremely busy breastfeeding and pumping. During a photoshoot, she needed multiple breaks to pump, so photographer Claire Rothstein decided to make a statement out of it. Rachel posed with breast pumps and hoped the photo would help change the public perception of a very natural process.
“Breastfeeding is the most normal thing in the world—and I can’t for the life of me imagine why or how it is ever frowned upon or scared of,” Rothstein wrote in an Instagram caption of the photo. “I don’t even think it needs explaining but just wanted to put this out there, as if it even changes one person’s perception of something so natural, so normal, so amazing then that’s great.”
Rachel’s willingness to take this photo and completely rock it brought attention to the everyday reality of breastfeeding, especially for working mothers.
These celebrity moms and their breastfeeding stories show that every journey is different when it comes to this part of motherhood. Each of these women has helped normalize different aspects of breastfeeding and help mothers everywhere embrace it in all forms. It’s a reminder that no matter what your breastfeeding journey looks like, you’re not alone in your emotions, triumphs and struggles–and that’s something worth remembering.
