Breastfeeding is so many things. It's an amazing way to bond with a baby. It's something that most mom bodies were designed really well to do. It's something that can be a source of endless controversy: Is it OK to do it in public? How long is too long to do it?.
And if we are being honest, breastfeeding can be both amazing and really, really hard. Sometimes it can be difficult to admit that something that is presented as really simple can be so complicated, so it feels reassuring to see some really famous moms share their struggles too.
Breastfeeding challenges can include everything from low supply to painful and bleeding nipples. And while there are tons of experts and a million products for sale that claim to help solve the most common breastfeeding issues, the truth is that sometimes breastfeeding just never gets easier. There can be a lot of shame and mom judgment around struggling with nursing, so there is something really brave about celebrities who are willing to risk the wrath of the comment sections and share that they've struggled too.
Now, before we dive into these celebrity stories, we should state once again for the record: Fed is best! This is a no-judgment zone for any and all safe nursing and feeding choices.
Khloé Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian shared on Twitter that she had to quit breastfeeding her daughter, True, because "it wasn't working" for her body, even after consulting with lactation experts and trying "everything." She also struggled with the reality that it was easier for her sister than it was for her. "It was so frustrating because for Kourt it was sooooooo easy for her to breastfeed. My experience was very different," she wrote.
Chrissy Teigen
If we had to guess a celebrity who'd be open about, well, anything related to motherhood, it's Chrissy Teigen. When she was a new mom to daughter Luna, she told Entertainment Tonight, "[Breastfeeding is] very loving and sweet, but it's not easy. It's hard to work your entire day around getting her the nourishment she needs because they are just little animals."
Padma Lakshmi
Even when breastfeeding is going okay, it can be really time-consuming. All the hours spent nursing or pumping can lead to having to do some serious multitasking, as Padma Laksmi confirmed. She captioned this throwback photo, "Multitasking: level Cheers to all of the people helping working mothers get it done! Special thanks to my crew past and present on @bravotopchef for your love & support."
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff faced a challenge that so many moms face: when to call it quits on the breastfeeding and pumping grind. She explained her feelings in a raw and open Instagram caption: "Last week was my last week nursing Banks. My goal was to get my little girl to six months and then decide if I wanted to keep going. I enjoyed (almost) every moment of feeding my daughter. Felt so lucky to be so close to her and give her that start. I know many women are not able to and for that I am sympathetic and very grateful that I could," she wrote.
"But I needed a break. I was going to break. With the stress of a dropping milk supply and a baby that was getting bored or not caring about nursing when I was available to, I was sad and frustrated and feeling like a failure all of the time. When really I'm a badass rock star."
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen has caused controversy around breastfeeding in the past by making comments that she thought it should be mandatory. But she's also acknowledged that breastfeeding "in the beginning can be difficult, it can hurt (the cracks, bleeding, engorgement)," which is at least keeping it real even for such a staunch breastfeeding advocate.
Kelly Rowland
One of the hardest challenges with breastfeeding can be when a mom really wants to make it work but just can't produce enough milk. That was the struggle Kelly Rowland faced following the birth of her oldest son, Titan. "I had my heart set on breastfeeding, but I wasn't producing enough milk. I got down on myself, which I think was mentally limiting my supply," she said in a 2015 interview.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian shared a breastfeeding struggle that many moms of more than one child face: balancing the time for nursing a new baby and taking care of the emotional needs of an older sibling. She shared that daughter North was quite jealous of baby Saint and even tried to prevent Saint from nursing by blocking access to Kim's lap! Kim eventually figured out some tricks to help, including pumping and letting North be the helpful big sister.
Ali Wong
Comedian Ali Wong has gotten a lot of attention for her Netflix specials, including one in which she performed while super pregnant. In a follow-up special called Hard Knock Wife, she joked, "Breastfeeding is brutal. It is chronic physical torture. I thought it was supposed to be this beautiful bonding ceremony where I would feel like I was sitting on a lily pad in a meadow, and bunnies would gather at my feet. No, it's not like that at all. Breastfeeding is this savage ritual that just reminds you that your body is a cafeteria now." Funny but true!
Kristen Bell
One of the things that can be weird about breastfeeding is that a mom's body goes from being her own to like it almost belongs to the baby, just because it takes so much time and energy. Kristen Bells described it best when she said, "I went from being an autonomous woman to essentially being a food truck [as a breastfeeding mom]."
Olivia Munn
New mom Olivia Munn (her baby, Malcom, is just about 12 weeks old) recently posted a video on Instagram detailing all of the steps a mom with low supply might take to try to make breastfeeding happen. It was honestly a little overwhelming to watch, let alone go through!
Amal Clooney
Amal Clooney is an amazingly accomplished woman, who has an important career as an international lawyer. But all of her professional success doesn't mean that figuring out how to breastfeed twins was any easier for her than any other mother of multiples. She told Vogue that nursing son Alexander and daughter Ella was "much more complicated because there are two. I had all manner of weird cushions and pillows and machines."
Whitney Port
In 2019, reality TV star Whitney Port wrote a heartfelt essay about breastfeeding, something she called her "Mt. Everest of motherhood." She described how personal the success or failure with breastfeeding can be: "[It] was difficult from the start, and thinking back, I wish I'd stopped earlier and not put myself through all the torture that I did. At the time, I thought breastfeeding was the BIGGEST deal, and the stakes felt impossibly high — as if my little Sonny's life was solely dependent on my success."
Amy Schumer
Breastfeeding is, at the heart of it, a two-person job. One of the things that can make it more challenging is when a baby doesn't have a great latch. This is something that Amy Schumer experienced and, according to her, resulted in her feeling bummed out because she didn't find the same joy in her experience that other moms seem to.
Jessica Alba
With three kids, Jessica Alba is an experienced mom. But even an experienced mom can find breastfeeding challenging, especially during that cluster feeding stage, where it feels like the baby wants to nurse all the time. Jessica talked about this in an interview, explaining that she "felt like [her son, Hayes,] wanted to nurse 24/7, which was obviously really challenging when you're trying to go back to work" and that she had to pull back on their nursing relationship earlier than she intended to. Sometimes, breastfeeding just doesn't go according to plan.
Bethenny Frankel
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel was loved on the show for always being blunt — and her take on breastfeeding was no different. In 2010, as a new mom, she confessed, "I can do a lot of things, but breastfeeding is one of the greatest challenges. My daughter, Bryn, used to fuss every time, which made me feel like a failure, rejected, emotional — and sorry for her."
