Being a new mom is tough in so many ways, both mentally and on your body. While it can be a pretty magical time, it can also be incredibly stressful, especially if you're struggling with breastfeeding.
Actress Hilary Duff has opened up about her own struggles on a new episode of The Informed Pregnancy Podcast.
Hilary recently gave birth to her third child, Mae, on March 24th. She also shares a two-year-old daughter, Banks, with her husband, and has a 9-year-old son Luca from a previous marriage.
Her newest journey into motherhood hasn't been stress-free, however.
"Mae James Bair - We LOVE you beauty 3-24-21," Hilary captioned the beautiful shot, showing that the couple had opted for an at-home water birth.
The photo drew some criticism for showing her daughter Banks in the water with her.
"Should Banks really be in the water?" one fan asked.
"I wouldn't want my toddler in the tub with me during that!!!" one commenter wrote.
Breastfeeding can be a sensitive and emotional subject for many new moms who might feel pressure to do it even though they might struggle.
Hilary has been open about her breastfeeding struggles, recently saying that it's still "really hard for me."
"All of the babies latch really great, I'm just not a huge milk-producer, so it's emotional for me," Hilary went on. "In fact, this is the first baby that I haven't supplemented with yet, so I've just exclusively been breastfeeding her."
Hilary said that it's "just still painful and it's hard, and it's even harder having the other two that I know need me so much, and this takes up such a huge portion of the day."
"Right now, I don't know that I'm not producing as much as I need, but I think since I haven't in the past, I have tons of anxiety that I'm not, and that she's not getting enough, and then I'm in my head, and then I don't feel like enough, and then the spiral continues from there," Hilary explained.
It's awesome to see a celebrity open up and share about these difficult experiences that tons of new moms are going through! There's no shame in struggling, and the more people speak up, the easier it will be for new moms to ask for the help they need.
"I appreciate Duff so much for talking about this, because breastfeeding isn't easy for everyone and lactivists treat formula like you're feeding your baby Clorox," tweeted one fan.
We love to see awareness raised for all the different ways you can keep your baby happy and healthy!
