Celebrities breastfeeding: From nursing twins to public feeding, mums normalising nursing
There have been many celebrities, from Ashley Graham to Emily Ratajkowski and Stacey Solomon, who have helped to normalise breastfeeding.
From opening up about their struggles to knowing when it might be time to move on, battling mastitis to being shamed, a whole host of A-list parents are using their social media platforms to document their own experiences.
Here are some of our favourite celebrity breastfeeding stories:
Stacey Solomon
Earlier this year, mum-of-five Stacey Solomon says she was left "naked from the boob down" while breastfeeding her newborn daughter, Belle.
"I'm sat outside toddler dancing class, naked from the boob down because you can't breastfeed in a jumper dress," she said on her Instagram stories.
"I don't know what I was thinking when I got ready this morning. Not one brain cell in my head went 'you're not going to be able to feed in that' I just put it on and thought, 'you look really good!'"
Ashley Graham
Model Ashley Graham gave birth to twin boys in January 2022, and regularly documented her breastfeeding journey with them - including an image of a tandem breastfeed.
Fans flooded the comments to praise her for highlighting the realities of breastfeeding twins.
"I have twins and getting them both latched and all three of us comfortable was exhausting several times a day. People have no idea. You’re doing great!!," wrote one.
"I did this for over a year with my two daughters. It's VERY hard," said another.
Halsey
In 2021, Halsey shared images of herself nursing her then-newborn in a park. Many of the star's fans offered thanks for "using your platform to normalise breastfeeding."
"[There's] not enough representation at all and it really is an incredibly hard yet beautiful journey," one comment read.
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily Ratajkowski has proudly shared several photos of herself feeding her child, Sylvester, since his birth in March 2021.
"If it seems like I'm always breastfeeding it's because I am," she wrote in one post's caption.
A further scroll through the model's Instagram will show you a host of breastfeeding pics, highlighting intimate moments between mum and baby and challenging the idea that nursing has to be hidden.
Millie Mackintosh
In 2022, Millie Mackintosh opened up about opting to stop breastfeeding her second daughter due to mastitis.
"I really felt the pressure to just keep going even though I was literally crying in pain every time I needed to feed," the mum-of-two said.
"Ultimately when I got mastitis again I decided breastfeeding wasn’t working for me anymore and I knew it was time to stop."
Kate Lawler
TV and radio presenter Kate Lawler spoke of the realities of breastfeeding, revealing the debate she was having about switching to bottle feeding her daughter.
The 41-year-old new mum described feeling "guilty" after debating whether to stop breastfeeding her daughter, Noa, revealing it is like a "workout" which leaves her feeling "exhausted".
Leigh-Anne Pinnock
Little Mix singer, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who has two-year-old twins (she's never revealed their names or their sex), opened up about trying to feed two babies at a time.
"It's been intense, and I don't feel people talk about how hard it is," she revealed to MailOnline.
"With the sleep deprivation on top, at one point I was literally hallucinating because I was so tired."
Perrie Edwards
Pinnock's bandmate Perrie Edwards also welcomed a baby in 2021, and opened up about the new mums' breastfeeding journeys.
"Every night I'd be up breastfeeding Axel, so shattered my eyes would be falling out my head, and I'd just think of Leigh-Anne and the fact she had to do this with two," she shared.
"Oh my goodness, she needs a medal! One baby is massively intense enough, never mind two. I don't get how she did it."
Laura Whitmore
Laura Whitmore was praised for sharing a photo of her breastfeeding in public in 2021 alongside a call for more support for new mums learning how to feed.
"I know so many new mums don’t get the support they need like the encouragement of feeding in the golden hour after birth and that it’s ok to feed in public without feeling you should hide away," she wrote in the accompanying caption.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson shared a picture of her breastfeeding her daughter, Rani Rose Hudson Fujikawa, while at work.
Hudson, who welcomed her third child (her first with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa) in October 2018, said: "When you're working but babies gotta eat".
Paloma Faith
Singer Paloma Faith recently opened up about a breastfeeding issue that’s rarely spoken about – thrush.
The singer, 41, welcomed her second child with partner Leyman Lahcine in February 2021 and documented her postpartum journey on social media.
"We both have thrush (my nipples, her mouth), have been on Daktarin gel for her and Daktacort for me, plus Fluconodzole 50mg tablet (daily for a week now) and probiotics - and it feels like it’s just getting worse! WHERE IS THE MIRACLE CURE PLEASE?!" she wrote.
