Biggest myths around breastfeeding busted by doctor
Whether it's feeling judged for switching to formula, or facing criticism for not breastfeeding at all, mums are often met with strong opinions about how they feed their babies. For many, this leads to an overwhelming sense of guilt, shame and pressure from other mums during a time that's already one of the most emotional periods of early motherhood.
A number of celebrity mums have opened up about their own experiences, sharing the struggles they faced with breastfeeding, the decision to use formula, and the stigma that can surround both.
Tyla has spoken with maternal and child public health professor, Amy Brown about the myths of breastfeeding and how mums can decide which feeding method is best for them.
One of the biggest misconceptions about breastfeeding is that breastfed babies feed 'too much', Brown said. In reality, breast milk is 'perfectly designed for a baby and really easily digested', meaning babies naturally feed 'little and often' because they tend to take smaller feeds and breastfeeding is also 'about comfort and connection too'.
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The expert warned that telling mums their baby is feeding too frequently can be damaging. "This can then make them worry and try to feed them less often," Brow explained, which can lead to a drop in milk supply and make breastfeeding more difficult.
Another common myth is that breastfed babies don't sleep as well as formula-fed babies. "[This] isn't true," Brown said, noting that research suggests breastfeeding mothers often get more sleep because breastfeeding helps babies settle back to sleep more easily, while the hormones released during feeding can help mums fall back asleep more quickly. Night waking is also 'unrelated to feeding'.
Molly-Mae Hague
Molly-Mae revealed she stopped breastfeeding her newborn son Midas after three weeks, explaining that the experience was severely harming her mental wellbeing in a recent YouTube vlog.
“Update on the breastfeeding is that I have actually stopped breastfeeding now," the 27-year-old said. "I’m still pumping because my boobs still need to release because it doesn’t just stop overnight.”
"But I actually just wanted to stop on a high and not get to a point where I resent it and just enjoy it - which was always my plan.
"I always said I want to leave it on a high. I want to remember these few weeks breastfeeding Midas as a really nice positive thing, which it has been."
The former Love Island star added that, as was the case with Bambi, Midas' feeds were dragging on for over an hour at a time - considerably longer than the advised 15-45 minute sessions (or 10-20 minutes per breast).
"I kinda got to a point where I was like, 'Ooh, I’m not really enjoying this that much anymore'," Molly-Mae continued. "Which, listen, it’s not always meant to be always enjoyable, the breastfeeding, like, you do it for them.
The mother-of-two claimed she was desperately trying not to overthink her decision, given the pressure many new mums face with regards to how long they 'should' breastfeed for.
"I think about it too much; I will end up feeling guilty and feeling sad and bad about it," Molly-Mae continued. "But like I say, it's way more than I thought I was going to do, I literally thought I would do, like, a day and then be like, 'Yeah, no. This isn’t good for me or my mental health'.
Brown said: "Every mum wants the best for their baby and to feel others are judging your decisions especially when they don’t know you or your story feels horrible."
She added: "We should be offering support not judgement."
Chrissy Teigen
She has also spoken candidly about the stigma surrounding breast milk versus formula, opening up about her own struggles with breastfeeding.
In a post shared on Twitter (now X) in 2020, the model and cookbook author wrote: “Normalise 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.”
While Teigen said it's important to support breastfeeding, she also argued that the messaging can sometimes leave new mums feeling like they've failed if feeding doesn't go to plan.
“People have surrogates, people have trouble breastfeeding and all you hear as a new, anxious mom is how breast is best,” she wrote, before adding: “Your baby is gonna be BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT, AND OKAY.”
Teigen went on to reveal how hard she pushed herself to make breastfeeding work, recalling spending hours pumping on the 'highest mode' with little success.
“It drove me mad to the point I could only get an ounce. An ounce!” she said.
“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 continued. “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.”
Rumer Willis
The actress and singer, 37, responded to backlash from trolls an after revealing that she breastfed her three year old.
After welcoming her daughter, Louetta with former flame Derek Richard Thomas in 2023, she has faced widespread criticism on social media.
The House Bunny actress shared a video of herself breastfeeding her daughter, captioned: "When someone starts judging my parenting."
The clip then transitioned into a meme, whereby a woman draws circles on a whiteboard. Pointing to one, she says, 'This is my business', and pointing to the other, she added, 'And this is yours'.
Rumer's post quickly garnered huge amounts of praise from her followers, one of whom commented: "She’s making people accept long-term breastfeeding. Normal for thousands of years. Except the last 100, the years of marketing.
"I think it’s great seeing moms advocate for breastfeeding. At the end of the day, fed is best, however, I know a lot of women who quit nursing because of the lack of support from other women."
Brown told Tyla: " It’s completely normal in many countries for babies to breastfeed until two or three years old or even longer. No one should be criticising a baby as being too old or suggesting a mum is just doing it for herself – I’d be amazed if anyone could get any toddler to do something they didn’t want to."
Coco Austin
Media personality Coco Austin has long defended her decision to breastfeed her daughter until she was six years old. The 47-year-old has been married to rapper and actor Ice-T, real name Tracy Lauren Marrow, since 2002 and the couple share a daughter, named Chanel Nicole, who is now 10.
Coco has faced a barrage of social media abuse for deciding to breastfeed her daughter for longer than many would expect.
Back in July 2021, when Chanel was five, Austin told US Weekly: "Chanel still likes my boobs. It’s a big bonding moment for a mother and your child. Why take that away from her?
"If she doesn’t want it, all right, that’s where you stop it. But I’m not just going to say no."
When it comes to stopping breastfeeding, there's no 'right' time, according to Brown. "The right time to stop breastfeeding is when a mum and baby are ready to do so," she said, adding that while the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding 'for up to two years and beyond', the decision should ultimately be led by each family.
Brown explained that breast milk continues to provide nutritional and immune benefits as a child grows, and can also be comforting when they're unwell or off their food. It may even support healthy tooth and jaw development.
Speaking on the Dumb Blonde podcast, Austin said she breastfed Chanel until she was six.
She explained: "It wasn’t like I was feeding her because she needed a meal.
"She was able to eat by a year, full solids. It was more of a bonding experience. More of like, ‘OK, I’ll give you the milk,’ but it was more that she wanted to be around me."
The model explained that her way of thinking was simply leaving it down to her daughter, saying: “I’m going to let her stop when she wants to stop."
Austin added: "She’s not going to be 16 on my boob. She’s eventually going to figure out that this is kind of strange or weird and stop. And that happened around six - which was still an extremely long time."
Ashley Graham
The model welcomed her two youngest children, Malachi and Roman, now aged three, in January 2022.
Ashley shared her thoughts on breastfeeding during a February edition of The Daily Show, with guest host Chelsea Handler.
The 38-year-old said at the time: "There's this whole thing with people telling you how to feed your child. With my first kid, I was like, 'I could only breastfeed. This is the right way'."
"This is not working here," she added. "Both of you want both of [my breasts]. This is a lot of work."
She also revealed she stopped breastfeeding when her twins were five months old and switched to feeding them formula.
“It felt like I was feeding a nation,” she joked.
“These little guys are so strong and so happy, so I don’t think we should be telling people how they should be feeding their kids,” she explained.
In the past she shared pictures of her breastfeeding and doting on the couple’s three children on Instagram.
In one candid selfie shared in June 2022, when her twins were around five months old, Ashley can be seen posing while her babies fed from her breasts.
She captioned the post: "Tired. but we’re here."
The post drew lots of praise from women in the comments, who crowned Ashley ‘a force’ and ‘a super mom’.
Actress Freida Pinto commented: “My hero you!”
Gemma Atkinson
Strictly Come Dancing star Gemma Atkinson defended her decision to stop breastfeeding after five months.
She welcomed Thiago in July 2023 and he is her second child with former Strictly professional dancer Gorka Márquez, after giving birth to daughter Mia in 2019.
After posting a video of herself feeding Thiago from a bottle on Instagram, one of Atkinson's followers asked: "Why did you stop breastfeeding? When you had lots of milk? Just asking, no judgement."
Explaining her decision, she said: "Asked this a lot too which I get. I personally only wanted to do 5wks BF.
"That's what I did with Mia so I set myself that target. I was fortunate enough to be able to express a lot so he ended up having about 6wks."
Atkinson continued: "My choice to stop was because it was exhausting on my own.
"My boobs & back were quite sore and knowing I had school coming up for Mia and knowing Gorka would be away in London I knew it would be easier & less stressful on the bottle and I've always said that's how feeding should be.
"I enjoyed feeding them both and having the 5 wks with them both, but I'm enjoying this time too. Esp the bit where I know there's other ppl can step in and feed him."
The mum-of-two concluded: "I know there’s a lot of judgment on mothers who bottle feed. There shouldn't be, but there is.
"My thoughts are 'fed is best' and as long as the mum and baby are happy, that's what matters."
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne defended her decision to not breastfeed back in 2022 when she was expecting her first child.
During an interview on Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris, the former reality TV star opened up more about her pregnancy and explained her decision, sharing that her medication is not compatible.
“I have chosen to stay on my medication instead of breastfeeding and the judgment that I have received from my friends and also extended family is wild,” she shared.
People close to Kelly said she will 'miss out on that bonding period' if she doesn't breastfeed. However, she decided to put her own health and well being first.
In response to the people who said she may miss out on a bonding experience with her child, Kelly told the hosts: “I’m like, ‘Don’t you think I know that?’ What kind of mother am I gonna be if I start going backwards, if I start being self-destructive?
"It has to be what’s best for me, what’s gonna be the best for my baby. If I don’t do that, what kind of mother am I going to be?”
Brown said it's important to remember that every family's feeding journey is different, and there are many valid reasons why a woman may choose not to breastfeed. "Sometimes women will be advised not to breastfeed because of their health or a medication they are taking, or very rarely a health condition their baby might have.
"All new mums should get the information and support they need to breastfeed if they want to."
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff has long been loved as Lizzie McGuire, but she's also won praise for speaking candidly about motherhood. The actress shares daughters Townes, 21 months, Mae, four, and Banks, seven, with husband Matthew Koma, and son Luca, 13, with ex-husband Mike Comrie.
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Duff opened up about the emotional reality of breastfeeding, admitting she found it especially difficult with her youngest daughter, Townes.
"I still could cry thinking about … you wanna be everything for your kid because you grow them and you birth them and they're yours. And you watch, you know, Reels of, like, people just nursing their baby in public and it being so natural. And … it just wasn't like that for me."
"This was with Townes mostly, but, like, she wasn't gaining weight. And I'm trying to nurse her literally around the clock.”
Despite it being her fourth baby, Duff admitted she struggled to let go. "And that's my fourth kid. Like, just supplement. What are you doing? You know? And you're just like ... I was so stubborn about it."
She said she "just wanted it to work out," but "it didn't."
"Then you're two weeks out of not nursing, and you're like, 'Yes, this is the best freedom ever!' But in that moment, you're like, 'How will I ever cope with this? How will I... why can't I be good at this?' "
Reflecting on her experience with each of her children, Duff added: "Luca, I nursed him the most. It was easier then. And down the line … each child got less and less and less. And now I'm like, who cares? But in the moment, you're so consumed."
"I think by design. Right? We're designed to take care of our child by feeding them from your body," the pop star said, adding that "guys have to do one thing one time."
It's not the first time Duff has spoken candidly about breastfeeding, having previously shared in 2021 after welcoming daughter Mae that she also found the experience challenging.
Duff has been open about her breastfeeding journey for years. In 2019, after welcoming daughter Banks, she revealed she had decided to stop breastfeeding when her baby was six after struggling with a dropping milk supply and the intense challenges of pumping while working on set, writing on Instagram: “I am a working mom of two. My goal was to get my little girl to six months and then decide if I (and her of course) wanted to keep going. Let me tell you. Pumping at work sucks.”
Topics: Women's Health, Parenting
Greg Harris