Pregnancy comes with lots of responsibilities as every expecting woman starts preparing herself for her baby. From reading more about parenting to learning a trick or two on how to deal with a baby, the pregnancy phase is just the beginning. The practice session comes to reality when your baby is born and the entire search you have done on breastfeeding looks vague. Why? Because it is a language that connects a mommy and her baby, and only they know what works best for them.
From worrying about not lactating enough to panicking about how to make your baby accept your breast milk, a new mother petrifies a lot. However, with time the mother and her baby set a perfect rhythm and start to coordinate. Well, breastfeeding is not as easy as it looks! Here are 8 celebrity moms, who shared their breastfeeding experiences and struggles they faced!
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Nakuul Mehta and his wife, Jankee Parekh Mehta had welcomed their little munchkin, Sufi Mehta on February 3, 2021. After Sufi’s birth, every now and then, Jankee talks about her motherhood experience. Being a first-time mother, in an IG post, Jankee had talked about her breastfeeding experience and how first she was under self-doubt, however, later she rose above it all.
Jankee had called breastfeeding her victory in her postpartum journey. She had written:
“It’s world breast feeding week and I could honestly write a thesis on it but let me just share my story in a nutshell. My single biggest victory in my journey postpartum has been breastfeeding, and I won’t shy away from saying that I am so proud of myself. Proud of not giving up, of believing in the power of my body & mind, of not being influenced by the voices around me.”
Talking about how she was doubtful if she is producing enough milk for her baby, Jankee had added:
“My initial 40 days post partum were such a challenge. There was a lot of self doubt. Is my body producing enough milk? Why is he still crying? Is it because he is still hungry? His acid reflux didn’t help either. He would puke whatever milk he would have and then cry again. I tried and tried. Also had meltdowns every couple of days.”
Jankee had further shared how her househelp’s statement about her breastmilk would demotivate her. She had continued:
“And whilst I was dealing with this, there were times when my househelp and nanny would unknowingly pass statements that would demoralise me. ‘Baby ko shayad dhodh nahi mil raha hai’ or ‘Ab Sufi ko bottle zyaada pasand hai, iske liye ro raha hai.’ Hearing these lines every other day, created even more self doubt. I always wanted to exclusively breastfeed my child since the very beginning but it seemed like a far fetched dream at that point. Having said that, I was determined to reverse this completely!”
Sharing how she had ensured that she increases the supply of her breastmilk by taking a proper diet and constantly reminded herself that her body is doing the best, Jankee had added:
“The first thing I did was politely shut the voices around me. Next, I did everything in my capacity to increase my supply. Had litres and litres of water everyday, supplements, and most importantly positive affirmations to myself. I kept calm when I fed Sufi even if he was crying and constantly reminded myself that my body is producing enough milk and more for my baby.”
While the initial month was a difficult journey for Jankee when it came to breastfeeding, gradually she picked the pace. She had mentioned:
“Up until now I was supplementing Sufi with formula milk, but slowly and steadily things began to change and by a month and a half I managed to achieve what I had envisioned for my child. Today, he is not only breastfed exclusively but I have also managed to fill up my freezer with a sufficient stash of expressed milk. It took sometime but together we made it happen.”
Jankee had also mentioned that feeding your kid is important whether it is through breastfeeding or formula feeding. She had concluded:
“This post by no means is to invalidate the journey of formula feeding parents. Formula is absolutely great and a blessing. I am just here to share my story. At the end of the day remember, ‘Fed is best’ whether it’s breast milk or formula. I am writing this post today specially for all new mothers out there, who are on the verge of giving up breast feeding (because of many external factors) whilst still wanting to give breast milk to their baby. I exactly know what you are going through. It can be super hard and exhausting but YOU and ONLY YOU have the POWER to reverse this!”
Permanent Roommates and Tripling, actor Sumeet Vyas and his Mere Angane Mein fame wife, Ekta Kaul had welcomed their first child on June 3, 2020. Ekta had given birth to a baby boy, whom they have named Ved. On the occasion of breastfeeding week, Ekta had shared a picture on her IG handle, breastfeeding her one-year-old son, Ved.
Talking about protecting and supporting women’s right to breastfeed anywhere, Ekta Kaul had written:
“Happy breast feeding week everyone! Let’s protect, promote and support breast feeding if it’s your choice as a mother. And let’s support the right of women to breast feed anywhere and at anytime.”
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Mohit Malik and Addite Malik had become proud parents for the first time on April 29, 2021. The couple has named their firstborn Ekbir Malik, and Addite has been penning her motherhood journey on her IG handle. In one of her posts, Addite had talked about her breastfeeding experience and if it is better than formula feeding. Sharing why she chose both breast milk and formula milk for her son, Ekbir, Addite had written:
“As I was going through all your comments a lot of you were asking about Breast Feeding Vs Formula, what’s the right way? Honestly, I say choose your path and don’t go on what others tell you. Like I told you in my last diary, there’s nothing greater than a mother’s instinct. I felt that my child wasn’t fulfilling his needs with just breast milk and hence I’m a mother that’s chosen supplementing.”
Revealing that people will definitely judge you for choosing a formula milk for your baby, Addite had continued:
“And trust me a lot of judgements may start with this….No formula is not good for your child! Please show me science that says that! I say that my child gets antibodies through breast milk but with it if he needs more, why shall he stay hungry?”
Addite had further stated that formula fills her child’s stomach and she doesn’t have to worry about him staying hungry. Revealing how it suits her, Addite had concluded:
“Let him have formula which is slightly heavier, keeps him sleeping for a few hours as he doesn’t cry out in hunger and that’s what suits me. I’m less worried about what happens if I have to step out ever for a few hours of work, I’m less worried about whether my child’s stomach is full or not, I’m just overall making this process of motherhood happier.”
It was on June 16, 2020, when Shikha Singh and her hubby, Karan Shah had welcomed their angel, Alayna. On July 1, 2021, Shikha had shared a picture on her IG handle, breastfeeding her one-year-old daughter, Alayna. Taking a jibe at the society for their double standards, and how breastfeeding is still a taboo, Shikha had written:
“We live in a society where a mother catches less hell for giving her toddler a coke than she does for giving her toddler Breastmilk. I am working to change that in my lifetime- Deanna Decker.”
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Ankita Bhargava and Karan Patel had embraced parenthood for the first time on December 14, 2019. Ankita had given birth to a baby girl, and the lovely couple has named their daughter, Mehr. Ankita is quite active on social media and often shares her motherhood experiences. In one of her posts, she had talked in detail about breastfeeding and had written:
"Breastfeeding.... DISCLAIMER - This post is only to create a positive attitude and an open conversation about breastfeeding and does not intend to discredit formula feeding at all. Please do not jump to unnecessary conclusions and derail my aim here! Breastfeeding Is not just to fill their tiny tummies and give them an immunity boost... It is a journey that U get to share with just this ONE HUMAN BEING on this entire planet! U and Mini U!"
Further, talking about how breastfeeding is a love language between a mother and her baby, Ankita had added:
"It is a conversation between the two of you, even before words can take shape. It is how they say... I missed U. I am scared. I am tired. I am lonely. I am unwell. I am overwhelmed. And above all, It is how they say, I LOVE U MAA. So please, If you get the opportunity to breastfeed, Don't put limits on the Time, Duration, Quantity etc etc... This is once in a life time opportunity and will never come back with ur lil one! Make the most of it while it lasts! It is a blessing not just your lil one but also for U! It helps in overcoming post partum depression too! All my love and support to all the mothers out there. Breastfeeding or Not."
Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi couple, Smriti Khanna and Gautam Gupta had decided on forever on November 23, 2017. They had welcomed their first child on April 15, 2020, and have named her Anayka Gupta. On August 5, 2020, Smriti had posted a twinning family picture on her IG handle and had talked about how breastfeeding is a task in itself. Sharing how her husband, Gautam proves to be of great help in parenthood, Smriti had written:
"Having a nurturing and cognizant partner always standing by your side is such manna from heaven, especially when you enter motherhood and realize how challenging it can be when it comes to managing breastfeeding as a part & parcel of daily life routine. A very important thing that I and Gautam are learning during parenthood is how to be resilient and instrumental for each other!"
After the birth of Ananyka, in an interview with Pinkvilla, Smriti had opened up about how she had struggled to breastfeed her daughter initially. She had said:
"It's been two days since we came home, the first night was so bad, it was a nightmare. In fact, I decided to exclusively breastfeed the baby but due to COVID situation sometimes it becomes so hard. I was doing that till the time I had nurses around me. I had thought that for the next six months, it is going to be this way but I don't know now... there are so many issues, the baby keeps crying, I keep wondering if I am doing anything wrong, recently, it was like 2:30 AM and the baby won't stop crying. We did everything to make sure the baby stops crying. At last, we got a Dabba with that formula, we have been watching YouTube videos. Everyone was running to make her stop crying and then finally she did."
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It was on February 15, 2020, when Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Raj Kundra had welcomed their second child, a baby girl via surrogacy. They have named their second-born Samisha Shetty Kundra. As Samisha was born via surrogacy and soon after Shilpa and Raj had brought her home, the nation was under complete lockdown, the actress had struggled with the immunisation of her little girl and the supply of her formula milk.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Shilpa Shetty Kundra had opened up on the hiccups she had faced when it came to her then-three-month-old daughter, Samisha’s nutrition. Sharing that she couldn’t breastfeed Samisha and they struggled with formula milk, Shilpa had shared:
“I can’t call it a problem because people will laugh and say that this can’t even be a problem. I’m not breastfeeding obviously so you need the right formula that’s easy on the child. Not finding the formula powder for my baby was a genuine problem because the imports had shut. Only a mother can understand that when a child is used to a certain formula you don’t want to change it. It’s a problem but it’s not an impossibility to cope with.”
'Monisha Sarabhai’ in the show, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai or ‘Anupamaa’ in the show, Anupamaa, Rupali Ganguly is a brilliant actress. In 2013, Rupali had tied the knot with her friend, Ashwin K Verma, whom she had known for 12 years. In 2015, Rupali and Ashwin had embraced parenthood as the actress had given birth to a baby boy, Rudransh. After delivering her baby boy, Rupali had taken a sabbatical from acting for almost seven years.
In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Rupali Ganguly had shared that she used to judge herself for not being able to breastfeed her son as she was not lactating, taking a mental toll on her. She had said:
“There is this thing that Mother’s milk is the best milk for the child and a lot of things about it… but I did not lactate. Hence, I was obsessed and was judging myself that I failed as a mother of I could not even do this basic thing for my child. It kind of mentally took a toll on me.”
Rupali had shared that her husband, Ashwini, had made her feel comfortable and understand that she is not a bad mother if she cannot breastfeed her baby. She had shared:
“As a mother, you want to do so much for your kid but it is okay, just being a mother is enough. Stop calling yourself out. When Rudransh would roll out of the bed and hurt himself, I would feel I failed as a mother, I am a bad mother. No, It is only after a while I understood I need to stop doing that. My husband supported me. He told me, It is okay. There is no issue if your son is on that milk powder, don’t kill yourself over it.”
Indeed breastfeeding is a language of love shared between a mother and her child. While it might be a tricky road for every new mommy initially, gradually it turns out to be one of the best experiences for them. While we live in a world, where breastfeeding in public is taboo and is sexualised, we believe there is nothing more beautiful in this world than a mother ensuring that her baby is fed enough despite the situation.
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