Ashley Tisdale wants to end the stigma around mothers who choose not to breastfeed their baby.
Ashley Tisdale
The 35-year-old actress and singer has been feeding her three-month-old daughter Jupiter formula milk after trying and failing to get her to breastfeed properly.
And she has now said she wants more mothers to be honest about how “hard” breastfeeding can be, as she believes there is an expectation for women to breastfeed if they want to be “the best mom”.
She said: "You see your friends who are new moms feeding their babies make it look so easy. But no one tells you how hard it really is. I think there's this pressure around the subject of breastfeeding and that those who do it are the best moms, but that's not true. Our journey started on day one in the hospital when Jupiter was having trouble latching."
The ’High School Musical’ alum struggled to get Jupiter to feed from her breast while they were still in the hospital after her birth and eventually decided to try formula milk, which her daughter “loved”.
She added: "That was the moment I realised that maybe breastfeeding isn't meant for us. I pumped all day, and never looked forward to pumping. I would look at the pump like it held me back from really being in the moment with Juju and enjoying my first weeks of motherhood. At that point, I turned to my husband and said 'I feel like we're striving and not thriving with this breast milk situation.'
"I was determined to make it work, but all I truly cared about was Jupiter having a good experience with feeding and getting the best nutrition.”
And after switching to formula, Ashley couldn’t be happier that her daughter has “another option” when it comes to feeding.
Writing on her Frenshe website, she said: "I felt great knowing that there was another option out there for us. And Jupiter loves it, which makes me the happiest! So, it might not have been an easy ride from the start, but I'm glad we found something that's trusted and works for us."
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