You probably know that Hilary Duff is a proud mom of two children: Luca, 7, and 6-month-old Banks.
She's also known for being incredibly honest about the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and motherhood.
Well, she has now opened up about her breastfeeding experience in another candid Instagram post.
Duff began by saying that she'd decided to stop breastfeeding her daughter but had "enjoyed (almost) every minute" of the journey.
But she went on to explain that she'd decided to stop breastfeeding because of how difficult pumping at work had become.
Duff went on to outline how complicated the practicalities of pumping were and said she missed the "actual contact and connection with [her] baby" as a result of not physically breastfeeding.
Duff then revealed that despite all the difficulties, she still felt like a "failure" for considering stopping breastfeeding.
"Moms get high on feeling like superwoman," she went on, "because we are! Doing too much, because we can! But somehow stuck on the feeling we can always do a little more! We are strong as hell over-achievers. I am amazed at all that we can do in one single day!"
She added that deciding to stop breastfeeding was "emotional", "hard", and something she "thought about all day every day" until she stopped.
Duff, who hadn't "fed or pumped in three days", concluded by saying that she feels "fine, and happy and relieved and silly" for worrying so much about stopping.
She ended the post: "Whether you are pre or postpartum, or just a busy mom, you are a superhero everyday for all that you do. Always putting yourself last and running a mile a minute...Love you all and hope this helps anyone struggling! See you nursing bras✌🏻"
People praised Duff's honesty and began sharing their own experiences in the comments.
And many, many more people began tagging their friends so they, too, could read the message.
Go, Hilary Duff!
You can read the comment in full here.
THIS ONE’S FOR THE LADIES Just a few thoughts that I wanted to share on Breast-feeding. Last week was my last week nursing Banks (my six month old)
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. I had zero down time and am usually pumping in a hair and make up trailer while four hands work to get me ready for the next scene with lots of other people around. Even if I had the luxury to be in my own room, it’s not even considered a “break” because you have to sit upright for the milk to flow into the bottles! Plus you are having your damn nipples tugged at by an aggressive machine that makes an annoying sound, that echoes through your head day and night (I swear that machine and I had many conversations at midnight and 3 am)! Ttttthen having to find someplace to sterilize bottles and keep your milk cold (ok I’m done with that rant lol)! Anyway, I didn’t know this because with Luca I didn’t work until he was about nine months old, so I didn’t pump very often. Your milk supply drastically drops when you stop feeding as often and lose the actual contact and connection with your baby (😞). So I was eating all the feunugreek goats butt blessed thistle fennel cookies/drops/shakes/pills I could get my hands on! It was maddening. (Does fenugreek make anyone else smell like maple syrup and rubber gloves?...not chill) With all of this complaining, I want to say I enjoyed (almost) every moment of feeding my daughter. Felt so lucky to be so close to her and give her that start. I know many women are not able to and for that I am sympathetic and very grateful that I could. For six wonderful months. But I needed a break. I was going to break. With the stress of a dropping milk supply and a baby that was getting bored or not caring about nursing when I was available to. I was sad and frustrated and feeling like a failure all of the time. When really I’m a bad ass rock star. Moms get high on feeling like superwoman...because we are! Doing too much, because we can!
But somehow stuck on the feeling we can always do a little more! We are strong as hell over-achievers. I am amazed at all that we can do in one single day! That goes for myself, my mom friends, my mom, or my sister! I’m talking to you too mom, I don’t know who’s reading this. I wanted to share this because deciding to stop BFing was so emotional and hard. I thought about it ALL day everyday. It was a constant loop in my head. Weighing the pros and cons. And half of the time I wasn’t making any sense. It was about me, and not Banks at that point. I cried many times and felt so depressed while weening. I wasn’t myself at all. Something scary was hovering over my brain and my heart...the part of me that I know is smart and rational. The lows felt horrible. I was missing good time with my baby. But I was really missing that natural oxytocin high. Those chemicals are powerful hormones and no joke. I am happy to say that I haven’t fed or pumped in three days and it’s crazy how fast you can come out on the other side. I feel fine and happy and relieved and silly that I even stressed on it so hard. Banks is thriving and I get even more time with her and daddy gets to do more feeds! And mommy gets a tiny bit more sleep! Whether you are pre or postpartum. Or just a busy mom, You are a superhero everyday for all that you do. Always putting yourself last and running a mile a minute...while carrying all of the bags lol
Love you all and hope this helps anyone struggling!
See you nursing bras✌🏻 until next time!