
It's hard to believe that in 2019, topics surrounding breastfeeding are still taboo, but it's true -- and that's something that plenty of celebrity moms have had to deal with, too. Still, the "controversy" surrounding nursing hasn't stopped many of them from sharing some breastfeeding confessions and photos of their own that, of course, turn heads. Like any part of motherhood, there's a lot of potential for things to go wrong, and even when things go right, breastfeeding and pumping are two areas in the parenting arena where the tales can take a turn for the ... unexpected.
Obviously, anytime a mom -- whether she's a celebrity or not -- opens up about breastfeeding in any capacity, we want to stand up and cheer, because that's one more step closer to normalizing something in our society that should have been normalized a very long time ago. But there are some stories that celebrities have shared that have definitely gone against the norm. Some are so bizarre that they've raised an eyebrow or two ... even if they are, in their own ways, a little bit relatable.
But just because the details are a little WTF, that doesn't mean we don't want to hear about them. Celebrities have their own breastfeeding stories to share that border on the outrageous side, and if nothing else, they're getting the word out at the very least that even though it's not always pretty, it's just another natural part of life.
Here are some of the most breastfeeding confessions from celebrity moms that turned a few heads and are actually kinda relatable if we're being honest. If anything, these confessions are quite refreshing as we're guilty of doing the same -- so it's good to be among a few mamas that will do what's necessary, because the struggle is too real.
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'Unclogging' Milk Ducts
1On an episode of Very Cavallari, Kristin Cavallari admitted that husband Jay Cutler had to help her out when her milk ducts were "major clogged."
"Jay had to get them out for me," Kristin said in the clip. "Sucking harder than he's ever sucked."
Later, Kristin said that Jay saved her life, so while it's unconventional, hey, he got the job done!
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'Nursing' the Husband
2Kristin Cavallari isn't the only one whose husband had to rise to the occasion! In fact, she's not even the only one named Kristin.
In an episode of her #Momsplaining YouTube show, Kristen Bell shared when she had mastitis, husband Dax Shepard had to help her out, too, and he totally stepped up to the plate. Their baby wasn't nursing anymore, so it was up to him to get it done.
"So I said to my husband, 'I really need you to suck this out. We could talk about it, we could be weird about it, or you could just go ahead and nurse," she revealed. "He pulled it out. He had a cup next to him. He was pulling out and spitting into this cup, and I've never been more in love."
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Breastfeeding a Baby Doll
3View this post on InstagramLuna making me feed her babydoll so I guess I have twins now
A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on
But to be totally fair, this one wasn't just because Chrissy Teigen wanted to -- it was because Luna told her to. When baby brothers come into the equation, sometimes, things like this have to happen, but the photo still got people talking.
"Luna making me feed her baby doll so I guess I have twins now," Chrissy wrote.
Never a dull moment (LOL).
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Wine While Breastfeeding
4When Jessie James Decker shared this photo of herself breastfeeding baby Forrest last year with wine in hand, she definitely turned heads. Fans had a lot of opinions about her drinking while feeding her little one, but ultimately, what Jessie does when feeding her kiddos is her business.
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BYOB
5Splash NewsSome people prefer wine while breastfeeding, others prefer beer.
Bethenny Frankel was ready for a beer after having a baby in 2011 -- an understandable craving after going nine months without alcohol. According to what she told Hollywood Life at the time, she didn't hold back from drinking while breastfeeding, either.
"I was excited that I was allowed to have a beer," the Real Housewives star said. "I don't think that it produced more milk. I don't believe in any of the gimmicks!"
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Drinking a Sibling's Breast Milk
6View this post on InstagramA post shared by tameramowrytwo (@tameramowrytwo) on
When Tamera Mowry wasn't feeling well, she hit up her twin sister, Tia, for some of her breast milk. The Real star was more than willing to give this a shot as it wasn't the first time she's tried her sister's breast milk -- what?!
As Tia Mowry explained in an Instagram post of her own, she gave her sister some of her breast milk because she was sick and the milk has healing properties. Tamera was totally cool with giving this a shot, and drank the milk because (get ready for this) she'd tried it before.
According to Tamera, Tia's breast milk is the best milk she's ever had.
Well, alrighty then!
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Pumping During a Gala
7View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nicole Michele Phelps (@mrs.nicolephelps) on
Last May, Nicole Phelps definitely turned heads when she pumped during a gala for husband Michael Phelps's foundation. She shared a photo of herself, showing off her pump paired with her evening gown (not the most glamorous, but it's just a part of life). Unfortunately, she got a ton of backlash -- so much so, Nicole ended up defending herself which she shouldn't have had to do.
"Breastfeeding is NATURAL," Nicole wrote. "I have to admit there were times at the Olympics I was feeding Boomer in the stands. I want it to be known women don’t have to hide in a bathroom to take a moment to provide our babies with food."
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Avenging a Milk Mix-Up
8Jen Lowery/Splash NewsIn an interview with Marie Claire, Scarlett Johansson admitted to a major milk mix up she had after pumping at the 2015 Oscars shortly after her daughter, Rose, was born. Like many nursing moms will understand, just because she was at the Oscars didn't mean she didn't have to pump, and her milk (and pump) ended up going home with Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa (LOL).
"Somehow, Mark got ahold of my breast pump -- in a bag with all the milk, ice packs in there, and sh*t. Our cars got separated," Scarlett revealed. "Apparently, Kelly looked over, and she was like, 'Wait a minute -- is that Scarlett's breast pump? We've got to get it back!' because she knew how panicked I would be."
Thank goodness for Kelly!
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Breastfeeding Fake-Out
9According Kim Kardashian, North got so jealous of her little brother, Saint, breastfeeding, Kim had to pretend to nurse North to keep her happy.
"When I was breastfeeding him, [North] was so jealous I had to get a little milk box and put it in the other bra with a straw so she would drink and he would drink," the reality star mom confessed. "She's so jealous. It's crazy. The things you do."
Sounds like a parenting hack to us!
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Crying Over Spilled Milk
10When Chrissy Teigen spilled her breast milk, she wasn't about to let it go. As she shared on Instagram Stories, Chrissy desperately tried to scoop up the spilled milk with a tiny shovel and a syringe, saving every bit of it they could.
Some people would just call it a wash, but not Chrissy Teigen!
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Breastfeeding Wardrobe Malfunction
11Splash NewsBlake Lively was still a new mom when she shared this relatable breastfeeding story in 2015. While making a live TV appearance, Blake forgot to account for the fact that her breasts would be larger if she couldn't pump ... and that almost led to an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
"With all the wardrobe changes, one thing I hadn't accounted for was that I didn't have time to pump, so my proportions definitely started to, shall we say, increase throughout the day," she revealed. "I walked out onstage for one appearance in an outfit that had fit perfectly when I tried it on many hours earlier, but by the time it got on me, I thought, 'Oh, no! This isn't going to cover them up at all! I was very worried about a wardrobe malfunction."
Fortunately, it sounds like everything worked out!
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Mile-High (Pumping) Club
12View this post on InstagramRemember that Kelis song, “My milkshake brings all the boys to the lavatory”?
A post shared by Jenny Mollen (@jennymollen) on
Leave it to Jenny Mollen to take the "mile high club" to new levels! Back in 2017, the celeb mom shared a series of airplane bathroom pumping pics to show just how glamorous expressing milk can be thousands of miles in the air.
(Spoiler alert: It's not glamorous, LOL.)
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Drive-By Pumping
13View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ashley Williams (@ashleywilliamsandcompany) on
Sometimes, a mama has to do what a mama has to do!
To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week in 2018, Ashley Williams took to Instagram to share a selfie of her pumping breast milk in the car (in the middle of traffic no less). Hey, that breastfeeding schedule is real, so we definitely get the hustle!
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Faking a Boob Job
14When Kristen Bell starred in CHiPS, she was still breastfeeding, and at the time, her character was supposed to have a boob job. So to make it more realistic, she didn't pump at all for a day to make her breasts look larger, all for her craft.
"So I didn't pump for a full day," Kristen told Seth Meyers when she stopped by his show. "And I said to the kids, 'Daddy's making a movie, go to the fridge, the food truck is closed.'"
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Coco Austin Got Breastfeeding Backlash
15View this post on InstagramA post shared by Coco (@coco) on
Last year, Coco Austin got backlash for breastfeeding her daughter, Chanel, well past her second birthday and close to her third year, but she wasn't worried about what people thought about her -- she said she'd feed her daughter that way for comfort for as long as Chanel seems to need it. But that hasn't stopped people from raising an eyebrow or 100 at her.
"She's not really needing me to eat food at all, 'cause she has teeth," Coco said in an interview with OK! Magazine. "It's more of a comfort thing. She needs me more of those times when she wants mommy, or the nap times, or going to bed."
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Breastfeeding in the Shower
16View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jenna Jameson (@jennacantlose) on
Seriously, what nursing mama hasn't been here? Jenna Jameson's shower breastfeeding pic might've come with a ton of controversy, but is so relatable on a number of levels. It's the best two-for-one: baby is fed and clean -- the end!
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Addicted to Breastfeeding
17Splash NewsSalma Hayek definitely had people listening when she claimed to be addicted to breastfeeding in an interview with The Times in 2008. She even compared her addiction to that of an alcoholic (um, maybe not the words we would've used).
"I'm like an alcoholic," she confessed. "I don't care if I cry, I don't care if I'm fat. I'm just gonna do it one more week, one more month, and then, when I see how much good it's doing her, I can't stop."
Interesting.