Comedian Amy Schumer became a mom this year, and she has been an open book about everything related to motherhood. I mean everything. From her intense battle with hyperemesis gravidarum (severe, unrelenting morning sickness that can sometimes last throughout an entire pregnancy) and the other nitty-gritty (sometimes gross) aspects of being pregnant to newborn woes and breastfeeding struggles, Amy is not one to sit down and shut up. She loves to share her parenting journey, and she doesn't seem to care what the haters say. Only now, she's opening up about something many new moms go through that doesn't get shared that often, and Amy has some pretty bold feelings about it — it being the pressure to breastfeed.
Tons of moms feel the pressure to breastfeed their babies, but the truth is there are all kinds of challenges that nursing can present, especially when it comes to moms who go back to work quickly and aren't with their babies all of the time. While breastfeeding can be incredibly beneficial to a baby, it's a highly personal choice.
From her Netflix special Growing, in which she talked all about pregnancy, to her postpartum experience, Amy has not stopped dishing on all things motherhood. It's pretty refreshing coming from a celebrity. Most moms want to make pregnancy and motherhood look like it's beautiful all the time. Amy's approach is a little different.
Amy definitely doesn't care about letting it all hang out. She literally shares photos of herself pumping breast milk, which, let's face it, most moms would rather hide. She also shared not-so-flattering photos during her pregnancy. For example, she posted images of herself sick in bed and even videos of her throwing up!
No one can say that Amy hasn't been real. Just recently she shared an image celebrating the year she's had. While she looks a little messy — her pants are wet — as she holds her newborn baby, she also looks happy. She captioned the photo, "This has been by far the best year of my life and I spent half of it vomiting everyday."
Aside from Amy being endlessly open on her social media, she recently opened up in a podcast, too. She was a guest on the podcast Informed Pregnancy, and she talked about something that many moms experience but don't always feel like they can talk openly about — the pressure to breastfeed. Amy said the pressure can feel pretty immense.
Pumping was "bumming" her out, she said. "I was pumping because I wanted him to get the colostrum," she said. "I had a lactation expert; he [her son, Gene] didn't latch, and I just didn't feel that push to make that happen. I pumped for the first month or something and then I was like, not for me, this is not for me, I didn't want to do it."
It may not be that surprising of a sentiment coming from Amy, but it's definitely refreshing for some moms to hear. Not everyone wants to breastfeed. In fact, not everyone is able to breastfeed. Not to mention, the societal expectations for new moms makes it tough.
Serena Williams also offered Amy some advice about which formula to use, Amy said. "We were giving him Similac and actually Serena Williams kind of yelled at me and was like, 'there's a lot of sugar in that' and even though it was great and he was meeting his milestones on Similac we switched him to Holle [non-FDA-approved European brand of formula] with less sugar," she said. Amy felt good about the decision. She said Gene did great on formula.
"I really encourage women — there's so much pressure to breastfeed but really, it's all in your head," Amy added. "Some people absolutely love it and I'm so happy for them but it was bumming me out. Once it occurred to me that I could stop, I was like, 'I'm going stop.'"
It's a pretty good point, because some women really struggle with breastfeeding, but the truth is, there are options. No one should feel forced to do something that is becoming too difficult or mentally unhealthy.
"You matter," she said of moms choosing to stop breastfeeding and pumping. "It's going to better for your baby that you're OK." They are totally true words that new moms need to hear. Honestly, there aren't enough people sharing their experiences with switching to formula. It's pretty brave of Amy to put herself out there, because no matter what, there will be judgment.
The best thing about Amy, though, is that she knows there will always be haters out there. She's much more concerned with being honest, open, and real. She's a real mom with real struggles, and she doesn't mind sharing them. The fact is, so many mothers and families will benefit from her honesty.
