Model Ashley Graham shares why she decided to stop breastfeeding her twins at 5 months old. Learn more here.
Ashley Graham, one of the most relatable models and public figures, has made it her mission to spread the body positivity message. Throughout her pregnancies and now as a mom to a boy and twin babies, Graham believes that every mother has the right to choose whether breastfeeding is right for them, regardless of societal expectations.
During a recent interview, Graham spoke candidly about the common yet often unspoken consequences of pregnancy. While acknowledging her initial hesitation to share too much, the model ultimately opened up about her experience: “Especially with how your body is changing when you’re pregnant, and stretchmarks, and the saggy skin, formula, breastfeeding. Cause there’s also this whole thing with people telling you how to feed your child.”
She continued: “With my first kid, I was like, ’I can only breastfeed! This is the right way!’ Then I had the twins, and I was like, ’I’m not doing this. This is not working here. Both of you want both of these? This is a lot of work.’ So I stopped breastfeeding when they were 5 months, and I gave them the best formula that I could find… And these little guys are so strong and so happy.”
According to Graham, the decision to breastfeed or use formula is a personal one for each mother based on her own experience. She emphasized this point by stating, “I don’t think we should be telling people how we should be feeding our kids.”
After giving birth, Ashley Graham shared her relatable physical struggles. She said, “Your body just fills up with nutrition, and the baby sucks it out of you. And then the baby comes out and all of a sudden you’re just fully depleted of everything, so your hair falls out, you get acne, I mean, the weight doesn’t come off.”
Explaining her openness, Graham stated, “I like to represent myself as someone who’s just happy with who I am. And I had a journey, like, it is a journey, body confidence, being okay with who you are is a journey… I don’t ever want to lie.”
What are your thoughts on Ashley Graham’s decision to stop breastfeeding her twins at 5 months? Let us know in the comments.