Reality Star Reveals She Was Guilted Into "Hiding Formula" After She Stopped Breastfeeding

No matter what you do as a mom, someone is going to have an opinion about it, and when you're a celebrity, those judgments flood in even faster. The breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding "debate" is one area where people like to pass judgment on new parents, no matter which they pick, and Emily Maynard wasn't spared from criticism just because she's a popular reality star.

The former Bachelor and Bachelorette star revealed in an interview with People that she had a breastfeeding journey that many can relate to: it was difficult and she didn't always feel confident in her decisions. The mom-of-three has an 11-year-old, a 22-month-old, and a 7-month-old, but just because she nursed all three doesn't mean that it got easier with each baby.

"Breastfeeding is really hard," she said. "I breastfed Ricki, I breastfed Jennings for a while and then Gibson, it's so hard with other kids running around. And then I got mastitis which is like the worst, worse than childbirth I feel like."

After this, Emily stopped breastfeeding but had a hard time accepting the decision she made, in part because of feeling shamed by those around her. "I didn't want to tell anybody that I quit. I was trying to hide formula," she said. "I saw all of these beautiful breastfeeding pictures, I don't know if I would post a picture like that, but I would love the option. I wanted to so bad."