11 Celebrities Share Their Breastfeeding Journeys — and Nursing Moms Everywhere Can Relate

Forever a hot-button topic in the parenting world, breastfeeding and everything having to do with it — i.e. nursing or pumping in public — is constantly debated among moms and nonmoms alike. Plenty of celebrity moms have weighed in on the "controversial" topic, and the following 11, who all at least tried breastfeeding their own children, shared several sentiments about nursing that we can totally get behind. At the end of the day, a fed and happy baby is the best kind of baby, but the movement to normalize breastfeeding for those mothers who can and choose to do so is why all of the celebrity moms' quotes ahead are empowering as hell.

Kristen Bell

Although Kristen Bell is out of the breastfeeding game, the mom of 3-year-old Delta and 4-year-old Lincoln has publicly shared quite a few tidbits about her nursing time. In an episode of her web series, Momsplaining, the working mom — who was caught pumping during a Skype script read by her Bad Moms costars — admitted to suffering from mastitis three times (during one of which she asked husband Dax Shepard to "suck [it] out" for her). Also within that episode, she shared how it felt becoming a "food truck" to her baby, especially when in public.

"I think that's so normal [to cover up]," she said in the video. "But I got into this weird zone in my head after I had my kid where I went, 'No, sorry, but my kid is more important than your discomfort about the boob . . . ' Free the nipple."

Serena Williams

Since becoming mom to daughter Alexis Olympia, Serena Williams hasn't been shy about sharing her mom struggles and parenting woes. The relatable new mom inspired tons of supportive responses to her nursing journey specifically when she opened up on Twitter about becoming emotional when thinking about the time in the future when she'll no longer be breastfeeding. "Fellow moms: How long did you breastfeed? Is it weird that I get emotional when I even just think about when it's time to stop?" she wrote.

Thousands of her followers jumped in to offer advice and words of comfort. However, many of her fans expressed how nice it was to feel a mom-to-mom connection with Serena through her vulnerability, further proving that sharing our stories and supporting each other is of the utmost importance — especially when it comes to breastfeeding.

Mila Kunis
Getty | Matt Winkelmeyer

Mila Kunis

Although Mila Kunis supports every mother's choice for their own children, she opted to breastfeed anywhere and everywhere while she was nursing.

"There were many times where I didn't bring a cover with me, and so I just did it in a restaurant, in the subway, in the park, at airports, and in planes," she told Vanity Fair. "Why did I do it in public? Because I had to feed my child. She's hungry. I need to feed her whether it's out of a bottle or out of my boob no matter where I was . . . It always made my husband and I feel a little weird. It took us a little back because people actually looked at us in a shameful [way], and we were like, 'Oh my God,' because it's so not a sexual act. It didn't matter to me what other people thought. That's what I chose to do, but I think it's unfortunate that people are so hard on women who choose to do it and do it in public."

Whitney Port

In an episode of her web series, I Love My Baby But . . . , Whitney Port opened up deeply to her viewers about her struggles with breastfeeding. Her tearful breakdown during the episode titled "I Haven't Loved Breastfeeding That Much" showcased the emotional side of nursing for those moms who have anything but an easy breastfeeding experience:

"I thought I was doing really well and the nurses there said that the latch was good, and I was really surprised. But after about 24 to 48 hours of doing it, it just started to get so incredibly painful. And we came home, and I just hit a breaking point and said, 'I can't do this.' It feels like someone is slicing my nipples with glass. . . I feel like a lot of people are going to tell me to just have patience and try to do it because it's only been a week. But I just don't know if it's something that is going to get better or not. So that's what I feel anxious about. Like, how much longer am I willing to try it before I just give up on it and just pump and give him the bottles and be OK with it?"

Chrissy Teigen

The ever-candid and hilariously honest Chrissy Teigen had plenty to say about her breastfeeding journey with her daughter, Luna. Through short tweets and one hysterical Instagram (featured here), the mom shared what it was like to be a "5'9" walking boob" while Luna nursed.

"Fell asleep with my breast pump on and I think I'm in a different dimension now," one of her breastfeeding tweets read. In another, she touched on a slightly lesser-known but still totally valid pumping struggle: "Just spray-tanned around my breast pump outline. The logistical challenges of a healthy beach glow while boobing are incredible."

Pink

Pink is no stranger to life as a breastfeeding mom, and she definitely wasn't shy about sharing her journey with the public. The mom of two shared so many photos that normalized breastfeeding both in general as well as for working mothers. In the photo featured here, Pink touched on the fact that she (and her son) had to master multitasking during feedings.

In another Instagram "brelfie" photo, however, she emphasized an even more important aspect of breastfeeding: "In honor of #nationalbreastfeedingweek2016 I proudly post this photo of a very HEALTHY, NATURAL act between mother and child."

Hilaria Baldwin

Hilaria Baldwin, mom to three "Baldwinitos" under 4 (soon to be four kiddos!), has kept it really real about her parenting techniques and struggles. When it came to breastfeeding, she noted that the experience was both challenging and rewarding.

"I prided myself on being a Super Breastfeeding Mommy, but I was only able to breastfeed Rafa until he was 10 months old," she told People, sharing that her goal was to breastfeed her son Rafael Thomas for longer than she got to. "I got pregnant again, and my milk supply went way down. But the fact that I didn't breastfeed him for as long as I'd intended is okay. We beat ourselves up for not being perfect, but there's something to be said for letting go."

Olivia Wilde

Nearly two years after receiving backlash over breastfeeding her then-3-month-old son, Otis, in a photo spread for Glamour in 2014, Olivia Wilde shared that she learned a lot about the breastfeeding debate in that time.

"One thing that is very clear to me is that it should be every individual woman's choice what she wants to do," she told People. "It was an interesting experience because that photo shoot came out of a very organic moment of having to feed my son because it was just my choice to breastfeed. But I did not in any way intend to shame women who had chosen not to breastfeed for whatever reason. It's a complex issue, but the one thing that's not complex is that people should be allowed to breastfeed wherever they want, whenever they want."

Heidi Montag

After welcoming her first child in October 2017, Heidi Montag took to Instagram to share a uniquely gorgeous photo of herself breastfeeding her son, Gunner, surrounded by a number of adorable puppies. The former reality star touched on how her perspective has changed since welcoming her son, and though she didn't explicitly mention breastfeeding, thanks to the stunning photo, we can only assume that nursing is part of the equation.

"The greatest joy and blessing in my life," she wrote in the photo's caption. "My angel has taken me to a completely new and powerful experience. More love than I could have possibly imagined! I love, support, and appreciate women more than I ever have before. The strength and heart it takes every day. It has been more rewarding than I could have dreamed. God truly had made women to be extraordinary."

Cameran Eubanks

Another mom who struggled with her own breastfeeding journey, reality star Cameran Eubanks took to Instagram after three months of nursing her daughter, Palmer, to say that she was "just plain over it."

"Today marks the day I am DONE with breastfeeding," she wrote. "Gave it a good almost three months and I am retiring the boobs. Writing this in hopes it will make other mothers feel less alone. You see, I'm not quitting because my milk supply dried up or because I'm sick . . . I'm quitting because I'm just plain OVER IT. By CHOICE. I know I will get lectured and judged by this but it doesn't bother me. I need some freedom back for my sanity and the bottle and formula will allow that. You are not a bad mother if you don't like breastfeeding. A happy mama is the best gift you can give your baby (at least in my opinion)."

Maya Rudolph
Getty | Amanda Edwards

Maya Rudolph

Hilarious mom of four Maya Rudolph shared a relatable sentiment about breastfeeding at a round-table discussion for the movie Angry Birds:

"I liked nursing — that was a life experience that, by the way, I know not everyone likes, but I did. It was this weird thing that I never knew I'd be able to have. I assumed I would, but I didn't know what it would be like. And it's so sad when it's over! You're the only one that can offer that to your child, and it's just wild. It's a wild human experience. My mother breastfed me — there's like, folklore about it, people say, 'I remember your mother breastfeeding you!' — probably until I was about four. So I just thought my kids would be hanging off me for years, but they all said, 'I'm done!'"