You can take your weird, judgey breastfeeding opinions somewhere else, thank you very much. Rumer Willis has no time for them — and neither do we! The Sorority Row actress had some stern words for the breastfeeding haters out there, and we fully support this take.
She Wants to Eliminate ‘Shame’ Around Breastfeeding
First of all, there should be absolutely, 0% shame around breastfeeding, ever. “I don’t have shame about my breasts or about feeding my daughter,” Willis told E! News about her 7-month-old daughter Louetta, who she shares with Derek Richard Thomas. “That’s how they eat; that’s how they find connection; that’s how they find safety.”
“We, as a society, are the ones who have sexualized breasts,” she continued. “Breasts are literally made to feed our children.” Say. It. Again!!! Breasts are beautiful and can be sexy, obviously, but they are first and foremost a way to nurture, comfort, and nourish our babies and people need to take several steps back if they are not OK with that (talking to you flight attendant who asked me to stop breastfeeding my 6-month-old mid-air because it made her too uncomfortable).
Prioritize Your Own Connection With Your Child
She also gave encouragement to moms who have been shamed or judged while out breastfeeding. “I have no problem doing it,” the House Bunny alum said. “If people look at me weird or judge me, that’s fine. Whatever your journey is, don’t be ashamed.”
Willis continued, “It’s such a privilege to be able to feed your child and have those moments of connection. Are you going to prioritize what other people think of you over your connection with your child?”
I confess I didn’t know much about breastfeeding before I became a mom, and even felt a little “ick” about the whole thing. But once my newborn and I mastered that connection and I learned it was the fastest way to calm him down, I developed very different opinions on it. And I would definitely encourage any soon-to-be-mom to at least try it before you decide it’s not for you — especially if your decision stems from the fact that you don’t want people to look down on you.
“There’s so much misinformation that is promoted towards women that they don’t feel empowered,” she told E! “It doesn’t seem like there’s a general container of support for women to continue on their breastfeeding journey. So, it’s really important to be able to talk about it. “If we remove all of the judgments and negativity, and show up with more compassion, then a lot of stuff would be drastically different.”
Birthday Blessings
Willis celebrated her 35th birthday in August with a breastfeeding selfie on the beach. “✨This is 35 ✨ Ridiculously Sunburnt and Feeding my Lou.” she wrote in a lengthy post. She found out she was pregnant on her 34th birthday and now she’s happy to “have her here now in my arms on this next trip around the ☀️ I feel every birthday wish I have ever had has come true ten fold. This past year has come with so much growth, so many challenges and fears to overcome but right along side more joy than I could ever imagine.”
“This new version of me is someone I love more than I ever thought I could. I feel more comfortable in my skin. More confident than I ever imagined,” she said. “I have known for so many years that being a mother would bring me into alignment with a divine purpose I have always felt and to known that my intuition was right has given me a trust within myself that I am so deeply grateful for.”
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