Kate Upton opens up about breastfeeding and the pressures of early motherhood

Model-turned-actress Kate Upton recently said that “breastfeeding was sucking the energy away” from her. The 27-year-old has now taken to Instagram to expand on her thoughts about early motherhood

Kate Upton has recently become a mother for the first time, having given birth to daughter Genevieve in November 2018. In a new interview with Editorialist magazine, the American model admitted she struggled with life post-partum, particularly with all the pressures to breastfeed.

“Having [Genevieve] has changed my life in such a wonderful way,” she said. But then she added there was, “so much pressure to be doing all these things, like breastfeeding on the go – when the reality, for me, was that breastfeeding was sucking the energy away from me. I realised I needed to calm down, to allow my body to recover.”

Now, in a new post on social media, Upton has further explained how she feels about life as a new mum. “I want to take a minute to clarify the context of feeling pressures as a new mother and breastfeeding in the Editorialist magazine article,” she began.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Mar 8, 2019 at 12:54pm PST

Unrealistic expectations

“When asked about getting back in shape after pregnancy I discussed the major pressures that are out there for new moms to ‘snap back’ right after having a baby. Every woman experiences this due to the unnecessary and unrealistic expectations that are brought into every household, mostly via social media. I certainly felt these pressures, as all women do.

“I tried to push myself early to get back to the gym, eat perfectly and try to achieve this alleged ‘snap back’. But, after realizing how ridiculous these pressures are I quickly gave myself some slack and lived in the moment as a new mother.

“Every woman needs to give their body time to heal and to soak in those early, precious moments. I realized quickly that between breastfeeding, healing, little-to-no sleep, off-the-charts hormone changes and experiencing everything for the first time that those weight-loss pressures are extremely unnecessary, and I decided to turn my energy towards my family.

“Every mother’s experience is different with every baby. I’ve learned everyone’s journey is extremely personal and no two are the same. My energy was drained but my heart was extremely full, and I decided to not let others’ opinions and expectations get in the way of my own personal timeline.

“In my opinion, enjoy the moments with your new baby and growing family, allow your body time to heal and make sure to go at your own pace.”

Photo: Kate Upton, Instagram

Read more: ‘Did you even try?’ Breastfeeding shame and the tyranny of lactivism

Read more: Breast milk is best for babies, their mothers and… bodybuilders?

Read more: Jasmin Paris becomes the first woman to win 268-mile ultra-marathon (while expressing breast milk)