Olivia Wilde covers the September issue of Glamour. She’s not promoting any film roles although she is currently filming an untitled HBO project. Most outlets are making a huge deal about how Livvy breastfeeds in this editorial. It IS a big deal and very significant. I shudder at how some “dude” blogs are sexualizing the matter. Olivia tweeted this photo from the shoot, which shows her feeding little Otis Alexander with the following caption: “Otis ordered milkshakes. Luckily I had some on me. Then he peed on my dress. Good kid. #boobfood #whennaturecalls.” The photo is absolutely gorgeous and groundbreaking. Olivia’s interview is all about her new role as mother. She also talks about whether she’ll ever marry Jason Sudeikis. Hint: She’s not in a hurry.
Why she breastfed in this shoot: “You can be someone who is at once maternal and professional and sexy and self-possessed. [But] I mean, I certainly don’t really look like that when I’m [typically] breastfeeding. And there’s usually a diaper involved. Being shot with Otis is so perfect because any portrait of me right now isn’t complete without my identity as a mother being a part of that. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing. I don’t know, now it feels like Otis should always be on my breast. It felt like we were capturing that multifaceted woman we’ve been discussing — that we know we can be.”
Does she worry about being a working mother? “No, because of the example of my mom. My mom is such a badass working mother. That inspired me when I was pregnant. I wasn’t going to sacrifice myself because I was becoming a mother.”
Will she and Jason marry? “We’re engaged, but no specific [wedding] plans yet — we just have to find the time to put it together,” she says. “In many ways, a child is more of a commitment. We are fully committed and really happy as a family. There’s no definition of the ‘normal family’ anymore. Kids today are growing up with so many different definitions of family. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t feel any pressure to do it. But I think it will be really fun.”
[From Glamour]
I know Olivia grates on a lot of you. She’s not a standout actress, but there’s something luminous about her energy. Livvy also never fails to speak her mind, and she usually keeps her words classy. Well, except for the time a GQ journo said she was too hot to be literate. That dude deserved the profanity.
I’m glad Olivia decided to breastfeed as part of a fashion shoot in a major magazine. Not every woman chooses to breastfeed (for various, personal reasons), but the practice should be supported and accepted in society. Nursing a child in public shouldn’t be taboo. Olivia is appealing to all the mothers out there in the name of acceptance. This is also a career move, but I don’t mind. It feels like a natural progression for Olivia.
Jason took photos of the paps last week during a stroll with his family. Celebrities think they’re so clever.
Photos courtesy of Glamour & Fame/Flynet
Jason might have wanted to take the cap off his camera lens, first.
I think it’s a gorgeous photo. (I saw it on another site.)
Ah! You beat me to it.
He needs to chill — he dated his way up, somehow… so he clearly likes the fame.
Just curious, how did jason sleep his way to the top?
There’s just something about him that doesn’t sit right with me. Like something is “off” with him, if that makes sense. He really does think he is clever though, doesn’t he? I think the way Olivia would go on about how “amazing” she thought he is really went to his head quite a bit, unfortunately. He’s just not that funny of a guy.
Olivia, well, she definitely has gotten on my nerves in the past, but she has slowly started to grow on me. Dammit! Why do celebrities have to go and make me like them? She’s honestly someone I could probably see myself being friends with.
I think he’s just incredibly bland.
This has certainly made me a bit fonder of her
I saw it on Facebook yesterday and the comments were disgusting, of course.
I’m glad she’s helping to normalize breastfeeding so hopefully future moms aren’t harassed for feeding in public. Baby is hungry when baby is hungry
ITA, I think the picture is gorgeous and it actually has make me like her a bit more (and I’m not a mom so breastfeeding in public was never an issue for me) and help people realize that feeding your child in public is nothing to be ashamed of. It is sad that so many of the comments are so disgusting, but hopefully one day that will change.
I don’t even see what the big deal is. *Gasp!* a breast!! I just whip it out in public — lol! If someone doesn’t like it they can look away 🙂
The people who give dirty looks for breastfeeding or say to wait, are the same ones who give you dirty looks for a crying baby, and ask if you can just get them to stop. ha. Tell a 3 month old, “five minutes honey, just wait.” Obviously they never tried. Miserable people, they are.
He should remove that lens cap. It can really ruin a photo.
As a nursing mom of my third child, I love this. I have personally experienced the glares. Or the people who can’t talk directly at you while you are nursing (even when you are covered!). Hell, my mother-in-law is asking when I’m going to be done nursing #3 because she is 18 months. Apparently that is too long to have the kid on the boob.
So, good on Olivia. I am a new fan of hers… So whatever she is doing, it’s working.
My family is pretty disgusted with me for nursing past a year old(16 months)
Don’t even care.
Good for you!
I’m pretty disgusted with your family… 😉 I don’t get why people who aren’t involved in the bf-ing relationship (i.e. anyone who is not you or your child) care!
Good for you. Nursing may not be for everyone but my kids and I loved it. I nursed each kid for 3 years (although the amount of nursing after 18 months was pretty small). I got teased a bit but overall everyone was pretty good. Of course, while I was nursing in public I was in Austin, which helped!
You know what’s crazy? When my son was tiny and I was first learning to breastfeed in public (you know, without my comfy chair and pillow at home, without a blanket) I actually had an older lady come up to me in public and say how great she thought it was that I was breastfeeding, and that I was doing a great job. There are some crappy people, but there are always some really kind people.
That was my experience as well. I don’t remember any negativity but I got a lot of positive comments from strangers.
Breastfeeding is amazing and wonderful and the essence of womanhood 🙂 Both my sister and I breastfed all of our children when a lot of our friends were bottle feeding. But for us there was no question what was best (thanks mom!!) We both dealt with naysaying friends and side eyes from strangers, but I loved every minute. And a couple of years ago, a friend that was a solid bottle feeder (and somewhat arrogant about it at the time, because breast feeding was “so messy” and “kinda icky” compared to bottle feeding, and it was “her body, not the baby’s”) admitted toto me that she really regrets not brestfeeding, and wishes her attitude hadden’t been so immature and selfish about it. So breastfeed away ladies!!!!!!!! It’s beyond worth it. Not just for the baby, but for a woman’s heart 🙂
Edit : I will also add, I always used a cover up in public. Partly for modesty, but mostly because it is very intense and personal and primal. I can understand how that could make people uncomfortable in a society where we are so far removed from raw existence and everything is available in neat clean packaging, so to speak.
While I do find it ground breaking that she is breastfeeding in this picture, and yes it is a beautiful picture…and I also think it is great she had a good example of a working mother, I kind of don’t like the impression I am getting that mom’s who don’t work can’t be bada**…or whatever. I stayed home with my kids for several years (sometimes working part-time) because the cost of quality childcare was so high it didn’t really make it worth while for me to go back to the workforce full-time given what my salary was. I am sure due to her situation in life she has no problem accessing good childcare if she needs it, but this can be hard for some people. Anyhow, maybe I am being too sensitive. On a side note, I once was breastfeeding my son on a cross country flight and the man I was sitting next to asked to be reseated. That was awkward.
I just posted below that the same happened to me on a plane.
I tried to not be offended. I mean, even if they support breastfeeding, that is rather up close and personal lol
When I breastfed on planes, in museums etc. that was the most natural thing to do, but now when my kids ar older and I happen to sit next to a breastfeeding mother in a waiting room or somewhere similar I feel kinda akward. It’s like witnessing a very private moment, not unlike someone’s PDA.
I do think there is something very intimate about breastfeeding. It is like you can feel the mother/child bonds blazing between them.
When the man next to you on that flight asked to be reseated, it was you and your child who benefited. You don’t need that negativity.
Although I think it’s great that she’s contributing to normalizing breast feeding in public, I sort of sense a tone that she sees herself as a pioneer, and that sort of bugs me. After all she’s not the first woman to have ever breastfed in public.
About breastfeeding on in close quarters such as a plane or subway, I’ve been on both sides: I did sometimes take it personally if someone moved when I did it but then breastfeeding uses a lot more elbow room than reading a book. I’ve also had the unpleasant experience of having a breastfeeding mom’s elbow and shoulder constantly poking me, but felt like I couldn’t change seats for fear of offending the mom.
@LAUREL
Every family situation is different, Olivia is talking about working moms and wanting to keep her other identities as a woman which doesn’t mean she is being negative about stay at home moms. My Mom couldn’t afford to stay home with us, she had to work to pay for our school, sports activities, clothes, food etc. She could only afford to take 5 weeks off after each child (there were 4 of us). Her mom was also a working mom as was her grandmother in her time.
In our neighborhood, the only women who stayed at home either had wealthy husbands or came from money. It worked well for their families and they had time to do charity work, go to every school event, sent up extra activities for their children, etc. It’s impressive that you were able to have the option of staying home with your kids even though you weren’t wealthy 🙂
@T.C.
Yes, you are quite right…I was lucky to be able to work it out to stay home despite not being wealthy. We made do on a very minimal budget, but that was ten years ago when health care was not as crazy as it is right now. I don’t think it is possible to make things work like that anymore, and have since returned to the workforce now that my children are all in school.
It’s great to breastfeed whenever and wherever, but I wish it didn’t feel like this is some kind of publicity move.
Totally agree
Yeah, it’s a pretty picture and I’m glad she’s embraced the movement, but there’s nothing groundbreaking about this.
+1
Absolutely so. Women on photoshoots have taken breaks to feed their child before. Groundbreaking is a stretch to say the least.
With these 2 and the way they spoke so openly and unfiltered until someone stepped in and taught them how to speak in interviews. I just can’t buy anything they do isn’t 95% self promotion.
Pretty photo, but it’s for attention. Not simply a dad taking a photo of his wife tending to their son.
I think that is kind of the point, though. It isn’t groundbreaking…but it needs to be done because in this day and age women are still getting harassed for feeding their child in public places.
As with the Gwen Stefani photo, these images cumulatively make an impact and say that it is normal and not taboo. It isn’t about what one picture says, it is about what a whole lot of them say together. Of course Glamour is going to tout this one photo as a big deal, but it is more about the effect of many photos.
Agreed. It’s great she’s doing it, but it definitely is not ground breaking.
100%. A mother of an infant breastfeeding her child is “groundbreaking?” Uh, not so much. This was just another publicity ploy from her, like talking about her amazing Kenyan sex life with her fiance. Snooze.
Rock on.
Faye-oh my I forgot about the Kenyan quote!
HAHAHA! That was the same time that she had said that “her vagina died” referring to her relationship with her now ex husband.
That’s just not nice.
I didn’t have a problem with the feeding (even though who breastfeeds their kid in couture with perfect make up), my issue was the kid wasn’t wearing a diaper and his bare butt was where people in. Same goes for the diaper picture on the eating counter.
I don’t care where women breastfeed, if they are covered or not-but my goodness keep your kid’s bare butt (esp after they just peed or pooped) away from where people eat their food. The number of times I’ve seen women change their kids with no mat on a restaurant table. *shudder*
The no diaper thing made me think this was more staged than just a “moment”.
Otis could have easily gone without notice on that dress.
Are they trying to position Olivia to be some hero/advocate working moms feeding their babies at work a thing? Wait for it. The followup campaign will follow soon.
it’s from a glamour photo shoot. that’s why she’s in couture. it’s not meant to be a candid photo.
Yes sputnik. It is on a shoot. So, why is it being carried on as a candid mother and child moment? Not here, but on other sites and their official social media pages.
FLORC: Exactly. The only thing that bothered me was the lack of a diaper which just took me right to a place of publicity vs, a natural scene. Hooray for breastfeeding–I just would have appreciated realism, i.e. one where your baby is wearing a diaper which babies typically do 24/7.
@ FLORC – i have zero idea why anyone would think or say it’s “candid.” though i haven’t seen anyone but people in the comments here say it is (or argue against no-one that it’s not). the article is pretty clear it’s editorial.
Yea publicity stunt feeding doesn’t impress me either. And just wait until the countdown when she and her husband start the cries for ‘privacy’ after doing a full page spread with the baby.
+1. Tbh, I just got the “oh, look how much of a mother I am” vibe. Breastfeeding is just part of being a mom-this isn’t ground-breaking to me. She even said something to that effect in the article..”being shot with Otis is so perfect because any portrait of ME right now…”meh, maybe it’s me, but I just am not in awe of her at all.
It’s not you. It’s just not a genuine shot. It had motives and intent behind it. Not the feeding part, but the lighting redirected, adding makeup to her chest, and the immediate posting to social media.
Loads of celeb moms do this. I think these 2 will run with it as a platform to be seen more. Not sincere.
Yes, agree. I much preferred this one posted by Gwen Stefani on Instagram without all the hoopla and studio lighting. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2706125/Gwen-Stefani-latest-Hollywood-mom-share-breastfeeding-snap-Instagram.html
I’m feeling the same way.
Ok. I nursed my kids for a long time… my oldest for 3 years, and I nursed two kids at the same time for a year. I nursed in public. I never covered myself with some sort of capelet. I live in the Midwest. And I never, ever, once had an issue with it. No one stared, no one commented. And this was a decade ago.
So I feel like this recent “Breastfeeding Rights” thing is so bizarre. It’s like a manufactured cause propped up by La Leche League. I really don’t get it. At all. I mean, seriously. Who cares?
Babies have been nursed since the dawn of time. It’s hardly astounding to see Olivia Wilde do it in a photo. Meh.
i think you were lucky, live in a good place, or perhaps the culture in the midwest is different? or maybe times have changed? no idea. i live in the mid-atlantic, and, from what i have seen and heard from nursing mothers, people get NASTY. it’s far from a manufactured issue.
I’m nursing my 16 month old
I flew with her at 11 months and had a guy request a seat change when I started nursing
That’s the worst for me, luckily. Lots of stories about women being told to go to the bathroom and such though. Which is pretty gross
Sometimes probreastfeeders go too extreme for me too. They get mad at moms who prefer to use a cover or nursing room. It makes me feel like even though I feed in public, I’m not included because I use a nursing room if I can. That annoys me, respect that some women are more comfortable that way
Some people are just such jerks. If I were breast feeding, I would prefer privacy if available. I’m somewhat modest and while I don’t think breasts are a big deal, given a choice, I’d choose privacy. It’s not some political statement you have to be making all the time. I would breast feed in public if that was the only convenient or practical thing to do, though, and would expect people to get over it, and I have no problem with women who do so in public.
People can be obnoxious at either extreme. It’s a natural thing, and there’s no reason for someone to change seats or try and make you go to a bathroom (would the person who said that want to eat his or her meal in the bathroom)? On the other hand, if you feel more comfortable nursing in privacy, nobody, not even another mother, has the right to criticize you for that. Everyone just needs to chill on this issue.
+1 to everything Goodnames said. Perfectly stated.
Breast or bottle, in public or in private, the only “right” way to do it is however your baby gets fed.
Hopefully this doesn’t sound weird, but maybe he changed seats because he was getting turned on. I breast fed my babies wherever, whenever, but always draping the receiving blanket in public. Once at a mall the same guy kept walking by, I didn’t realize it at first, but when I did I noticed he was really turned on. Needless to say i upped and left, it creeped me out so badly I became watchful and started paying attention to how men reacted when I breasted. Some are indifferent, some are uncomfortable because of the intimacy, but I think some are uncomfortable around it because it’s a turn on.
And how is this groundbreaking? Up until 90 years ago Breast feeding was the only way to feed your baby. Countless billions of moms do it daily.
Hearing a lot of people say how negative reactions to them breastfeeding in public have been is a huge eye-opener to me. I live in Austria, but am Australian. In Austria breastfeeding in public, with or without a cover, is the norm definitely. when I arrived here, I found this confusing because Austrians are SO conservative in other aspects of society, but families, children and mothers are highly respected.
When I had my first baby and was starting to breastfeed, it was great to have the option of being in public, knowing that I would not receive a horrible look or comment. Unfortunately my first was a terrible feeder (latch issues caused by late diagnosis of lip-tie) and feeding in public was almost impossible. Unless I wanted to treat onlookers to a show of baby screaming and pulling off breast, me leaking milk everywhere from the force of let-down, me crying because I couldn’t figure breast feeding out and it hurt so much etc etc, I had to feed at home. We switched to bottle pretty quickly, and after we did, I still appreciated that I could be out with my girlfriends who had babies and for up to five women to be breastfeeding in a restaurant, at the pool, in the park, and have it not be a big deal.
@Gigi, You & I are located pretty close to each other, and I think you were pretty lucky in how others reacted to your breastfeeding. I never encountered any actual nastiness while BFing (mostly just the occasional stare or dirty look), but know plenty of others in West Michigan who have. My ex-husband’s family made me so uncomfortable that I felt the need to BF in a separate rooms during family functions like Christmas & birthdays. I’ve read comment sections online filled with plenty of Michiganders demanding BFing moms just ‘do it at home’ or in bathrooms. Conversely, working in a public library system I have encountered mothers who I thought were too indiscreet (one literally whipped her entire braless chest out while talking to me at my desk & popped her toddler on mid-sentence), or one who even falsely accused staff of treating her unfairly for wanting to BF in our branch (which we encourage & I’ve even done myslef many times) just to get attention on Facebook. There is definitely a happy medium out there-both sides just need to figure out a nice way to get there. The BFing moms who think BF is the most sacred thing in the world & ONLY option need to calm down, & the people who thinks boobs are gross or only for sexxy time need to chill out & mind their own business.
I’m from W. Michigan, as well. When I breast fed my daughter 18 years ago, I had a mixed bag of reactions. For me, it was the easiest way to feed my baby and when it wasn’t, I stopped. For others, they need to go bottle. Neither side deserves a medal or chastising. It’s like some people like rye toast others like sour dough.
People rag on women for all sorts of stuff. I got more crap from men about not fitting their “ideal” than I did for breastfeeding. “Why do you gotta have short hair?” or “If you’d just lose 20 lbs, you’d be the hottest girl ever, b!tch.” I’m so sick of the virgin/whore complex. Nobody gives this sort of stuff to men. Nobody asks them how they handle being dads and working. “How do you handle the guilt of being away from your children, Mr. Smith?” “Please make a groundbreaking statement about how you feed your kids, JimBob” “Any parenting and housekeeping tips you’d like to share, Senator McCain?”
ITA Gigi! I nursed two babies without ‘incident’ years ago but now it seems like it’s almost militant. Like women nursing in public to pick a fight about it. A girlfriend with PCOS that CANT nurse gets hassle about it. Crazy.
Some gross mom-petition (mom competition). I just made that up so feel free to use it 😉
very cool. i’ve never been able to BF in public, never had the proverbial balls to, and refused to do it with the cover on, so i’m glad that she’s promoting normalization of the practice. it’s such an non-deal in other countries, i don’t know why we in the US make it such a taboo and sexualize it so much. sads.
I got completely turned off by breastfeeding when a mom walked around before and after with her bleeding boobs hanging out. I will never forget the sight of bloody and crusty nipples. I still shudder when I think of it. And she left her bloodied compresses all over the place. I only use the breast pump.
Seriously? You would deprive your child (and yourself really) because you saw some bloody nips? Don’t watch a delivery. You’ll never get laid again….
No, if you read carefully you would see that my kid still gets breast milk. I just pump it. Much nicer for my husband too, this way he gets the opportunity to bond during feeding too.
But nice mom-policing.
Damn. I missed your last line. Sorry about that. I hated my pump until I got the industrial double pump version. That thing was fantastic. Carry on! 🙂
Really did you just say to her she deprived her child? Some women don’t breast feed ( even thought she stated she still pumped) and that’s ok. I bottle fed my babies ,quick call DCF! As women we should support each other, even when they don’t agree with your way of thinking .
“Deprive your child”-oh get a grip.
Pff. I never breastfed BY CHOICE and can’t stand the hysteria with breast feeding these days. Only the “vaginal” versus “C-section” can compare. Enough already. It’s disgusting how woman can try to hurt another woman using something so sacred as maternity. Disgusting.
@Crazymary, judgmental are you?
Wilma, you saw a mom bleeding like that? That poor poor woman. She needed a hug. I’m breastfeeding and formula feeding because of the pain and bleeding (even tho doctors and lactation consultants still say everything is fine). Most days I really need a hug. It would be so sad to me to know I was grossing someone out by trying to do what’s best for my child through intense pain. My baby loves to nurse and needs all the immune protection I can give her.
Okay that woman was just gross. Leaving her bloody compresses around? No.
My nipples didn’t bleed. They did get sore in the beginning but nothing like you described. I hated pumping, so much washing and so much work. But if it works for you then that’s great. Just know that another woman’s bad experience doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing will happen to you!
Yeah, I felt so sorry for her, because she must have been in purgatory. I wanted to hug her, but it also scared the bejesus out of me. Nipples are very sensitive. I mean, mine got irritated during pregnancy and they’re still very sensitive with pumping. It seems that it is something that is hard for a lot of women to do. Kind of a cruel trick of nature.
I saw the picture elsewhere and thought it was lovely and sweet. Nothing prettier than mother and child. Then I read her caption here and it sort of spoiled the moment for me. Boobfood? I just think she’s very rough around the edges and slightly vulgar. Still support bfing, though.
I must be vulgar because I thought it was funny 🙂
No, I’m sure you’re not – I’m probably just romanticizing the mother and child image too much. She just rubs me the wrong way.
It’s a beautiful photo. A lovely way to promote breastfeeding. I’m hoping to be able to breastfeed when my baby is born (for months to go!) I’m nervous but my midwife has been very reassuring so far.
That being said, when this chick gave birth I KNEW she would pose for a photo like this. I don’t have a problem with the photo at all, just that Olivia Wilde gets on my nerves a bit. She is very very open with details of her personal life but then complains about the attention it brings her 😉
I really don’t get what the problem is… Breastfeeding is such a natural thing to do, why people consider it wrong is beyond me, can’t understand. In my country, people never say anything if you’re breastfeeding… It’s a baby and a boob… If anyone has a problem with that, then that person should go to a therapist (sorry for sounding so blunt, but it’s a fact…. )
I breastfeed, but I have friends who had serious issues trying to exclusively breastfeed, or achieve it at all. I think we need more ‘celebration’ of moms being moms of all kinds, of the inclusion of our babies and children in our every day lives, rather than just celebrating hot moms who can make it work. World Feed Your Baby Week. Still waiting for it. Covers like this are good in some ways, but just serve to perpetuate the Mommy Wars in others. Still, good for you Olivia, doing your mom thing, going back to work thing and not making statements that sound like you’re shaming other parenting choices thing.
+1 to celebrating moms of all kind. I have a friend that had a lot of medical problems after the birth of her baby and just could not breastfeed. I took her and little bub out for lunch just to get her out of the house and she had a woman get in her face that she was “choosing to poison the baby by bottle feeding and a poor excuse for a mother” . It was just shocking that someone was that agressive towards her.
Oh, you’re so right. I had a dear friend who tried and tried to breast feed, and gave up because the baby wasn’t getting any nourishment, and the nurses and other people were just hideous to her. She felt like such a failure and bad mother. It has been years, but it still outrages me. Not everyone can breast feed. My mother had 4 kids, and only successfully breast fed one, and he’s the least healthy mentally and physically of all of us. It has benefits, yes, but it doesn’t guarantee anything, and people are just ridiculous about it.
wow, that’s just awful, your poor friend.
Yup! I agree. I had two that I nursed for ages and then I planned on nursing my third, who we adopted. But she was very tiny and wasn’t able. So I made formula for her and she was exclusively bottle fed. And, honestly, I enjoyed both experiences immensely. Nursing promoted bonding between my kids and I, but bottle feeding allowed many people in my family to bond with our daughter in that way. It was fantastic!
My cousin spent a miserable 6 months nursing her first son, and is now dreading having to do it again with her baby due this week. And I think that’s awful. Nothing is worth mom and baby being miserable! Bottle feeding is also a wonderful experience and women shouldn’t be ashamed of however they are able to feed their children!
I interned at a developmental therapy location (OT and Speech) and we saw many babies who were having difficulty latching to their mommas properly, and not feeding well. Many of the moms were so distressed, and felt like failures because they had to pump, or use formula because of the damage the baby was doing to their nipples. It was so sad, and I feel like women you mentioned who attack those who don’t exclusively breastfeed contributed partially to how they were feeling.
You never know what that woman has gone through, and you know what? It’s none of your business. The fact that the baby is getting the nourishment it needs is what’s important, not if it’s by bottle with breast milk, formula, or breast.
YES. I wasn’t able to breastfeed very long when I had my baby earlier this year in January. My baby was a terrible latcher and my milk wasn’t coming in enough to keep baby satisfied. I tried a lactation consultant, who told me that she could “100% get baby on the breast.” It didn’t work, because there wasn’t enough milk. Because of that, the LC tried to get me on this feeding regime where you use a nipple shield and an IV-looking line that you attach to a formula bottle. The baby is able to suck at the boob, but also gets mostly formula. It was incredibly complicated to set-up, clean the materials and expensive to maintain.
At that point, I just switched to formula feeding. If she was already getting formula, mostly, what was the point of the rest? A ton of people made me feel ridiculously guilty about it, for AGES. I am still coming to grips with it, actually.
@Diana – I wanted to punch all the lactation consultants, and the words “nipple shield” send me to my own house of mental horrors. I’d like to bonfire all the nipple shields in the world.
Badirene, that is so terrible! What kind of hideous human being says that to a mother? How much assumption goes into making those judgments about a stranger?
I was able to breastfeed Sean, but I couldn’t breastfeed Siobhan. I had the same difficulty that Diane above did; terrible latching and not enough milk coming in. So I pumped and then formula fed her. Both of them ended up super healthy and both survived just fine.
This exactly. I had a really difficult time with breast feeding my oldest-and even though I did everything at the time (lactation consultants, taking fenugreek and some other herbs, pumping round the clock to up my supply, this weird tubing contraption that I had to tape to my boobs) I felt like such a failure. She was actually losing weight, I was exhausted-and it was so incredibly stressful. I ended up having to formula feed and I felt like a terrible mother. 16 years later and she’s a smart, wonderful kid who was rarely sick. I think breast feeding is similar to delivering naturally-it becomes this measure of what kind of mother you are. And really-there are a million other things that you end up doing as a parent that are so much more important: how you speak to your children, do you read to them, what kind of relationships do they see around them, what kind of foods you give them overall, coaching them when they have friendship issues, bad grades, how to handle other disappointments.
Such good points. I just want to punch all those judgmental idiots.
Amen to everyone. I ended up not being able to breast feed. We learned years later my kid has apraxia and his tongue muscles aren’t as strong as they should be. So I tried desperately and in tears for about a month and it just wasn’t working. I ended up exclusively pumping for almost a year, which I think was actually more exhausting than breast feeding. I had to pump every 3 or 4 hours and feed the baby and wash everything in between. Hubby had a new, time consuming job. I literally didn’t sleep for more than 3 hours at a time for a year.
If I had to do it all over I’d probably go with the formula, but the pressure is so enormous to give your baby breast milk, even if it makes everyone miserable. I wish we could just celebrate all mothers, no matter their feeding choices, as we all know we’re just doing the best we can with our individual situations.
I have never been able to exclusively breastfeed. I’ve had to supplement with formula with all three kids. All the breastfeeding literature and LCs act like it’s the most natural thing in the world and there shouldn’t be any problems if you’re doing it right but I don’t believe it. I’ve seen too many moms try their hardest, I tried my hardest each time and I failed. I think they’re sweeping issues under the rug to convince more mothers to BF but it’s messing with women’s minds.
There are benefits to breastfeeding but some are exaggerated. People act like it’s golden juice and it’s ridiculous.
Sighs, the same thing happened with my oldest. She ended up having apraxia and just would not latch when she was born. I called those lactation consultants in my hospital room five times, but nothing was working. I was bleeding and sore, and wanted to throw those damn nipple shields out the window. The nurse on call told me my daughter was losing too much weight, and that at a certain point they were obligated to give her a bottle. They ended up giving her a bottle because I was crying and upset and thought I was hurting my baby, but when the lactation consultants found out they yelled at me and said that I ruined any chance I had of her latching. That’s when I decided to pump, and did so for about a year. It is so much more work. Breast feeding is great, but I wish people wouldn’t assume that if you don’t do it, that you are against it (or that you are lazy). My second baby did fine.
I am so happy to read these comments! I posted to another comment above the horror of me trying to breastfeed my first. We had terrible latching problems saw three different lactation consultants and two pediatricians before finally finding one who diagnosed extreme lip-tie at four months. It was awful. I was in tears fearing every feed, she had reflux brought on from all the air she swallowed from bad latch, bleeding nipples. Every visit the LC would get her on the boob for like two seconds and say ‘you’re doing it! see? it’s fine! just put some lansinoh on them’ I wanted to punch all of them.
From two to four months I pumped exclusively and bottle fed, which was as someone posted above, insane. Finally, my husband, obgyn and pediatrician convinced me to switch to formula because I was identified as a risk of PND. It was the best thing we ever did. Baby took to it like a dream and we finally bonded because I wasn’t afraid of her shredding my nipples and screaming every three hours.
I remember a friend of mine at the time who was pregnant guilted me a bit for going the formula route. I had a private laugh about seven months later when she called me asking for support and advice because of her own breastfeeding issues. She admitted she’d been a d**k about it and has since apologised like ten times.
Yes I have actually been lectured by strangers for NOT breast feeding. I had intended to but with my first my milk just never came in. And I would have people lecture me on how come I wasn’t breastfeeding. Some LaLeche leaders are aggressive to the point I got very turned off by the sense of superiority by some. But I couldn’t breastfeed the first or third and tried with the second (the milk did come in then but I had started him on a bottle thinking it wouldn’t and he just didn’t take) and I don’t feel guilty. My kids were super healthy–no allergies, no ear infections, no colic–they developed early and we are very bonded. I did bottle feed topless at home for the skin to skin contact though.
It looks like he could use a little lift.
Good for her. The picture is beautiful. Most places in the world breastfeeding in public is consider normal. The US has a problem because there is this belief that women’s bodies belong to men only, not to themselves or their babies. Our Uterus, vagina and breasts are to be used the way men in power dictate. I’m so sick of it.
If you think the belief that women’s bodies belong to men is exclusive to the US, you have never been anywhere else. The breast thing is a holdover from our Puritan and Victorian era “modesty” but we have probably made more progress in the area of women’s rights than any other country, excepting a few European countries. Some Middle Eastern and African countries still use rape as a punishment, for example. Women are considered the property of men in much of the world.
This exactly. Jeez-there are so many other places in the world where women’s bodies and LIVES are not their own.
I’m European and I don’t think it’s an exeption for breast feeding in public to be considered absolutely normal. And not because of some “advanced culture”, that’s nonsense but simply because from times unknown women have been breast feeding literally everywhere – most often in the fields where they spent most of their days working the crops or on the street, or on the river while beating the laundry, etc. No one had time to go home to breast feed. Women were working hard and all day long, babies carried in blankets on chest or back and life went on. No one paid any attention because this was how it was, period. It has nothing to do with emancipation or fredom and rights, nothing. The times I’m talking about were dark for women overall but breast feeding was a completely different story. In fact, the aristocratic and wealthy middle class families were the ones digressing breast feeding. The aristocratic women did not breast feed and had other women nursing their children. Those families were far ahead in education from the ones I spoke of above. I once had to travel to the South of Europe, the very poor part of it, through the countryside, a couple of days drive, and I saw women doing the same – breast feeding in the fields while working the crops under a scorching sun. Men in these parts are not exactly very educated or cultured and women rights have changed little over the the past two centuries at least. One has nothing to do with the other.
T.C., I agree with you on some points. I do think that some people have such an issue with breast feeding because they see women’s bodies only as sexual, so it troubles them to see breasts used for another purpose. I also agree that it is frustrating the way some men in power see women’s bodies. When it comes to health care, it seems a lot of men can’t disassociate reproductive organs with sex. Yes, they are used in sexual activity, but they play a giant role in women’s overall health. Sadly, female reproductive organs are areas where many women develop cancer.
It’s not a matter of women’s bodies “belonging” to men in the US, it’s a matter of the sexualization of the female body.
She’s so gorg. The photo’s not really new; lots of celebs are doing that kind of stuff now. She seems genuine but I think she and Sudekis are past the honeymoon stage and no longer that eager to get married.
Her captions are hilarious. You go, Olivia!
As to whether it’s groundbreaking it’s been done before. I can think of Angelina’s cover breastfeeding one of the twins on W mag for one and even that recent (obnoxious) photo Gisele tweeted at a photo shoot of her breast feeding while being pampered by her staff. Still I think it’s a great thing to see normalized. There is nothing obscene about a mother feeding her child.
I saw Jason and Olivia in Mexico last year. I’m pretty sure he was carrying that same camera and taking photos of her.
I hate when celebs say they will get married when they can find the time. All these rich people do is hire a wedding planner and show up!
hes not taking a picture of anything.
the lens in on his camera still.
lol
Nice pic but who really cares, it’s Olivia Wilde doing it!!! It’s not like she’s that interesting even with a babe at her breast. I feel like she thinks she is so groundbreaking and so deep and that we are all in awe of her every move, but nope..she is still bland. The most interseting thing about her is nice eyes. Othewise, she is blah. Both Jason and her are drinking from the same delusional bottle..they are both under they illusion they are an IT couple, yet they are pretty C-list in terms of Hollywood ranking, But it’s LOL how she keeps trying to convince us otherwise.
Anonao. I think…I just fell for you a little. Alright a lot. :).
+1
Exactly, she has been milking this baby thing since the day she got pregnant. Trying hard to be the it couple but her career stinks. Nothing bugs me more than stars who think as soon as they have a baby they know more and are better informed and need to show these common folk how it’s done, a Gwenneth Paltrow. Now she is getting the attention she so badly craved, it is going to get worse after this.
+1! Nice photo but I feel like it’s attention seeking on her behalf. Certainly not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination. I think Olivia is a beautiful woman but I’m not a fan of her public persona.
I feel like celebrities act like they’re doing something of god-like proportions. I don’t get any sense of helping to show that breastfeeding is natural (which it is, obviously). It’s like, “LOOK AT ME! NOTICE ME! I AM MOTHER EARTH INCARNATE! LOOK AT MEEEEEE!”
I am not offended by breastfeeding whatsoever; however in this society breastfeeding is revered-I feel the photo shoots,selfies,nurse-ins,etc. are just a product of the selfie generation-all women should be able to nurse anytime but there are some people who need to take their offense of it and invest it in a cause worthy of their energy,not this. It is true I’ve seen perfectly nice,normal women who after giving birth turn into total bitches and know it alls no matter how they feed their babies-usually the teen years knock them back into reality
Yes, groundbreaking, and also, kinda awesome. Good on her!
It’s great that she breastfeeds but I think it’s kind of hurtful to celebrate it as if it’s the best thing in the world. There are so many moms (I am one of them) that couldn’t breastfeed for medical reasons and had to give formula. I think people should open their eyes a bit more to the backlash that formula feeding moms get. There hasn’t been a day in my daughters life between 0-6 months where people would see her eat formula, IN THE STREET, and condemn me for it like I was poisoning her. So yes, it’s a beautiful shoot and good for her for breastfeeding (no snark), but let’s not celebrate it like it’s something groundbreaking when it’s been done for centuries. Instead, like a previous poster said, let’s just celebrate mom’s being mom’s and providing for their kids in any way they can.
Dani that really sucks I don’t understand those trollsI! I also attempted to bf but I had physical conditions that prevented it from happening. Thankfully I didn’t have a single soul approach me about using formula,but if I had I’d have put the fear of God in them that’s for certain! (Now I reserve that for fools that block handicapped access ramps ,etc)
I couldn’t breastfeed because after I gave birth I had a mini stroke (there is some medical name I don’t remember) and I was on several different medications for the first month of my daughters life that made my milk unsafe for her. After the first month I was on anxiety medication (and still am) which also made it a bit risky but I was advised to try. And I did. And she hated it. She wouldn’t latch on and she didn’t like the taste if I pumped. But, no one gives you the chance to explain it. They just hound you right away at how you’re poisoning your kid and how you’re selfish and inconsiderate. It personally offends me when people (especially actresses) boast about how it’s the best and most empowering thing they’ve ever done and they feel so connected to their child like no other. Does that make me less of a mom, then? I think my daughter has a special connection with me because I’m her mother. I’ve gotten into a few, not so pretty, arguments with strangers before.
Dani I had gallbladder surgery at 30 weeks gestation then my pancreas became inflamed and I put on 20 lbs fluid and went into ARDS with a survival rate of 30% I was on life support 4 days,developed MRSA,a blood clot, and required an emergency c-section. I was hospitalized 12 days and it took 3 months to care for myself and my baby spent 6 weeks in NICU. I attempted to use a pump and herbs but it wasn’t meant to be the lactation consultant told me medical textbooks didn’t cover cases like me and not to worry myself just heal as I would need my strength in the future ,and she was right. Glad you and baby are well that’s all that matters in the end.
Wow. All you ladies are troopers! I pumped and I would get “the look” when I whipped out a bottle. People don’t even know what’s in the bottle, but they sure like to judge.
@sigh((s)) – right? Like you have whisky in the bottle… or venom.
Oh man Eileen, you’re a trooper. I can’t even imagine what you went through. Hope you’re doing well!
I posted above about the issues I had with bf my daughter-it was so distressing. The irony is that my former doula (who was so helpful with my attempts) ended up becoming a doctor and now has a young daughter-she herself had supply issues. She wrote a blog post about the looks of disgust she received in a mommy & me yoga class when she had to whip out a bottle of formula for her baby!
And let me tell you-as the mom of teens-there are FAR greater tests of you as a parent than if you breastfed or not!
You aren’t kidding by the time you get to the teen years you realize no one has all the parenting wisdom-most of us realize you learn as you go-my boy is in his teens and I’ve been the recipient of unsolicited “advice” from a lot of people but the vast majority have been spontaneously positive-I see us as unofficial ambassadors -my boy is in a wheelchair and has a lot of challenges but he means the world to us which is universal to all parents
IMHO, any issues regarding pregnancy, method of childbearing, and baby feeding should all be matters of personal choice. Anyone who judges others about this needs to mind their own business.
This exactly. And really this point has been illustrated a million times through being a mother-so I’m amazed at other moms who aren’t able to realize this!
Duchess – you’re 100% right, but it’s also near impossible when every other magazine has another famous starlet boasting about how breastfeeding is the best thing ever. Makes the rest of us feel like we’re some sort of invalids. I have never met a formula feeding mother who shamed a breastfeeding mother, but I’ve met – more then I care to count – breastfeeding mothers who shame you at the drop of a hat.
Dani, I agree. I have also heard the “you just didn’t try hard enough” line too. These actresses are not the first people to have kids, and certainly won’t be the last. I really need them to stop thinking they are some kind of authority on the subject.
What is it with this generation of women – You think from all their prattling on that they were the first generation of women to not only give birth, but to breast feed their children.
Yet another example of the neverending narcissism of the special snowflake generation. Just go away.
The pic with Otis is lovely, but I wonder if he was cold while taking it…? Guess he’s the only one who can answer this.
And man, how gross some guys are, by sexualizing this.
About her, I don’t think she’s “luminous” by any means, she’s just a (very) beautiful woman without talent.
I find it interesting that breastfeeding is such a controversial issue – after all, the most important thing is that babies get fed. But for those of you wondering why its such a big deal: formula companies are marketing giants. There’s a reason why there’s so many varieties of formula – gentle, low iron, older baby, newborn, etc – it’s so you BUY MORE FORMULA. And they spent years telling women that the expensive formula was healthier than breastfeeding, and that womenshouldn’t breastfeed. Now, we know that breastfeeding is indeed a healthy choice, and it also has the benefit of being both cheap and easy. But still, some of this debate (and seriously, breast or bottle shouldn’t even be a debate unless it’s your own child, and again the most important part is that baby is fed) is colored by the fact that several business entities make an awful lot of money from only one side of this.
I love her to death always have and I hope to see her around for a lot more years.
Boring and self-serving and oh so look at me- -I’m so lush. Honestly, as a woman this really irritates me. Step away from the camera. Have some dignity- do this in private NOT in a magazine, a movie theater, or a museum. It really strikes me as an unnecessary show of narcissism.
This is wonderful. Breastfeeding is the most natural and healthy way to feed your baby~it is one way that mothers transfer portions of their immune system to infants. I am so glad to see this beautiful picture~hopefully this will help people realize how STUPID and utterly ignorant they are about the whole matter of breastfeeding~ANYWHERE, including in public. The hypersexualization of women’s breasts, and the resultant predictable false outrage regarding breast feeding, has reached ludicrous proportions. Literally.
Didn’t Angelina Jolie breast feed on W?
My thoughts excactly!
Twins no less.
Was that on a shoot or was it Brad taking/sharing shots in their home.
The pic gives me the warm fuzzies and brings me back to nursing my little guy. I do hate, though, that nursing and bottles have become such a battleground issue. The bad experiences and judgment so many of you have been subject to makes me sad.
While I applaud for Olivia to stand up for herself – this is hardly groundbreaking nor is she the first famous woman to do it.
There have been several women notably Angelina publicising a picture of her being makeup free and breast feeding one of her newborn twins. I remember this because she was one of the first ones to do that and it was a big deal and groundbreaking.
Not putting Olivia down or anything but just pouting out she isn’t the first famous woman to do it.
Lol, funny how every woman who had her first baby starts giving advice and taking a stand on what is right and what isn’t. Just shut up already. You want to breast feed in public and feel comfortable doing it? You do that, but lay off your advice for the rest of us. It’s like Goop for mothers…
We are in for it when Stacey Keibler, healthy pregnancy expert, delivers her baby!!!
Is breastfeeding in public such a taboo in the US ? Because it’s not in France… Well I don’t think it is, I’ve seen women breastfeeding publicly my whole life and it’s never been an issue.
But I do think there’s a “breastfeeding is better than formula and you’re a bad mom if you don’t breastfeed” trend and it really bugs me (although I’m not a mom and don’t intend to be one someday) !
I can’t speak for the US, but from what I have noticed breastfeeding is just normal.
What I think bothers people is that some moms just whip it out in public and if a waiter or whomever tells them there is a room or a space for breastfeeding, some moms get uptight and answer, let’s say not to politely, that they have a right to do so … I have seen that a couple of times. And that attitude to me makes no sense, because even though I am not a mother I have friends and family members that are and one of the things they tell you is that the mom needs to be relax while breastfeeding.
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I have seen the mothers breastfeed in public with the apron that they put on to cover the breast and the baby too.
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Female friends and family that are mothers agree, breastfeeding hurts. They are pulling milk out of you. So, if you are not comfortable with it, I don’t think is should be imposed on you, although yes, mothers milk is better that formula.
It’s a beautiful photo but I think it’s really silly that her baby doesn’t have a diaper on in a diner.
This is my third kid and I’ve just started nursing without a cover. If anyone has noticed they haven’t commented. But I don’t think anyone has, the baby’s head and my t shirt covers everything.
I really like what she says here: “Being shot with Otis is so perfect because any portrait of me right now isn’t complete without my identity as a mother being a part of that.”
I’ve never seen her look more beautiful than in that photo! She’s lucky she can breast feed. I couldn’t because of medical complications and I could never have more children. That is the one thing I wish would have been possible. If you are or were able to breast feed your child feel grateful and blessed.
Being an ex-breastfeeder myself I’m gradually becoming appalled at the narcissistic need these attention-demanding celebrities seek over their normal bodily functions. It’s becoming tiresome y’all. We get it.
Olivia’s face looks thinner and more mature.
What bothers me about this whole breastfeeding vs formula movement is how it’s not always in the best interest of the mother to breastfeed. It’s a lot of work and if you have a super demanding job it’s hard to nurse every few hours in the middle of the night. Or take enough brakes to pump.
Hospitals such as Hoag in CA don’t even provide formula as a routine. I’d love to see that CEO get up throughout the night to nurse. It should be a choice.
Absolutely. It’s not a case for CPS to come in if you’re feeding your child formula. And some women feel such shame everytime a celeb is talking about the joys and ease of BFing because they can’t for whatever reason. It’s a function. It doesn’t make some superior.
And her face has contouring in those shots.
I’d been hoping it was the cover photo – that would have been this generation’s groundbreaking a la Demi Moore’s naked pregnant shoot. But one picture tucked away inside? Not so much, although I’m happy Olivia did it. Hopefully we’ll continue to dispel the insane hysteria surrounding public breastfeeding in America.