Moms, we know it takes a village, and we are better when we lift one another up. So why do we keep the battles going? Do we really need to worry about how another mom feeds her child? Shouldn’t we say, “That’s your choice and not my business. How can I support you?” Because those early days are some of the hardest we’ll ever face as moms, and whether we breastfeed or bottle feed, we’re desperate to get our kids properly fed so everyone can sleep. If you’re looking for more moms who normalize formula feeding and make no apologies for how they feed their babies, we have a list for you. Here are 15 celebrity moms who unapologetically formula fed their babies — and we love them for sharing their stories.
Celebrity Moms Who Fed Their Babies Formula and Made No Apologies for It
1. Ashley Graham
Model and mom of three Ashley Graham is one celebrity mom who has been open about how her twins were combination-fed — in fact, she’s on a new billboard promoting the mom-led organic formula brand Bobbie. In the billboard image, she’s breastfeeding one child and formula-feeding the other, and the ad reads, “There is no one size feeds all.”
In a press statement, Graham says she formula-feeds her twins and states, “There is no wrong choice” when feeding your child. And perhaps our favorite Ashley Graham quote on this topic came from an interview with The Daily Show, where she poignantly said, “I don’t think we should be telling people how they should be feeding their kids.”
2. Jana Kramer
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“FED IS BEST!” Jana Kramer says in a passionate post on IG. “You have all asked or commented wondering if I was breastfeeding or formula. I have wanted to explain myself because I felt like I had to, especially in a world of shaming. But here’s my decision…I don’t have to explain shit. I’m doing what’s best for me and my baby!”
All the claps for this post. Because that’s the truth about the whole breastfeeding vs. formula feeding debate. You do what you think is best for yourself and your child. And you don’t owe anyone an explanation about whether you breastfeed, formula feed, combo feed, pump, or exclusively feed straight from the nipple. It’s not anyone’s business.
3. Molly Sims
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Molly Sims has been open about her various breastfeeding journeys with her kids. When her oldest child Brooks was born, nothing came easy with breastfeeding.
“When Brooks was born, my milk never came in, and I tried to breastfeed for three months,” People Magazine reports she said in 2015. “I felt awful and ashamed,” adding that she worked with a lactation specialist and tried every trick possible. “I did nipple shields, nipple guards, supplemental nursing system, it was horrible. He was literally like a vampire on me for three months — it was unbelievable. Cut to I’m not breastfeeding and I’m proud of it.”
4. Chrissy Teigen
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We love Chrissy Teigen for always telling it like it is — including her position on baby formula. She tweeted her support about “normalizing formula” and added several tweet comments, including this statement: “Normalize breastfeeding is such a huge, wonderful thing. but I absolutely felt way more shame having to use formula because of lack of milk from depression and whatnot.” And this: “‘Normalize breastfeeding’ is great. ‘Normalize formula’ is great, too! So yeah. That’s all! Normalize formula! Your baby is gonna be BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT, AND OKAY.” As well as: “The stress of it, combined with the guilt that you cannot do nature’s most natural thing for your own baby is too much. I dunno why this is my crusade now. I just remember the sadness I felt and want you to know you are doing it right if your baby is fed, mama.”
And finally, she tweets that we should normalize minding our business as long as no one is getting hurt. We agree, Chrissy!
5. Kelly Rowland
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Kelly Rowland is another celebrity mom who formula-fed and didn’t have much choice. She admits in an interview that she had hoped to breastfeed, but it just didn’t work out that way. “I had my heart set on breastfeeding, but I wasn’t producing enough milk. I got down on myself, which I think was mentally limiting my supply.” In the end, Rowland supplemented with formula to make sure her baby had enough nutrition because that’s what moms do.
6. Angelina Jolie
When Angelina Jolie had her twins, she gave breastfeeding all she had, but she tells the British morning show GMTV that it was anything but easy.
“It’s very hard. I stopped at three months, [it was] about as much as I could do.” And she went on to share that she even tried various breastfeeding positions, but it’s more complicated than it seems. “There’s this football hold – it’s a lot harder than it looks in the books. I did that a few times. I would take turns. It just takes a long time.”
7. Erin Napier
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HGTV fans love Erin Napier and her doting husband, Ben. And now that she’s a mom of two, the busy home renovation star has taken to social media to voice her opinion and support for several causes, including supporting moms who use baby formula.
8. Adele
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When chef and dad of five Jamie Oliver commented that women should breastfeed because “It’s easy, it’s more convenient, it’s more nutritious, it’s better, it’s free,” Adele, a new mom at the time, was NOT having it.
Her response included several choice words for the dad who has never breastfed in his life and included this message: “It’s hard. Some of us can’t do it,” adding another comment about how grateful she is for formula. “Breastfeed if you can but don’t worry, [formula milk’s] just as good,” Adele said. “All I wanted to do was breastfeed and then I couldn’t and then I felt like, ‘if I was in the jungle now back in the day, my kid would be dead because my milk’s gone.'”
9. JLo
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This powerhouse singer, actress, and celebrity mom of twins Max and Emme formula-fed her babies from Day 1. She didn’t opt for formula because she couldn’t breastfeed, but rather, she just chose not to. And she’s made no apologies for her decision, telling the Wall Street Journal in 2008, “My mom didn’t breastfeed and I think that was the thing for me. You read and figure out what’s the best thing for them.” It’s really that simple.
10. Coco Rocha
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Supermodel Coco Rocha is another celebrity mom with zero guilt for her baby being formula-fed her, and she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks either — because not everyone “gets a say” in how she feeds her child.
“Not that this is anyone’s business — I loved breastfeeding Ioni for the first 5 months of her life and then one day my milk went dry. It happens to every mom at different times,” she says in an IG post. “She’s been on formula for a few weeks now and seems to be doing just fine. In the last 4 weeks she gained another 2 pounds, grew another inch and is in the 90th percentile for her age. Anyone who has a negative comment to make on the way I raise my baby will be blocked. This is not a democracy, everyone doesn’t get a say.”
Boom. Any questions?
11. Christina Applegate
While some moms choose breastfeeding or formula (which is 100% up to them), many moms don’t have a choice — like Christina Applegate. As a breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy before becoming a mom, breastfeeding was not an option for her. But the proud celebrity mom who formula-fed says she formed a bond with her daughter while feeding, just like she would have if she had breastfed.
As reported in Patch, Applegate “would firmly say she did not plan to nurse, and if the hospital staff got pushy (as people can do when discussing nursing), she told them about her health history and they apologized profusely.”
12. Serena Williams
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One common reason moms opt for formula is that breastfeeding doesn’t work with their careers. Serena Williams is one such mom. After breastfeeding for six months, she decided to switch to formula to focus more on her physical fitness and get back into the shape she needed to be in to compete.
“Once I got to six months I felt good about it,” she says in a USA Today interview. “Then it was just emotionally letting go. I literally sat Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it. I told her, ‘Look, I’m going to stop. Mommy has to do this.’ I cried a little bit, not as much as I thought I would. She was fine.”
13. Mindy Kaling
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Mindy Kaling’s story is one many of us can relate to — we thought we knew how it would all go, but we were wrong.
“When I had my kids, I always assumed I would breastfeed,” her IG posts reads. “So when I needed to supplement my milk supply, I felt total guilt, panic, and ultimately spent way too much time in a frantic, late-night internet spiral. I’m joining @byheart in their mission to demystify feeding for new parents and show that there’s no wrong choice, we just need more guidance and clarity. #dearnewparents — drop the guilt when it comes to feeding! You’re doing great.”
14. Hilary Duff
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Hilary Duff opened up on IG about how stressful pumping was once she went back to work, and the stress of it all led her to quit altogether and switch to her baby being formula-fed, ultimately. However, that decision caused her mental health to take a nosedive due to her guilt.
“I am happy to say that I haven’t fed or pumped in three days and it’s crazy how fast you can come out on the other side,” the mom of three says in her heartfelt post. “I feel fine and happy and relieved and silly that I even stressed on it so hard. Banks is thriving and I get even more time with her and daddy gets to do more feeds! And mommy gets a tiny bit more sleep! Whether you are pre or postpartum. Or just a busy mom, you are a star everyday for all that you do.”
15. Amy Schumer
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Amy Schumer said she tried pumping for a month after her son Gene wouldn’t latch and then quit. “I really encourage women — there’s so much pressure to breastfeed, but really, it’s all in your head,” Schumer says, according to PopSugar. “Some people absolutely love it, and I’m so happy for them, but it was bumming me out. Once it occurred to me that I could stop, I was like, ‘I’m going to stop.’ You matter. It’s going to be better for your baby that you’re OK.”
Yes. Mom needs to be okay, and mothers need to hear the message that if breastfeeding doesn’t work, weighs too heavily on your mental health, or is not compatible with your life, there are lots of quality, nutritional formulas out there to give your baby all the nutrients they need. And if you can get some rest and care for yourself, you’ll be a better mom to your little one — which is the ultimate goal.
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, formula feeding, combo feeding. There are many ways to feed your baby and fill their tiny bellies. There is no one way to do anything in motherhood, including feeding, so let’s support the formula-feeding moms and the breastfeeding moms and the moms doing both. All our kids will eat Cheerios off the floor and pick their boogers anyway, regardless of how they were fed as infants. It all shakes out even in the end!
