The beautiful ways the Vanderpump Rules mums are helping to normalise breastfeeding
"We're loving it!"
There must be something in the water at SUR because the party animals of the Vanderpump Rules alumni are switching up ‘party at my crib’ for, well … cribs.
Current and former castmates, Stassi Schroeder, Beau Clark, Lala Kent, Randall Emmett, Brittany Cartwright, Jax Taylor, Scheana Shay and Brock Davies are all now parents to newborns!
The mew mums of Vanderpump land are doing their part to empower women by using their platforms to share beautiful, intimate photographs of themselves nursing their sweet new babies and we are her for it!
Check out some of the ways the new mums of Vanderpump Rules are helping to normalise breastfeeding in the gallery below …
The Vanderpump Rules mums are helping to normalise breastfeeding
Lala
31yo Lala Kent and fiancé Randall Emmett welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Ocean, in March.
Since then Lala has been candid about her breastfeeding journey, sharing the highs and lows and even some controversy when she drank some of her own breast milk in the very first episode of Season 9 of the hit show.
Known for her confidence in all aspects of her life, Lala spoke with US Weekly in the early days of motherhood and confessed that she was “prepared” for breast-feeding to not be an easy process.
“My mom had told me she wasn’t able to breast-feed because her milk wasn’t coming in. I wasn’t latching. So I knew right off the bat that breast-feeding was not something that you just get to do,” she shared.
“This whole thing is, like, a hit or miss. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t, which is why I find it so weird that people ask like, ‘Are you going to breastfeed?’ No. 1, I may not want to, because it can be very isolating. And No. 2, I hope I can.”
The Give Them Lala candidly shared a little about her worst day of new parenting on her Instagram Stories.
“I was aware certain foods could mess with my baby’s tummy, but never worried too much,” the new mum shared.
“I had vegan food for lunch- beans, cauliflower, etc. Im sure you’re all thinking ‘you’re an idiot, those foods give grown people gasses!…”
“Ocean screamed, cried and fussed, from morning until night,” she described. “I clued in after my second feed, and switched from the boob to a bottle with saved milk.”
The day took it’s toll on the first-time mum.
“I sobbed when it was time for bed-yes I was exhausted, but mostly because when she finally started feeling better around 10pm, I felt so terrible that I did that to my sweet girl,” she explained. “Wish us luck today, that I’ve pumped all the vegan out of these milk jugs.”
Lala’s conversations around breastfeeding and it’s highs and lows has been refreshing and a topic that she rarely shies away from.
“So many people asked me if I was going to breastfeed. I thought this was a strange question because it’s not that simple,” she shared in an Instagram post in April.
“I know many women who struggled- whether the baby didn’t latch, milk wasn’t coming in, or it just wasn’t for them. I was never married to the idea of breastfeeding because I didn’t want to feel disappointment or shame. That being said, I’m grateful my boobies are producing, but I know my baby is bonded to me regardless of what kind of nipple is in her mouth.”
Scheana
Scheana Shay and her Aussie beau, Brock Davies welcomed their first child together, daughter Summer, in April.
Since then the Good as Gold singer has been sharing their lives together including many images of the mother-daughter pair bonding while breastfeeding.
The new mum has had too face trolling over her relationship, and life in general but when it comes to people trying to mum-shame her, the new mum has clapped back!
An Instagram troll sent Sheana a DM to make sure she didn’t get Botox while pregnant or breastfeeding.
“DO NOT GET BOTOX WHILE PREGNANT!! Hopefully you didn’t already,” read the message the social media user sent to 36yo Scheana in December while the star was still pregnant.
In June the same troll continued their tirade adding: “I can tell you’ve had Botox with those Spock brows of yours. Make sure you aren’t breastfeeding while getting Botox. It’s very harmful for your baby.”
New mum Scheana reposted a screenshot of the messages to her Instagram Stories the very same day and wrote, “Please swipe to see the movement in my damn face!”
Brittany
Brittany Cartwright and husband Jax Taylor welcomed their first child, son Cruz in April.
In May the new mum shared her first breastfeeding image with the caption: “Momma’s tired, but I’m floating on that new mom adrenaline!”
Speaking with Us Weekly the 32yo Southern Belle admitted that she found breastfeeding “definitely hard,” explaining, “It’s, like, around the clock, that’s for sure. Like, if you’re not feeding, you’re pumping. … There’s just so much that goes into it.”
Like many new mums Brittany found the beginning of her breastfeeding journey challenging.
“I could not tell if he was getting [any milk],” she confessed. “I know he only needed a small amount, but even now sometimes I get so worried. He’s, like, not fully satisfied because I can’t see how much is going into him. And it freaks me out a little bit. I love the bonding experience and stuff, but sometimes pumping and putting it into a bottle where I can physically see how much he’s getting, feels more [satisfying].
“I’m trying to figure out what’s best for him right now. It’s super scary to say he might not be getting enough when he’s just on my breasts. I’m sure he probably is.”
Stassi
Stassi Schroeder welcomed her first baby, daughter Hartford Charlie Rose, with husband Beau Clark in January.
Stassi was the first of the Vanderpump mums to reveal that breastfeeding just was not for her, revealing that their breastfeeding journey ended after struggling with it for three months.
The former Vanderpump Rules cast member opened up during the “Pump and in the Dumps” episode of her Patreon podcast The Good The Bad The Baby, with her husband Beau Clark.
For the 32yo new mum, During the podcast, the benefits of breastfeeding Hartford were outweighed by the negative impact it was creating for Stassi.
“I know a lot of people are going to be like, ‘You’re just not trying hard enough. You have no idea how nutritious your breast milk is for your baby. You’re denying your baby,” she confessed.
“Well, my mental and emotional health is so much more important than the tiny ounces of breast milk I’m able to get out of my body.”
The Next Level Basic author went on to explain that her daughter Hartford seemed to prefer drinking from a bottle. After this discovery the new mum began to pump her breast milk to fill the bottles but found that was having an impact on the way the pair bonded.
The process left Stassi feeling “angry and depressed and isolated.”