Alyssa Milano might even breastfeed her daughter, Elizabella, until she is six
Alyssa Milano is pretty proud of her breastfeeding, which is clear from a quick glance at her Instagram page.
The former Charmed star has just celebrated the first birthday of her daughter Elizabella and had a few things to say about how we as a society view breastfeeding and women’s nipples.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 42-year-old was asked how she felt about the uproar surrounding her breastfeeding pictures compared to the nudity of female stars like Miley Cyrus.
‘Everyone’s fine with [Miley Cyrus’] nipples being out but if I post a picture of me breastfeeding, it’s craziness,’ she told ET.
Alyssa is among the legion of celebrity mums who have posted pictures of themselves breastfeeding, usually while multi-tasking, and has received her fair share of criticism. But, she insists, that isn’t going to stop her feeding her daughter any way she sees fit.
‘I don’t care. I’m going to keep breastfeeding maybe even until she’s six,’ she said with a wry smile.
While Alyssa may jest about how long she will do it for, breastfeeding is a highly controversial topic among women and mothers today.
Charities like UNICEF actively campaign to get more mothers to breastfeed to reduce the risk of babies becoming ill. For many new mothers, however, feeding is not so simple making it a sensitive subject where they are often made to feel like they are somehow less capable than women who do breastfeed.
According to the last Infant Feeding Survey from 2010, 81 per cent of babies are breastfed at birth. However, just one per cent of mothers are still breastfeeding exclusively by the time their babies are six months old.
Celebs like Alyssa, Gisele Bundchen and Miranda Kerr have all shared intimate images of themselves and their children breastfeeding with mixed reactions from the public.
Do you think breastfeeding should be encouraged? Or is it up to the individual?