Celebrity
Keke Palmer Says Breastfeeding Baby Leo Has Been A “Doozy” For Her
The actress said her lactation consultant “really made the difference” for her breastfeeding journey and wishes every parent had access to them.
Keke Palmer did not immediately take to breastfeeding after welcoming her first baby, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson, in February, which actually came as a big surprise to her. The Big Boss star was expecting breastfeeding to come naturally to her, but she told People in a recent interview that it ended up being quite a challenge.
Palmer, who shares baby Leo with boyfriend Darius Jackson, spoke to the magazine about the highs and lows of becoming a mother. We all know that one of her highs has been the ability to immediately throw up boundaries by saying to people “I’m a mother,” so much so that she’s even released merch featuring the saying “I’m a Motha.” But it turns out that breastfeeding was a surprising low.
“Although breastfeeding is ‘natural,’ it’s not instinctual,” she told People, further explaining that breastfeeding was a real “doozy” for her. “I really went through the journey of just trying to figure out how to do that and how to support my baby — how to deal with the pressure of trying to do that right.”
Palmer eventually found a lactation consultant after a bit of trail and error. “You don’t even really know what to search,” Palmer said, “and how to really prepare yourself for something like that. So shout out to all the lactation consultants because mine really, really made the difference for me.”
“I wish that everybody had access to lactation consultants,” Palmer continued in the interview. “It sucks that it’s kind of like a luxury. They have people saying breast is best, breast is best. But not everyone can even get support. That’s a mess.”
While breastfeeding started off as a challenge for the new mom, it seems as though she’s a fan of pretty much every other element of motherhood. Palmer opened up in a sweet Instagram post on how much motherhood has changed her, writing that little Leo has “empowered me! On such another level, my perspective changed because when my baby is good, I’m GREAT!” The proud mom has also thanked her baby boy for her postpartum body in an April video, sharing the positive changes her son’s birth had brought to her. “Hips? NEVER HAD EM’! Boobs? Never had em’! Booty? BARELY. Thanks son.”
Keke Palmer, getting honest about the highs and lows of parenting like only she can. We’re always here for it.
