Which celebs breastfeed?

A dietician from the La Crosse County Health Department in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is putting together a display of photographs of celebrity women who have breastfed their infants.  It’s part of an effort to help women realize not only the health benefits of nursing, but also that many women do it – to include famous women.  She emailed to ask me which celebs breastfeed or have breastfed their children.  I can only think of a few off the top of my head but I knew some of you may have a better idea. 

Please comment below!

1. Carrie-Anne Moss
2. Helen Hunt
3. Elle MacPherson
4. Brooke Shields (though she is now a spokesperson for a formula company)

She sent me her current list- here it is:

Harry Connick Jr’s wife

Adrianne Barbeaux
Anita Baker
Brandy
Brooke Burke
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Celine Dion
Christie Brinkley
Cindy Crawford
Connie Seleca
Cybil Shepard
Demi Moore
Diane Lane
Diane Sawyer
Eleanor Roosevelet
Elizabeth Hurley
Elle McPherson
Erykah Badu
Faith HIll
Gloria Estefan
Goldie Hawn
Hillary Clinton
Jacqueline Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jane Pauley
Jane Seymour
Jayne Kennedy
Jennie Garth
Jerry Hall (Mick Jagger’s wife)
Joan Lunden
Joan Rivers
Jodie Foster
Julianne Moore
Karenna Gore Schiff
Kate Hudson
Kate Winslett
Katherine Ross
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathy Ireland
Kathy Rigby
Katie Couric
an style=”FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial”>Keely Shaye Smith
Kelly Rippa
Laura Bush
Linda Kelsey
Lindsay Frost (Betsy on ATWT)
Lindsay Wagner
Lisa Kudrow
Madonna
Margaret Thatcher
Maria Shriver
Mariette Hartley
Marilu Henner
Markie Post
Mary Lou Retton
Melanie Griffith
Melissa Gilbert
Meryl Streep
Patricia Richardson
Paul Reiser’s wife
Princess Di
Princess Grace of Monaco
Queen Elizabet h II
Reese Witherspoon
Rita Wilson – Tom Hanks’ wife
Roseanne
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sheryl Swoopes
Sophia Loren
Susan St. James
Thandie Newton
Tipper gore
Tori Amos
Tracy Fox
Uma Thurman

Comments

Kelly Ripa, Gwenyth Paltrow

- Isaac on February 25th, 2005

breastfeeding.com has a list, and if you do a search, you can find the list other places. Sarah Jessica Parker, Courtney Cox, Debra Messing, Cindy Crawford, Pam Anderson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jada Pinkett Smith, Erykah Badu , lindsay Wagner, Kate Hudson are a few. Here:
http://www.wahmsampler.com/celebrities.htm

a good list is here:
http://www.breastfeeding.org/bfacts/famous.html

You can tell the woman to do a search for the following pictures for her display:
Jerry Hall breastfeeding on the cover of vanity fair

Lucy Lawless (xena warrior princess) nursing her child for a world BF week poster

- Shannon on February 25th, 2005

I remember clearly that kelly preston breatfed ella bleu for at least a yr after she was born. cuz it was published in InStyle a couple yrs back!

- me on February 25th, 2005

Pierce Brosnan’s wife Keely did.

- Alyson on February 25th, 2005

Denise Richards nursed Sam for her first three months then quit.

- Tammy on February 25th, 2005

Tori Amos. Gabrielle Reece.

- Kim on February 25th, 2005

Reese Witherspoon breastfeed both Ava and Deacon.

- Catherine on February 25th, 2005

in your pics of gabriel reece (volleyball star) she was breastfeeding, so i guess we can add her to the list

- Lisa on February 25th, 2005

I’m pretty sure that Julia Roberts breastfeeds her twins.

- Bex on February 25th, 2005

Harry Connick’s wife is Jill Goodacre Connick, who is an ex Victoria’s Secret model.

- Mellie on February 25th, 2005

Victoria Beckham breastfed Brooklyn. I know because there’s a picture that has been circulating since 1999.

- stephanie on February 25th, 2005

leah remini was recently on ellen and said that she breast feeds…

- e on February 25th, 2005

Well, since there are so many, perhaps they should be further organized by length of time. We know Denise Richards and Catherine Zeta-Jones weaned their babies very early, whereas Erykah Badu said she nursed for two years (AWESOME!)

- Anonymous on February 25th, 2005

Michael Jordan’s mom nursed him for 3 YEARS, and she thinks that’s why he is/was so good at basketball! I thought that was cute.

- Sarah, CBB Editor on February 26th, 2005

Great to see so many celebs giving their precious ones the best start to life!

Keely Shaye Smith is very vocal about her pro-breastfeeding stance.

- pingpong on February 26th, 2005

Holly Marie Combs is breastfeeding her baby boy, Finley, and former “Angel” star Charisma Carpenter breastfed her son on the set of her movie See Jane Date.

- Beca on February 26th, 2005

Teri Hatcher has been very outspoken lately about how she spent 2 years breastfeeding her daughter.

I believe Mary Louise Parker also breastfed. Oh, and Debra Messing, too!

- Lindsey on February 26th, 2005

Here are some celebrities who have had homebirths:

* Cindy Crawford
* Pamela Anderson
* Demi Moore
* Laura Dern
* Woody Harrelson’s wife
* Val Kilmer’s wife
* Kelly Preston
* Patricia Arquette

so I have to believe that they all breastfed as well. I’ve seen more extensive lists, but this was easiest to find this morning

- Genevra DiLorenzo on February 26th, 2005

LUCY LAWLESS!
If you google her name and breastfeeding it comes up with an awesome pic of her nursing her son

- Jenn on February 26th, 2005

I recall seeing an article about Shania Twain which stated she was an extended breastfeeder and nursed her son for at least 15 months.

- steff on February 26th, 2005

Definitely Courtney Cox. Not sure iuf she is still doing it, but she did in the beginning.

Kudos to all the ladies on these lists-regardless of how long you can last. We all know that even a few weeks of nursing makes a difference. And we all know how difficult it can be, especially when you are juggling a career or another child or two!

- Carolyn on February 26th, 2005

This list is great! It’s so nice to see so many Moms giving their babes the best start in life.

I do have to question Leah Remini, though. I saw her VH1 special about her baby’s birth and minutes after birth she was shown giving the baby a bottle of artificial milk. Also, the follow-up shots of her when the baby was a few days/weeks old also show her bottlefeeding. I don’t think she ever breastfed. Anyone know for sure that she did?

- Anne on February 26th, 2005

It is nice that they breastfeed, but let’s try not to be too judgmental of those who don’t. Some women just don’t produce enough milk to breastfeed. There is so much emphasis on breastfeeding being so important (which I know it is), but for those who already feel guilty for not being able to do it for one reason or another, let’s try not to be too hard on them. Being a good mother is NOT dependent on whether or not you breastfeed.

- anonymous on February 26th, 2005

Wow that is great! I live in Wisconsin and that is really great to see that they are making a list like that. I am breastfeeding my 10 month old daughter still and it’s so wonderful and rewarding. However it wasn’t always that easy and I can understand why some woman give up especially if they don’t have a lot of support.

- Layla on February 26th, 2005

anonymous, I didn’t see anyone being judgemental. And actually, not producing enough milk is one of the top myths surrounding breastfeeding. Virtually ALL women can produce enough milk to help their baby thrive given they have accurate information and support.

And no one mentioned that being a good mother is determined by whether one breastfeeds or not but there is plenty of information out there that it is far superior to artificial baby milk. Making the choice to breastfeed, educating oneself about it, and making sure to have support if something troublesome arises is a really smart thing to do, however .

- Anne on February 26th, 2005

Finola Hughes did! She did it for over a year I heard.

- anonymous on February 26th, 2005

Anne-thanks for saying that! I can’t stand that lame excuse for giving up breastfeeding!

I am so happy to see these celebs who have done it and for extended periods of time.

- sally on February 26th, 2005

Johnny Depp’s longtime girlfriend Vanessa Paradis breastfed both of their two children. There is a picture of her on a fan site breastfeeding their daughter Lily Rose when she was a newborn. I also read an interview with Vanessa when their son Jack was around six months old, in the interview she talked about how much she enjoyed breastfeeding.

- Judy on February 26th, 2005

Don’t forget Carrie-Anne Moss who is still nursing Owen (if that’s really his name). I’m going to go out on a limb and assume any homebirthing mom nurses for a while – I mean, we go without pain meds to keep our babies from being drugged – we’re not going to give them fake milk with suspicious additives!

- Anonymous on February 27th, 2005

Speaking of lame excuses for stopping breastfeeding. Isn’t it true that Denise Richards stopped breastfeeding her baby because she “felt like (she) was still pregnant” and couldn’t drink or have fun. Uhg. Then she got knocked up again of course. Anyway, hopefully she’ll be a little less selfish this time around.

- Beca on February 27th, 2005

Denise Richards said in a USA TODAY article that she couldn’t have a cocktail as much as she wanted and felt like she had no freedom because of breastfeeding. Welcome to parenthood Denise! I have lost complete respect for her since. Not because she is not breastfeeding because of her reasons.

- Layla on February 27th, 2005

Yep, great reason. I can’t drink alcohol as much as I want, so I am going to give my child artificial milk… Yep, no respect for her here.

And not enough milk is a complete myth. Even if you do have supply issues, there is stuff you can do to increase your supply, so that is not a valid reason to not/quit bf’ing.

- Jaime on February 27th, 2005

I have a question for the “experts” on breastfeeding. What if your child refuses to latch? When my daughter was born, we spent the first 2 weeks of her life at our lactation consultant’s office, where she looked me square in the eye and said, “this does happen, but it’s rare…your baby is not going to latch.” At 2 weeks post-partum, I was still pumping, but barely getting enough to feed my child and eventually didn’t produce anymore, therefore having to go with formula. But I was he**-bent on having her nurse, which she was quick to tell me otherwise that she wasn’t having anything to do with it by not latching. Just curious what your take is on that. Was that me being lazy? I don’t think spending the first 2 weeks of your baby’s life in a medical office trying to get her to nurse is lazy. No way. Again, as I’ve said before, it just goes to show we don’t know everything these ladies are going through with nursing their babies. Yes, Denise Richards was quick to give it up for personal reasons in my opinion. But it’s not my job to judge her for it. I still really like her.

- jnr6732 on February 27th, 2005

I thought of a couple more
Celine Dion said on Oprah that she breastfed for 11 months

Sarah MacLachlan breastfed for 14 months

And Denise Richards said in People “I wanted to have a cocktail, I wanted to go out, you cant do all that with a kid on your boob” < ~~ rolling my eyes at her.

Leah Remini too is a weird one, since we saw her formula feed on VH1 and in multiple magazine pictures, and she was so vague about it on the howard stern show, but if she was BF for a while, I dont think she did for long.

Reese also weaned her babies early, and I was surprised to see that Vanessa Paradis breastfed, considering I saw a pic of her with a bottle and its not very tres chic to breastfeed in France.

Terri Irwin, the crocodile hunters wife, also breastfed. And model Heidi Klum is breastfeeding. Also Jennifer Connelly did.

- shannon on February 27th, 2005

one more! Thandie Newton, who played Carters girlfriend Kim on ER, had a homebirth and breastfed for over a year.

- shannon on February 27th, 2005

Not that I’m a fan, but Denise Richards and baby Sam are guest-starring tomorrow night (Monday, 2/28) on Two and a Half Men on CBS (starring Charlie Sheen). From the preview, it looks like she pretends to be breastfeeding on the show – how hypocritical is that?!

- Anonymous on February 27th, 2005

Just wanted to add that Cybill Shepherd also breastfed twins–one of the few women I had heard of at the time who even considered that feat!

As far as babies that don’t latch…yeah, it happens sometimes. It has to be rare, though, because those babies never would’ve survived pre-formula. But pumping at 2 weeks post-partum–if you’re pumping effectively–should still produce “enough” to feed your baby. The milk supply grows with the baby. A “full” supply of milk is not achieved, though, until 6-8 weeks after birth.

Even with a short supply of milk, there are ways to supplement your baby’s feedings with formula–even while they are attached to the breast. There are so many options available for successful breastfeeding–but there are definitely women who don’t take care of themselves and shouldn’t be breastfeeding. If Denise Richards wants to have her cocktails, at least she had the sense to wean Sam before hitting the bottle again. (And how ironic that once she weaned, she got pregnant again. Chalk one up for mother nature’s birth control).

- anonymous on February 28th, 2005

Refusal to latch happens, but there are mouth exercises that mother can do with the baby, and other ways to teach the baby to latch. Thee are different kinds of LC, and you have to find one that knows what she is talking about. The “LC” in my peds. office told me that at 11 months I could just give my baby cow’s milk because there was no reason for her to bf anymore. Uh, yeah, okay.

- Jaime on February 28th, 2005

Let’s please limit the conversation to WHO breastfeeds, not WHY you should. There are entire messageboards dedicated to that topic.

- Danielle, CBB Editor on February 28th, 2005

Thanks Danielle. I hope you did not see my comments as out of line. I was just sharing my personal situation, because I was a little frustrated for the very reason you stated we shouldn’t talk about it in that context. Thanks.

- jnr6732 on February 28th, 2005

Thank you to all of you for your help in identifying more celebrity moms who have breastfed! You’re much appreciated.
– The dietician in La Crosse

- kim on February 28th, 2005

Just one more comment on Bfing. If any of you need support please join the [e-mail] I am nursing a 12 month old and it has helped me with any problems I have had!

- Lisa on February 28th, 2005

Didn’t Mary Louise Parker breastfeed? She thanked her baby son for making her so voluptuous at last year’s Oscars and he was at least a few weeks old so she wouldn’t have been that thin in the stomach and large in the chest if she wasn’t lactating.

- Anonymous on February 28th, 2005

I found the following:
Ana Gasteyer (from SNL)
Marlee Matlin
Josie Bissett
Vendela

- Anonymous on February 28th, 2005

I actually had a friend who could not pump enough and her son never sucked inproperly. We both were going to a breastfeeding clinic for 4 months. She used the SNS system to supplement. I had plenty of milk and gave it to her. Her supply continued to dwindle. The most she ever pumped was 1 oz. Some people really cannot breastfeed.

- michelle on February 28th, 2005

Weird question, but I was wondering. I know that quite a few celebrities have had breast implants, and I guess I always assumed that someone with breast implants wouldn’t be able to breastfeed. Apparently I was wrong. Well, it’s not like I know anyone who’s had them, except my friend’s mother who had reconstructive surgery after breast cancer, and she her kids were in the university age group, not the breastfeeding age group!

I was impressed and surprised that so many celebs breastfeed, and that so many did for a year or even more.

- Raincitygirl on February 28th, 2005