Whitney Port is opening up about her struggles to breastfeed her newborn son.
The 32-year-old welcomed Sonny Sanford with husband Tim Rosenman on July 27 and is documenting her parenting journey with her popular YouTube series ‘I Love My Baby, But…’
In her latest video blog, Whitney breaks down in tears as she discusses the pain she’s experiencing breastfeeding Sonny and the pressure she’s felt to keep trying at it.
‘I thought I was doing really well and the nurses said that the latch was good,’ she explained. ‘But after about 24 to 48 hours of doing it, it just started to get so incredibly painful. And we came home and I just hit a breaking point and said, “I can’t do this. It feels as though someone is slicing my nipples with glass.”
In Whitney Port’s latest blog the star talks tearfully about how she’s not been able to breastfeed her newborn son
The 32-year-old welcomed son Sonny Sanford with husband Tim Rosenman on July 27 and is documenting her parenting journey with her popular YouTube series ‘I Love My Baby, But…’
To ‘give her boobs a little rest’ and at the advice of her baby nurse, Whitney said she then started to pump her breast milk as well as bottle-feeding Sonny formula.
She was told that Sonny may have been biting and sucking harder to get her milk because of a condition known as ‘tongue tied’ which restricts the motion of the newborn’s tongue.
Even after a procedure to correct it, Whitney said breastfeeding was still unbearable.
‘I’m not sure whether if it’s painful just because I’m getting started again, or if it’s painful because he’s not latching on correctly.’
‘I thought I was doing really well and the nurses said that the latch was good,’ she explained of her first breastfeeding experience, adding, ‘But after about 24 to 48 hours of doing it, it just started to get so incredibly painful’
‘I’m not blaming myself for hurting, but I’m blaming myself for possibly quitting,’ Whitney said
The former Hills star broke down in tears as she talked about the pressure she’s felt, mainly from ‘older people’, to breastfeed.
Whitney said she feels disappointed in herself after hearing other mothers talk about how breastfeeding is the ‘best bonding experience’.
‘Really, my gut is telling me that if he’s getting the breast milk, that is what matters to me,’ she said.
‘But I don’t know why — I’ve heard people talk about this pressure from other mothers and other people, and I never thought I would let it get to me.’
‘I think I’m a pretty strong person and I go with my gut and I don’t really compare myself to other people or to what other people are doing. And now I’m doing exactly that.
Emotional: Whitney said she feels disappointed in herself after hearing other mothers talk about how breastfeeding is the ‘best bonding experience’
‘I think I’m a pretty strong person and I go with my gut and I don’t really compare myself to other people or to what other people are doing.’ Whitney explained
‘I’m not blaming myself for hurting, but I’m blaming myself for possibly quitting,’ she continued. ‘I don’t know if it’s something that if I give it one more week it will be better. I just don’t want to be regretful that I haven’t tried everything.’
Whitney said that it’s important for her to be talking about her issues throughout her journey, as she explained: ‘I think some of the things I’m feeling I’m right for feeling, they’re real issues,
‘And then some things are probably being magnified by my hormones and these post-baby blues that people talk about that could last anywhere for a week to months,
‘But I think it’s all normal. And we’ll talk about them.’ she concluded.
‘Some things are probably being magnified by my hormones and these post-baby blues that people talk about that could last anywhere for a week to months,’ Whitney said of her emotions
Whitney is giving regular updates on her parenting journey with her YouTube series ‘I love my baby, but…’
Whitney shared a clip of the 8-minute video on her Instagram on Thursday, with a message for followers in her caption: ‘I’m not obsessed with breastfeeding. There. I said it. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the fact that my baby is getting all the amazing nutrients from my milk and that I am literally giving him life, but it has been quite the challenge. A challenge I didn’t feel prepared for at all.
‘In this Chapter of I Love My Baby But… I discuss my trying journey through breastfeeding. I have gained so much confidence just through the support you guys have given me, so if any of this rings true or you have any tips, I am all ears. We mothers have to be there for each other. I sincerely believe this community is what has given me the confidence to feel I am not doing anything wrong. Yes, there are times the opinions and judgements of other seep in, but then I remember I have you guys and it makes all the difference. I am really looking forward to reading all the comments and tips this week. I need them more than ever.’
‘This community is what has given me the confidence to feel I am not doing anything wrong’: Whitney shared the video to her Instagram and thanked her fans for their support