Celebrities Archives

Cate Blanchett and Breastfeeding

May 20, 2008

Actress Cate Blanchett, who is starring in the new Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, just had her third child, Iggy. And according to the The Daily Telegraph, Iggy's breastfeeding delayed Blanchett's appearance before the press. Here's a bit from the Telegraph story:

WITH a gurgle, a look, then a cry, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett's four-week-old son Iggy almost thwarted the world premiere of the fourth instalment of the Indiana Jones movies by demanding mum feed him.

Blanchett, who turned 39 this week, was about to face the international cameras at the Cannes Film Festival in France to promote the big budget Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull when baby Ignatius wanted to be breast fed.

Hollywood heavyweights Harrison Ford and Karen Allen stepped in with an extra long interview session before a smiling, radiant Blanchett strode in.

"He's just down the corridor with my mum," she declared by way of explanation.

So all I have to say is...Go Iggy, Go Iggy.

Oscar News: Ryan Seacrest, Jessica Alba and Breastfeeding

February 25, 2008

Talk about chutzpah....During the Oscars red carpet last night, E host Ryan Seacrest asked Jessica Alba if she was planning to breastfeed. Maybe it was because of an interview earlier this month when she told Extra that she was worried about breastfeeding.
Watch this video courtesy of TMZ to see her answer. All I have to say is...you go girl!

Christina Aguilera Talks About Breastfeeding on The Ellen Degeneres Show... Plus... A Breastfeeding Comic Strip

February 21, 2008

Singer Christina Aguilera stopped by the Ellen Degeneres show recently. She has a new baby, and her low cut green dress prompted Ellen to ask Christina if she was nursing. Watch the clip on YouTube.

And now check this out... a comic strip about breastfeeding. Check out Stone Soup's take on breastfeeding in public. Click here.

Celebrities and Breastfeeding-- Salma Hayek, Helena Bonham Carter and Jessica Alba

January 27, 2008

Hey, Jessica Alba, if you or your agent are reading this, send me your address. I'll send you a copy of my book since you're pregnant. I read that you told EXTRA that you're worried about breastfeeding and have been having dreams about it. So take it from us, it's ok to be worried, but there's nothing to be scared of. Breastfeeding might work for you. It might not. But if you do a little homework in advance, you'll feel a lot better.

And if my book doesn't help, then get in touch with some other Hollywood moms who think breastfeeding is pretty cool. Try Salma Hayek, or Helena Bonham Carter.

The Red Sox, Manny Ramirez and Breastfeeding

October 29, 2007

Our first son saw the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. It was momentous. The Bortsky was just weeks old, and if I wasn't breastfeeding at night, I was watching the games. I should have been asleep, bracing myself for the next feeding, but I was glued to the TV. It was history. And the moment they won, I woke him up so that he could witness it himself. It was kind of like the way my mom said I saw the first man land on the moon.

Now, three years, and two kids later, I fell asleep during the final inning of last night's victory. So did my husband. We woke up at 12:30 in the morning to find all the lights in the bedroom on and the TV blaring. "We did a grandpa," my husband declared. "We fell asleep with the TV on. So sad."

But back to baseball, you may have heard of Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox's left-fielder. According to this article he was breastfed until he was about 4 years old. True? I'm not sure. I think the team's pr machine is probably a little busy right now, so I won't bother them to check. Whatever the case...maybe Manny could become the new poster child for breastfeeding. Breastfeed...Win The World Series. Add that to the list of reasons to breastfeed!

Julia Roberts and Breastfeeding

October 19, 2007

Want a good chuckle? Watch Julia Roberts receive an award and joke about breastfeeding her new son, Henry. From Access Hollywood via Omg....Click here. And for more stories about Julia Roberts and her three kiddies go to the Celebrity Baby Blog.

Remember the Wonder Years? Fred Savage Talks About Frozen Breast Milk

August 19, 2007

Well Fred Savage (aka Kevin on The Wonder Years) is all grown up now and a dad to boot. The Celebrity Baby Blog has a sweet story about his take on frozen breast milk. He and his family are moving, and they have a freezer filled with breast milk:

We've tried, particularly with the move, to clean out our freezer as much as possible because in the old house, it would get cluttered with so much crap. But the one thing we haven't been able to throw away is the breast milk -- and we should, because it's over 6 months old. You're not supposed to keep it frozen for more than that. ... But I just don't have the heart to because my wife worked so hard, she pumped every night -- it was really hard on her to make this. So we probably have some breast milk from February.

Readers take note... according to Kellymom.com, you can store breast milk for up to 12 months. Click here for guidelines.

Mama Knows Breast Book Excerpt on The Celebrity Baby Blog

August 13, 2007

A number of months ago a friend got me a subscription to US Weekly magazine. I never knew, until the magazine started showing up in my mailbox, that I had a celebrity fascination. Likewise, I never knew, until I discovered The Celebrity Baby Blog, that I actually wanted to read about celebu-tots.

If you haven't read Celebrity Baby yet, check it out. I recently met the founder, Danielle, and she is really impressive. She's got a whole team working for her now, and they are the go to site for celebrity baby news. The site even has a page devoted to celebrity breastfeeding stories.

And best of all...Celebrity Baby is running an excerpt of my book right now. It's a synopsis of the first chapter. So for a sneak peak, click here. And while you're reading the post, check out the rest of the Celebrity Baby site. You, too, may find yourself hooked.

Super Model Eva Herzigova Breastfeeding

July 26, 2007

Most of us mere mortals don't look so stellar 7 weeks post-partum. Then again, most of us aren't super models. So if you decide to check out these pictures of model Eva Herzigova, 34, breastfeeding her baby, please (I beg you) don't compare yourself to her.

Herzigova is pictured in the German magazine Bunte with her son. The Celebrity Baby Blog has the link.

New Laws Protect Right to Breast Feed in Public

June 06, 2007

Newsweek has a great story about the challenges moms face when it comes to breastfeeding. The piece says that some state legislatures are slowly but surely doing their part to encourage moms to breastfeed. Here's a bit from the article:

Much of the problem seems to be that Americans associate breasts with sex, not milk, and as a result, feel squeamish about public nursing. (While two out of three Americans think breast-feeding is the best way to feed a baby, a quarter say they feel uncomfortable seeing women do it.) In a study for the U.S. government, 48 percent of women said they would feel uncomfortable nursing their own babies in a park, store or mall. "We define breast-feeding as good, and we define breast-feeding as disgusting. We have this split personality about it," says Jacqueline Wolf, associate professor of the history of medicine at Ohio University. Even MySpace has recently removed photographs of mothers nursing their babies.

Out of concern that not enough women are breast-feeding, a growing number of states are passing protective laws and policies. Today 38 states give women the explicit right to nurse in public, and 23 states exempt it from public-indecency laws. Twelve states have laws addressing women's right to use a pump to express milk at work. And the governors of New Mexico and Oregon recently signed similar legislation, which gives moms (unpaid) lactation breaks and a clean and private area to pump (not just a bathroom stall). Federal legislation may be on the way. In May, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney re-introduced her Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breast-feeding and to provide a tax incentive to businesses that establish lactation areas.

My favorite part of this Newsweek piece? It opens with a description of the photos of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal breastfeeding in public. Then at the end of the story, the reporter injects a slight bit of editorial comment. Here it is:

A few weeks ago, the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal visited a public park in New York—and breast-fed her 8-month-old daughter, Ramona. Kudos, right? After all, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that moms nurse for at least a year. Nope. Gawker.com posted a picture of a partially exposed breast and called it a "momtroversy." The photo is now on a "nude" Web site....

...After all, "into the 18th century, women who breast-fed were painted," says pediatrician Naomi Baumslag, author of "Milk, Money and Madness." "They were considered beautiful." Maybe Maggie Gyllenhaal should head back to that park.

Silly Celebrity Breastfeeding Stories

May 01, 2007

Here are the latest celebrity breastfeeding "tit bits." I know, I know, hardly ground breaking news. But I can't help my celebrity fascination. Plus, as far as I'm concerned...the more talk about breastfeeding in popular media, the better.

Amanda Peet reportedly talked about using her breast pump in an airport bathroom on Live with Regis and Kelly. (via Breastfeeding123). (Could NBC please bring back Studio 60? I'd love to see Jordan pump in her office).

Tobey -Spiderman-Maguire does diaper duty (and a little awkwardly at that) after his wife breastfeeds.

Marcia Cross (Bree on Desperate Housewives) is breastfeeding her twins.

Tori Spelling talks about some challenges of breastfeeding. Seems like she might benefit from a little help from a lactation consultant. But kudos to her for trying, and not giving up.

And finally, here's one from a little while ago... Julie Bowen had vowed to "shock" her castmates by breastfeeding on the set of Boston Legal. I haven't heard any updates on this one yet...but I'm hoping to see something soon from this fellow class of 1991 Brown alum.

Tori Spelling Talks About Breast Feeding

April 06, 2007

Here's the Tori Spelling baby scoop from US Weekly. And here's what Tori had to say when the reporter asked if she was breastfeeding:

"Yes. It's hard, but I love it. That's our time together, and I can give him the one thing he wants: food. Dean took a photo of me nursing, and I was horrified. I was like, "Oh, this poor baby must be so scared of this giant thing coming at him."

It's not clear to me from the quote what this "giant thing" is. The camera? Her boob? But I guess it doesn't really matter. So what I want to know, will Tori breastfeed on her new reality show, Tori & Dean: Inn Love? I don't plan on watching it, but if you do, let me know what happens.

Breast Feeding Links

January 22, 2007

Here are some links I've found recently that I thought were interesting or amusing:

Babble has a beautiful essay this week called "Breast Friends." The author describes her experience cross-nursing. She and a friend feed each other's kids, making them "milk-siblings."

Can men breastfeed? This short video, Milk Men, claims that they can. Watch and judge for yourself.

Breastfeeding Photos is a blog devoted to breastfeeding photographs. You can supposedly post your own but I haven't figured out how to do it yet. Even if I could figure it out, I'm not sure I have anything even I want to look at.

Here are two more breastfeeding blogs: Adventures of a Breastfeeding Mother focuses on "breastfeeding, homebirth, mothering and attachment parenting." Mocha Milk is written by Micky who describes herself as "A fierce brown-skinned mama on a mission to impact the health and wellness of the African-American community through breastfeeding awareness and support."

And finally, the Celebrity Baby Blog has a post about an article in Us Weekly about breastfeeding celebrities.

Anyone want to add anything to my list? Sites you've recently found? Articles or blog entries worth mentioning. Send me your story ideas.

Will Ferrell Carries A Breast Pump to The Golden Globes, Maggie Gyllenhaal Nurses While Getting Ready for The Awards and Brooke Burke Breast Feeds

January 16, 2007

Here's the latest from LA...

Will Ferrell and his wife Viveca Paulin carried a breast pump (click here for excellent photo!)to the Golden Globe Awards last night. Maggie Gyllenhaal got her hair and makeup done for the Awards between nursing sessions. Plus Brooke Burke, co-host of Rock Star Supernova (love the show!), is breastfeeding her third child.

Pretty meaningless information in the grand scheme of life. So why do I bother to bring you these stories? Oh I don't know...maybe I hope it will bring some new readers to this site. But that aside, it is nice to see people in the spotlight...or on the "red carpet"... talking about breast feeding.

Brooke Shields, Gwen Stefani and Other Celebrities on Breast Feeding

December 20, 2006

Gwen Stefani tells USA Today "I'm still nursing, and I think it gives you superhuman powers." Brooke Shields sings the praises of a nursing shawl, L'ovedBaby. Heidi Klum is breastfeeding her third child. Jennifer Garner says it helped her lose weight. Former Spice Girl Gerri Halliwell says pregnancy made her breasts look like a porn star's. Britney Spears wants new boobs.

You can find all of this and more on the Celebrity Baby Blog, and its page specifically devoted to breast feeding.

But these stories beg the question...why do we (ok, why do I) love hearing about celebrities, their babes and their boobs? Perhaps because motherhood levels the playing field somewhat. No matter how perfect Gwyneth Paltrow looks with her kids in tow, we know she, too, has had some pretty horrific nights trying to console a screaming infant. She may have an Oscar, but she's still a mom, and unless she's outsourcing the entire thing, she's definitely had leaking boobs, spit-up on her new sweater and poop under her finger nails.

We can't all be superstars with our phalanx of nannies, stylists and trainers to help us. But seriously, would you want the paparazzi just waiting to catch you trying to nurse your kid at the playground? And in any case, at least in our kids' eyes, we're all superhuman.

Elizabeth Vargas Fake Breast Feeding Photo Update

November 15, 2006

A few days ago I wrote about how Marie Claire magazine published a fake photo of ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas breast feeding. I've now had a chance to review the article, and here's my take.

The piece is nothing earth shattering. It's a Q &A about Vargas' career and family. What do we learn? That she's not exactly like the rest of us-- she has a cook, an immaculate apartment and she's married to the singer Marc Cohn. Not to mention she is one of THE stars of ABC news. (You may remember she and Bob Woodruff were supposed to be the future of ABC's evening news. They were named co-anchors after Peter Jennings died. Then Woodruff got seriously injured in Iraq and Vargas got pregnant. So now she's back at 20/20 and Charlie Gibson has the anchor job). But in other ways she is like the rest of us. She has to figure out how to balance work and family. When she was anchoring the evening news, her son wouldn't go to sleep until she got home.

As for that photo...from my perspective, there is no reason your average reader would think it was a fake. The story byline says "By Judith Newman, Photo Illustration by Eric Cahan." Does that mean anything to any of you? Certainly not to me. I just don't get what Marie Claire was thinking. Didn't it occur to them that most people wouldn't get the distinction, and that ultimately, someone (Drudge) would point out the liberties they took?

The Boston Herald ran a story on this today. There was an additional comment from Marie Claire:

“We wanted an arresting, satirical image to make the reader stop and read this important story about what happens when job and family collide. This is an image illustration and is stated so with the byline of this story.”

Wouldn't a real photo have made the case just as strongly?

Oh, and by the way, the photo at the top of this entry is from The Boston Herald. Just wouldn't want anyone to be confused.

Breast Feeding and Actress Rachel Weisz

November 08, 2006

Here's the latest from our celebrity mom star-struck media. People Magazine reports that actress Rachel Weisz credits breastfeeding and Pilates with helping her get back in shape after giving birth in May.

The magazine quotes her as saying:

"I don't really have a magic potion or pill...I do Pilates. Nursing burns a lot of calories, 500 calories a day. So, if I could help promote breast-feeding, that would be a good way...I was seven months pregnant when I won the Academy Award!...Really, since then, I've just been a mom, mainly. It's the most ultimate honor you can get. But I had to duck out of the rat race for a bit and be Mom... I have respect for all working moms out there, because it's definitely a complicated balancing act, which millions of women are doing all the time...But I'm part of that club now."

Welcome to the club, Rachel.

Grey's Anatomy-- BreastFeeding and Breast Cancer

October 20, 2006

Last night on Grey's Anatomy one of the story lines follows a young mom who has breast cancer and is going to have a mastectomy. She arrives in the hospital with her husband and baby in tow. The husband tells the doctors she's having a hard time, that she had to stop nursing and the baby won't take a bottle. Talking amongst themselves, one of the doctors says she probably thought the lump was a plugged milk duct.

Hurray to Grey's Anatomy for highlighting breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is television at it's finest! A subtle reminder to all women, even breastfeeding moms, to take any lump seriously.

I wrote an entry last week about a Seattle mom who first found a lump while breastfeeding her twins. She now runs an organization called Check Your Boobies, which promotes doing regular self breast exams. If you sign up, you can get a montly email reminder to do a check.

Grey's Anatomy has been noted before for promoting breastfeeding. One of the main characters, Dr. Bailey, is a new mom. Not only did we get to see her endure some wonderful (imagine sarcastic tone here) labor pains, but we also got to see her breastfeeding. I actually missed that episode, but ProMom.org (another breastfeeding website) encouraged people to write letters to the show commending the writers.

And who said the "boob tube" wasn't educational?!?!

Way to Go Vanity Fair---The Suri Scoop

September 10, 2006

As I've said, it's not breastfeeding news, but I can't help myself. Like many others, I've been fascinated by the baby Suri story. I couldn't wait for my October issue of Vanity Fair to arrive, so I bought a copy at a newsstand. The reward--- ok, so I got to see the very first public photos of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' baby. But what did I really get? An incredibly disappointing piece of "journalism." What a waste of money.

I've been a Vanity Fair fan for years. In fact, I worked for a Conde Nast publication after graduating college. (I was a fact checker at Conde Nast Traveler). While Vanity Fair has it's share of fluff, and a viewpoint to be sure, I always felt that the journalism wasn't so bad. Well, not this piece.

For twenty-two pages we get to see some beautiful Annie Liebovitz photographs. But there's not one ounce of interesting news. There's nothing about Cruise's public feud with Brooke Shields about her battle with post-partum depression; nothing about his Scientology faith; nothing about his recent split with Paramount Pictures. Sure, we read that Tom is a doting dad and that Katie is upset about all the rumors in the media. But the whole week-long gathering of the extended Holmes and Cruise clans at Tom's 400 acre retreat in Telluride, CO seems little more than a P.R. stunt. The reporter spent "the good part of a week" there and this is all she got?

So what did I learn from the story? Here's a quote for you: "Most mornings, everyone tries to be the first to pick up the baby from her crib or to offer her a morning bottle." Is breast milk or formula in there? Maybe I'll write a letter to the editor of VF to find out. In the meantime, anyone want my subscription copy when it finally arrives?

At Long Last--Baby TomKat Makes Her Debut

September 06, 2006

Ok, fine, it's not breastfeeding news, but I can't resist. The first photos of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' baby have finally appeared. We've had months of media speculation...Where is Suri? Why won't they show photos? Is something wrong with Suri? Is something wrong with Katie? (Why in the world is she with that wacko?!?!) Now finally, the world is getting their first glimpse of the TomKitten. Baby Suri appears with her mom and dad on the cover of the October issue of Vanity Fair. Annie Leibovitz took took the photos. I'll go get the magazine tomorrow. Perhaps Katie will have something to say about breastfeeding.

Kate Beckinsale Breastfeeding Tricks

June 20, 2006

Try this at home...
Actress Kate Beckinsale says when she was breastfeeding her daughter she could squirt her milk across the room. She revealed this detail on Jay Leno. Exaggeration? Maybe, maybe not. I do know that I've squirted my sons in the eyes. So across the room? Who knows. Here's another story about her feats.

Tom Cruise on Breastfeeding...PLUS... A New Way To Remember Which Breast to Use for the Next Feeding

April 26, 2006

Here's a quote from Tom Cruise on how he and Katie Holmes are handling the breastfeeding and diapering.

You may have heard that it's a good idea to alternate breasts at each feeding. In other words, let your baby eat until he's done from one side. At the next feeding, use the other breast. This enables the baby to get that precious "hind milk" that comes in after the baby has been feeding for a while. Great idea, but try remembering which boob to use when you were barely awake during the last feeding. Well here's a something that seems like a clever idea. It's a bra that has an indicator, a velcro patch, that you move from one breast to the other. Only a mom could have come up with something like this!