10 Singapore Celebs Who Have Shared Their Breastfeeding Struggles & Experiences

When Jamie Yeo had her first child, a daughter in 2010, she was devastated she wasn’t able to produce enough breastmilk for her, especially considering Alysia was born 10 weeks premature, weighing just 1.2kg. For six months she combo-fed the baby, after which she went on to full formula.

She told The New Paper, “I cried about it and I felt so guilty. Breastmilk was so important to her because it's nature's customised nutrition from a mother to a child. I beat myself up about it again and again."

In a separate interview last year with The Weekly, she reflected on her breastfeeding experiences, “I never did have enough milk for Aly from the get-go, possibly because I was incredibly stressed. There was nothing I could do about it." With Luke, she shares that she had a lot more milk, but revealed that it wasn’t enough “because he drank so much!”

She tells us that in hindsight, she wishes she’d relaxed more, not stressed too much, and trusted the doctors, nurses, and modern medicine more. “Maybe I would have had more breast milk!” she laughs.

In August 2017, the actress posted “When I had my first baby, I hadn't set myself a goal when I was going to wean her off breastfeeding. I wanted to do it for as long as I could because I enjoyed the bonding, felt it was a lot more convenient to do so, and believed in the nutritional benefits of breastmilk."

She goes on to detail how she went back to work at seven months and had to travel, diligently pumping and freezing milk to deliver back home. However she acknowledges the difficulties of this, adding "It did come to a point where I found it stressful to keep up with the pumping schedule. I couldn't travel light...and always had to find a nursing room."

As this was prior to the birth of her second child, she reflects that she might not do the same the second time around but emphasises her belief that all mums are doing their best. "My philosophy has always been that while we try to give our children the best, we mustn’t neglect our psychological well-being too. Because happy parents raise happy kids, so to all fellow moms who might be stressed one way or another, know that you are not alone on this journey.”

Kate Pang has often been open and honest about her experience with postpartum depression and the difficulties she faced with her first child. In a honest Instagram post, she reflected on her breastfeeding journey with Aden which was compounded with her experience with postnatal depression.

"During my confinement, I suffered daily because Aden would cry for milk every hour. However, I didn't have much milk to give. Each round of breastfeeding would take up to 40 minutes. It wasn't easy to put him to sleep. Whenever he slept, I could catch my breath, eat something, and get ready to rest — only for him to wake up again.

Getting two hours of uninterrupted sleep was impossible. The only three days I had proper rest was when Aden was warded for three days for jaundice. But after he was discharged, I couldn't produce enough breast milk. My nipples were also inflamed and bleeding. Each time I breastfed and showered, I was filled with fear. Those who have never suffered from cracked nipples will never understand how painful it is."

After a bad episode where she felt she was a danger to her own child, her sister stepped in to help for a month. She also sought advice from mums online, friends, and breastfeeding professionals. "Finally I was able to breastfeed smoothly. I began to better grasp the child's work and mood," she writes.

To finish, she reminds all mums, "This is just a phase when it comes to raising kids. But I believe many mums are trapped in this abyss of pain. Some moms can’t get through it, so please pay attention to postpartum depression, please care about every mother around you, not every mother will scream like me. Silence can also be a distress signal."

Currently expecting her second child, fitness entrepreneur Liv Lo was honest and open about her difficulties breastfeeding her first child and daughter Lyla who she shares with husband Henry Golding. She has written about it extensively on her site FitSphere and also in a personal essay she shared with Good Morning America.

"Breastfeeding appears smooth and simple, but every mother recognises the sacrifice in this service. The baby feeds on demand every two to three hours, not including the time fed. So watching the clock I decide which breast to feed, strip, sit, latch and lean back," she writes, adding that daughter Lyla "hates it when I talk and doesn't like the bottle either, so the next 20 minutes are solely dedicated to her. I do this eight times a day."

While she acknowledges the ability to breastfeed is a privilege, she goes out to highlight the things she didn't expect. "I knew breastfeeding would be a full-time job, but I didn't expect the medications, pain or stretch marks that came with it for me. I have questioned my decision to breastfeed and thought of giving up at times because it's one of the most difficult challenges I have faced. Yes, breastfeeding is incredibly difficult for most new moms and no one ever told me."

The 38-year-old was previously based in Singapore before her family made the move to LA because of Golding's acting career.

New mum Amanda Chaang is adding her thoughts to the whole breastfeeding experience with a recent post about how breast size has nothing to do with your ability to produce milk.

"Making that coin on confinement cause my milk supply is low and it ain’t enough for baby Z," she wrote on Instagram. "Some days I feel pretty shit about not having enough milk. I’m actually pretty surprised I’m not producing enough milk (have you seen the size of my boobs?!!?!) but I guess boob size has no correlation to milk supply. I know my food intake has a role to play and it makes me extra guilty because I am watching what I eat. I’m not depriving or starving myself but I’m also not going to town on my meals. I’m watching what I eat because I feel the pressure to look a certain way so I can go back to work as soon as possible."

She finishes by saying, "Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do and I get it now, I get why some mothers only breastfeed for a couple weeks/ months. Everyone’s been pretty supportive during this whole journey and everyone says to do what’s best me. I guess now I’m just trying to figure out what that is, realistically."

After giving birth to her third son, Nathan, veteran actress Zoe Tay gave an interview about her breastfeeding experience. She said,"it's natural for first-time mothers to feel apprehensive, but once you get going you can feel proud knowing you are giving your baby the best." She also added breastfeeding can help to heal after giving birth as well as reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Tay also found herself with an oversupply of breastmilk, and so as not to waste it, she gave t to friends with children, asked if the hospital needed any and also used it in facial masks, shampoo and shower gel. Breastmilk is known to have healing qualities and mothers can be encouraged to bathe in it or bathe their babies in it if they have excess.

Influencer Drea Chong wrote on her website her overwhelming experience of hearing so many different opinions about breastfeeding and how she and husband Imran came to tune out the noise and focus on what was best.

"The first few days was definitely a flurry – learning how to get Ezra to latch, dealing with engorgement by listening to my confinement nanny/ hiring a lactation masseuse/ seeing a lactation consultant/ undergoing jamu massage, etc.," she recalls, adding that everyone was giving her advice including her mother-in-law and friends. She added, "I remember crying in the middle of my lactation massage and telling Imran 'It’s so painful and I don’t know what to do!'"

They eventually consulted Dr. Mythili Pandi, a certified lactation consultant and family GP and stuck to her advice to help regulate Drea's issues with engorgement and oversupply. She ends with some advice, saying, "Moms-to-be: it will be a struggle at first because it’s a whole new experience! Stick to what you and your body knows best, get advice if needed (and stick to one method at a time!), and you will get the hang of it after a few weeks. There IS light at the end of the breastfeeding tunnel!"

Radio DJ and newly-minted mum-of-two Jill Lim has always been very open about her experiences and difficulties when it comes to child-rearing, on breastfeeding, she said in an earlier interview, "To summarise my first breastfeeding experience: it was a rollercoaster three months filled with fevers and tears, ending with a breast cancer scare."

Armed with more knowledge this time around, Jill was set on making her breastfeeding experience with new daughter Ziggy better, but as she wrote on Instagram recently,"10 days and I’ve already had the help of a small army from a latching class with @hegenlactationcentre to a boob massage with @madam.partum the @heytigerdiapers team. The wreckage your body goes through carrying then birthing a child is no joke."

This week she also posted a thoughtful update on the breastfeeding experience, writing "Honestly I just don’t want to spend money on formula. Breastfeeding is really such a drag, mundane, physically and psychologically draining activity. I don’t feel more bonded to my baby. She’s mine and I love her. Lily was barely breastfed so and was extremely healthy until she started school. So I’m not worried that not breastfeeding Ziggy would make her “weaker”."

She adds a pragmatic view on breastfeeding that resonates with mums just doing their best. "While there are so many benefits that go along with breastfeeding. It’s not something I’m going to kill myself over. Right now it’s working for me so I shall keep going. Once it stops. So will I."

Singer and mum-of-three Tay Kewei regularly shares family updates on her Instagram and is now a full-fledged, experienced supermum.

But in 2017 after giving birth to her first son, nicknamed Momo, she gave an interview to Smart Parents talking about her breastfeeding experience. "I’m really lucky to have had breastmilk since day one, so Momo has never tried formula milk," she said. She added that for the first three months, she had engorgement issues and saw a lactation consultant three times due to serious blockage issues. "The first time I had engorgement, I tried everything I Googled and it was a mess," she recalled. "I spent the entire day at home having hot showers, massaging, squeezing, and Alfred even helped. The next time it happened, I went straight to a lactation consultant and realised whatever Alfred tried was WRONG! My first experience with the lactation consultant was incredibly hilarious, as two older women were massaging and shaking my boobs."

New mum Charmaine Yee, who had her baby girl Mila in June, had to manage a few scares before her birth before having an emergency c-section. After bringing their little girl home from the hospital, Mila's weight dropped by 10 percent so Yee and her husband decided to supplement breastfeeding with formula milk.

Speaking about the experience, Yee said, “I felt like I had failed my first role as a mother. Thankfully, Camilo let me have a good cry, held me while I had my meltdown and reassured me I was doing great, recovering well, and we were doing the best we could.”