The Real Reason Why Women Quit Pumping

With World Breastfeeding Week celebrated across more than 120 countries at the beginning of August, Holly Meadows investigates why so many young moms quit early on

- Holly Meadows

CELEBRITY ACTIVISM

In July 2018, model Mara Martin was famously photographed walking the runway breastfeeding her baby, who wore a nappie and noise-cancelling headphones. In an Instagram post after the show, she said: ‘I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and hopefully normalise breastfeeding and also show others that women CAN DO IT ALL!’

Later that year, Rachel McAdams, who had her first child in April 2018 with boyfriend Jamie Linden, was featured on the cover of the fashion magazine Girls. Girls. Girls. wearing Versace and Bulgari diamonds, her jacket open to reveal two breast pumps. Editor Claire Rothstein posted the photo on Instagram, saying: ‘Between shots she was expressing/pumping as [she was] still breast-feeding. We had a mutual appreciation disagreement about whose idea it was to take this picture, but I’m still sure it was hers, which makes me love her even more.’ Rothstein then added, ‘I did not look anywhere near as fabulous as this when feeding/pumping. And that’s okay, too.’

While some trolls remarked on the inappropriateness of breast-feeding in public, the response was overwhelmingly positive, with many applauding the women for showcasing the reality of being a working mom. What these highly stylised visuals don’t show, however, is that there is a stark distinction between the glamour of Rachel and Mara pumping in a staged, high-fashion world, and the lived reality of most working mothers.

OFFICE PUMPING