Yahoo Finance Ashley Tisdale on Choosing Formula for Baby Jupiter, 3 Months, After 'Hard' Breastfeeding Journey
Ashley Tisdale/instagram ; FOX via Getty
Ashley Tisdale is opening up about her breastfeeding journey and why she has chosen formula for her first baby.
The singer/actress, 35, welcomed daughter Jupiter Iris with husband Christopher French on March 23, and in a new entry on her Frenshe website, Tisdale explains that she experienced breastfeeding difficulties from the get-go.
"You see your friends who are new moms feeding their babies make it look so easy. But no one tells you how hard it really is," she writes on her wellness page. "I think there's this pressure around the subject of breastfeeding and that those who do it are the best moms, but that's not true. Our journey started on day one in the hospital when Jupiter was having trouble latching."
Tisdale says she "should've taken that as a hint" but continued trying to breastfeed, but newborn Jupiter continued to be "frustrated," she recalls, which made the new mom "upset."
"I just wanted to have a good experience with feeding her for the first time," writes Tisdale.
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After she became "so over trying to figure out the latch," the High School Musical alum started pumping and feeding her daughter breastmilk by the bottle - which, it turned out, Jupiter "loved."
"That was the moment I realized that maybe breastfeeding isn't meant for us," she says, adding that she "pumped all day, and never looked forward to pumping. I would look at the pump like it held me back from really being in the moment with Juju and enjoying my first weeks of motherhood. At that point, I turned to my husband and said 'I feel like we're striving and not thriving with this breast milk situation.' "
"I was determined to make it work, but all I truly cared about was Jupiter having a good experience with feeding and getting the best nutrition," says Tisdale.
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Tisdale explains that's when they turned to formula, particularly the brand Enfamil Enspire, as their best option. She says she still has "that same special moment with your baby that you do with breastfeeding" while using a bottle: "You're still looking into your baby's eyes, whether it's with your breast or a bottle."
She adds, "I felt great knowing that there was another option out there for us. And Jupiter loves it, which makes me the happiest! So, it might not have been an easy ride from the start, but I'm glad we found something that's trusted and works for us."
For Father's Day over the weekend, Tisdale honored her husband by sharing a gallery of photos of him with their first baby, highlighting how "great" of a dad he is.
"Chris you amaze me. I tell Jupiter all the time she is the luckiest little girl. You're the best partner in this wild journey of being parents," she wrote. "The patience and love you shower your daughter with everyday is my favorite thing to watch. You are the most present dad and not just because you meditate lol but because you never want to miss a thing. Even when you are stressed and have crazy deadlines at work you make it happen. Just for her."
