Khloe Kardashian Gets Emotional About Quitting Breastfeeding

I might not be an expert in parenting (just kidding, I totally am), but I'm pretty sure that one's ability to breastfeed their child is not the litmus test for being a perfect mom. Honestly, it's simply not something that works for every mom, everywhere. And this is actually okay because there's this stuff called formula that you can feed your baby too. I know it's easy to say and very different if you're the person struggling with trying to nurse your baby or not. Which is why Khloé Kardashian's announcement that she quit breastfeeding is such a great and timely reminder that sometimes nursing can really suck.

The Good American jeans designer gave birth to baby girl True Thompson back on April 12, and from the outset it sounds as though she was having a tough time with breastfeeding. When her mom Kris Jenner was on The Ellen Show in May, she told host DeGeneres that the new mom was finding breastfeeding a "bit tricky," according to Hello magazine; "Well, she is trying, she's really trying. [Latching] was a little bit tricky when I was there. She's figuring it out one day at a time and she's just the best mum already and that baby is so cute."

Since then Khloé has been open about her difficulties with trying to breastfeed her daughter. In a June post she shared on her website, the Revenge Body host explained that she was supplementing her breastfeeding with formula (and a particular brand of bottle she was flogging at the time) because she just wasn't producing enough milk for her daughter, according to Glamour:

Because I don’t produce enough milk, I also have to give a bottle with every feeding. With the formula I use, I have to give True the bottle within 30 minutes of making it, so it’s amazing to have this machine make it for me. It’s super easy to use—and fast, so when I'm exhausted and can’t even keep my eyes open in the middle of the night, it’s a total lifesaver.

Now it seems the constant battle to supply enough milk for True has become too much. Especially because the new mom started back to work on Friday. Khloé tweeted on Friday that she "had to stop breast feeding" and found the decision "really emotional;"

So here is what's so great about her tweet; it opened the door for other moms to share their own emotional baggage when it comes to their breastfeeding struggles. The guilt they felt, this feeling of somehow failing their baby... it's a truly emotional, upsetting position to be in.

One woman, who I'm sure meant well, tweeted a suggestion for Khloé to simply try drinking more water. She responded with a list of all the ways she tried to continue breastfeeding, which was a polite and gentle reminder that it's just not that easy for everyone:

Most of the tweets were incredibly supportive of Khloé's decision to stop breastfeeding, and quite a few were quick to point out that fed is best. It obviously made a huge difference to her, because she tweeted in response that, after trying to come to a decision about breastfeeding it was a "huge relief" to quit:

Here's the thing; nobody owes anyone an explanation about whether they breastfeed or bottle feed. Period. But when a mom really wants to breastfeed and finds it too much of a challenge, I think it's important to have examples of other moms out there who have gone through the same thing. Who are open about their struggles, their trials, and their relief when they finally let themselves off the hook.

Because raising a baby is hard, and it's just nice to feel like you're not alone.