In an emotional and raw interview, Mollys Sims described being “mom-shamed” for giving her child formula. While she knows “fed is best,” she traveled a bumpy road to get there. In a new podcast episode of Mom School with Kristen Kelly, the actor and model spoke about her difficulties with breastfeeding.
The mother of three also revealed her struggles with anxiety and the general stresses of being a parent. If you want to see this famous mom get really real, take a look at the clip below and read what she said to see about her motherhood journey.
Molly Sims tears up as she recalls being “mom-shamed” after giving her child formula.
Sims said “people really mom-shamed” her after the birth of her son, Brooks Alan, now 8. She explained that she was unable to produce enough milk and had to turn to formula to feed her child.
She commended her lactation specialist, Linda Hanna who was “ultimately one of the first” people who convinced Sims to make the move to formula.
“She goes, ‘We got to feed this baby some formula. We’re just going to need a little,'” Sims said. “I was taking 18 herbs. I mean, I did a breast pump. I did it all. I did everything. [Linda] was really such a constant and I cannot thank her enough, because that about put me under. I was really depressed over it.”
“And I just don’t make milk. I made a little bit, and finally by the third baby, she goes, ‘Are we really going to try this?’ I’m like, ‘We’re really going to try it,'” she added.
Sims’ experience was especially difficult as people in her life were making her feel like feeding her baby formula was akin to giving them “poison.” She also described how hard it was to witness other moms breastfeed and how easy they made it look.
“I always say to women, ‘They come out of you, and you automatically have mom guilt,'” she said. “I would see these women, and they just stick that baby on the boob, and I watched it. I watched her breastfeed.”
“And we have three kids almost all identical in age and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, Allison, but did you just really make that much f***ing milk?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like, ‘That would take me nine feedings,'” Sims revealed.
Sims admitted to putting “too much pressure on [herself] as a mother.” Fortunately, her therapist has advised her on “how to talk [herself] down from” the periods of related severe anxiety before a “spiral.”
With both Brooks and her younger two children: son, Grey Douglas, 3½, and daughter Scarlett May, 5, she didn’t have postpartum depression. She described having anxious visions that felt “like I would wake up and they’re drowning.” But one time, she fell asleep breastfeeding, and “rolled” over on top of Brooks.
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“It scared the s**t out of me,” Sims admitted. “And it probably set off [some] of that, ‘Oh my God they’re drowning’ [feeling]. I had a lot of hot sweats after the baby, just waking up in pools and your hormones dropping, but I never had dark thoughts about my baby or myself. It was more about, ‘Oh God, what if something happens to them?'”
Who helped Sims find peace? None other than Queen Bey. Sure, she said “walking” and “exercise” were big parts of it. But, she thanked Beyoncé.
“It got me out of my head, and this is going to sound crazy, but Beyoncé helped me,” Sims said. “It was like, ‘I love you Beyoncé, so much.’ I would just start singing.”