Celeb moms normalizing breast pumping
At Jane Fonda's ingeniously nostalgic "exercise" video of Hollywood celebs encouraging US viewers to exercise their right to vote this November, Katy Perry stood out without having to slip into those skimpy 80s tights. Amidst fellow celebs Kerry Washington, Vanessa Hudgens, Amy Schumer, Shaquille O’Neal, Ken Jeong and Ashley Benson, and even her husband Orlando Blood sweating it out, the scene-stealing, post-maternity-looking pop singer sneaked into some parts of the videos wearing her jammies — only to show some "boob action" at the end.
But Perry wasn't just there — we think — inviting people online to participate in the upcoming elections.
The new mom, caught on video pumping breast milk, was there to normalize breastfeeding — and in effect, the act of breast pumping.
"Pumped to vote!" as the Teenage Dream and Roar singer recited, before reaching out jokingly to Schumer regarding newfound maternity concerns. "Amy, does your kid have teeth?"
In a separate Instagram post, Perry even played with word puns to convey both points of breast pumping and voting.
"But whoever said pumping isn’t a sport... I’d like to twist their nipples clockwise for one week straight," she captioned in jest.
Breastfeeding is widely encouraged as it not only provides babies with essential, all-natural nutrients and antibodies up to six months. It strengthens the bond between the mother and the child, while remarkably reducing the risk of ovarian and breast cancer for the mother, the Department of Health said.
To support this, a study by the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer also said that "for every 12 months a woman breastfed, her risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.3%." The study sampled mothers who breastfed and those who didn’t.
Pumping helps obtain an ample amount of breastmilk, which the mom may store for future use. It's an effective way to keep breastmilk when the mom isn't physically around the baby or would not want to feed directly from her bosom. Pumping typically is done 8-10 times a day to achieve 15-35 oz of breastmilk.
Pumping milk among working more mobile moms, however, has been frowned upon in public, a study has shown in the US. The study, by durable medical equipment provider Byram Healthcare Centers, Inc., said that most moms breastfeeding or pumping in the workplace have encountered embarrassment and rudeness when squeezing milk at work.
Yet, Perry, ever since giving birth to her firstborn Daisy Love Bloom last August and way before that Exercise That Vote video, has not been shy in sharing her breast pumping anecdotes online.
She once posted her post-baby VMAs "look" on Instagram Stories, dishevelled in her nursing bra and disposable postpartum underwear — as if to say that pumping milk however and whenever possible is totally okay and a beautiful part of motherhood.
"Hair n makeup by: @exhaustion," she even captioned in jest, with her own and recently released song Not The End of The World fittingly as her "background music."
Yet, the 35 year-old Perry, of course, isn't the only one promoting breastfeeding hard on social media.
The following international and local celebrities have used their presence online in the past, too, pushing for the same statement. That breastmilk is still the healthiest, that breastfeeding is the cheapest, and that breast pumping is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Pink
Rachel Bilson
Kourtney Kardashian
Kristin Cavallari
Ashley Graham
View this post on InstagramUse to answer emails on my uber rides, now I pump before my breasts explode??
A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on
Doutzen Kross
Iya Villania
Shamcey Supsup
Banner image taken from Katy Perry's Instagram (@katyperry)