Celebrity Archive

A roundup of famous breastfeeding moms

Models Cindy Crawford, Elle McPherson and Jerry Hall (formerly married to Rolling Stone front man Mick Jagger) along with singer Faith Hill and actress Jodie Foster have all recently breastfed their children (some are still nursing). Vice President Al Gore's oldest daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff is currently juggling breastfeeding, law school and campaigning for her father, while Catherine Zeta-Jones is nursing her son she had with fiancé Michael Douglas. Here is the latest on these celebrities and more who are helping spread positive images and information about breastfeeding. We applaud them!

Tori Amos
Singer-songwriter Tori Amos shocked her fans this fall when she announced the birth of her baby girl. Word of her pregnancy was kept hush-hush, while Amos was quick to remark on the first time she nursed her daughter. "An ounce of breastmilk is even more potent than the finest tequila."

Erykah Badu
Singer and actress Erykah Badu, who is getting ready to release her latest album since her critically acclaimed 1997 debut Baduizm, recently talked to Launch.com reporter Lucy Tauss about becoming a mother in the last few years.

""When I first had the baby, I was breastfeeding for two years straight, so we were together for two years of his life - every day, all hours of the day. So I was two people, and I eventually morphed back into one. Now he's part of me. He's very independent as a result of it. I thought it was going to be the opposite," she added. "I was very worried that he was going to be attached since we were together every day, but I guess it made him feel comfortable: 'I know she's around. She'll be there.' It made me feel like a very responsible person and tidy, and my health was better because I'm now responsible for someone's whole reason for being."

Cindy Crawford
As of December 1999, Cindy was nursing her five-month-old baby. Earlier that month, the supermodel mom filled in for Kathy Lee Gifford on Regis and Kathy Lee. One of our members caught the episode and reports:
I think she's such a great advocate for breastfeeding as she makes it seem such a natural part of parenting and life. Regis was holding up pictures of her son and she said, "I'm nursing him, so you'd better put those away or there'll be a problem here." Then she said, "All you women, you understand."

Jodie Foster
You saw the Jodie Foster film "Anna and the King" and you thought Jodie has dieted her way down to pre-pregnancy weight? Well, according to an article in the New York Daily News, Jodie has slimmed down after the birth of her son in September 1998 by breastfeeding.

"I just couldn't stop losing weight with the breastfeeding," Jodie said in the Daily News article. "I ate as much as I possibly could, but I kept losing. You'll see why when you meet Charlie. He's a stocky guy, and he likes to eat and eat more. You cook it, he'll eat it." . . . .

Arcelia Garcia
OK, so she's not a supermodel or a Hollywood actress, but Arcelia Garcia made headlines when the grandmother of 13 gave birth to healthy triplet girls on Jan. 8. At 54, Garcia is three years older than the average age of menopause. For that reason, some doctors feared the babies would be born with chromosomal problems, but the babies and mom were doing fine just days after the birth.

The Jan. 24 issue of People magazine reported that Garcia planned on breastfeeding all three babies. "They're healthier that way," she told People magazine.

Jerry Hall
The October issue of Vanity Fair featured a picture of model and actress Jerry Hall breastfeeding her and Mick Jagger's son, Gabriel. The picture was taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz and is featured in Leibovitz's latest book entitled "Women."

In the photo, Jerry is elegantly dressed (heels and everything) sitting in a chair, breastfeeding her son. Some of our members posted their thoughts about the picture on our message boards.

"It's like she is saying, look at me breastfeeding and how glamorous it can be too, and she's not too worried about an "accident" on her designer outfit!," wrote one member.

Faith Hill
Country Music Network recently aired a biography of singer Faith Hill (who is married to country star Tim McGraw). One of our members reports that in the program, Faith talked about how she would take breaks from shooting her latest music video to breastfeed her daughter.

"I think that's wonderful, and I'm glad to hear that she said that, so that some of her fans might be encouraged to do the same," one of members posted on the message boards.

Elle McPherson
People magazine from the week of November 25 featured an article on supermodel Elle McPherson. In the article, Elle is identified as a nursing mom. She breastfeeds her son, Flynn.

One of members says, "This is really great PR for breastfeeding, as several formula-feeding moms that I have talked to didn't want to breastfeed because it would "wreck my boobs". That reason really looks silly given that a gorgeous supermodel who makes her living off of her looks and figure breastfeeds!"'

Karenna Gore Schiff

Vice President Al Gore's oldest daughter Karenna is a breastfeeding mom to six-month-old son Wyatt Gore Schiff. The New York Observer published an article about Karenna earlier in 1999. The article said, "...Ms. Schiff's life has been one long scheduling crisis, between classes as a third-year Columbia law student, breastfeeding little Wyatt and getting on the horn with Gore campaign consultant Bob Squier.

Karenna has been helping out with her father's 2000 presidential campaign. The New York Observer article also mentioned how in the early 1980's, Al Gore attacked Nestle for marketing its infant formula to Third World countries. At the same time, Tipper Gore banned all Nestle products from the Gore household.

Karenna recently told ThatGlow.com her thoughts on breastfeeding.
"I am totally supportive of nursing in public. I feel like if your baby is hungry and screaming, you gotta do what you gotta do. I can remember one time I was nursing in Central Park and I was fantasizing that I would get arrested and be thrown in jail for nursing. I imagined that I would then lead a massive picket line of nursing mothers. I get that from my Mom - she nursed us and is very certain and strong about doing things in a natural way.

I think that we have to do a lot more as a society to accommodate working mothers. Breast feeding in itself is a real challenge. I had this vision of breast feeding lounges or something. I’ve found that since I’ve had my baby I find that other mothers are the most helpful."

Catherine Zeta-Jones
Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and her fiancé, actor Michael Douglas, had a baby boy in August. Zeta-Jones and Douglas were interviewed by the British tab OK! Magazine in October, and both mom and dad talked about breastfeeding. Zeta-Jones talked about how for some people, breastfeeding is easier said than done, although she apparently had no problems getting her son latched on and nursing right away.

"I'm going to do it as long as I can. ...there is something so intimate about it. For that one hour or 45 minutes it's just wonderful. It's wonderful bonding and you know they're getting these antibodies."

Zeta-Jones and Douglas are planning to marry on Nov. 18 at New York City's posh Plaza Hotel.