Although her babies are grown now, Nicole Kidman still remembers how challenging it was to figure out breastfeeding as a new mom. The Babygirl star recalled a raw story about a time she was “terrified” trying to nurse her newborn, and our hearts go out to her.
In her Time Woman of the Year interview published today, the Oscar winner shared that she was unable to breastfeed in the days after giving birth for the first time. “I was so terrified, asking, ‘What just happened? Where’s my milk?’” she told TIME. Kidman shares daughters Sunday, 16, and Faith, 14, with husband Keith Urban, and she is also mom Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, who she adopted with ex Tom Cruise.
“I remember standing naked in the shower, and my sister helped me,” Kidman continued. “She was my source of strength. She’d had five children—she had the wisdom to pass on.”
Breastfeeding is a beautiful way to bond with your baby and offers a multitude of health benefits (for mom and baby). But one thing that doesn’t get talked about enough: Breastfeeding. Is. Hard! It just is! It may be natural, but that doesn’t mean it comes easy. Figuring out how to get your baby to latch, dealing with tongue ties, food sensitivities, clogged milk ducts, sore and cracked nipples, overall exhaustion from being your infant’s sole food source — and the list goes on and on.
After I welcomed my first child nearly 8 years ago, I remember sobbing trying to figure out how to get my baby to latch. My nipples felt like razor blades, I hadn’t had more than 20 minutes of sleep at once in the days since my baby was born, and he wouldn’t stop screaming. Looking back, I would have saved a lot of sleepless nights and anxiety if I had switched to formula feeding. I didn’t realize that some babies just prefer bottles and don’t want to latch, and my others would have a much easier time in the future. Crying in the shower, trying to figure out what was wrong with me? That was a near daily experience for me, so I completely empathize with Kidman. Luckily, her sister was there for support and guidance.
Her late mom also helped Kidman with some sage advice. In an interview with Good Morning America in Dec. 2024, the Big Little Lies star revealed that she considered quitting acting after welcoming Sunday.
“I was on my farm in Nashville,” Kidman recalled of this time. “My mother said, ‘No, no, no. Keep your finger in the pie a little bit, don’t give it up completely.’”
“I was sort of like, ‘I’m done. I’ve got my baby, this is it,’” she continued. “And she’s like, ‘I’ve raised you since you were little, I think you’ll need a creative outlet. And you might not want to just throw it all away.’” Considering how she starred in six projects in 2024 alone, this was great advice.
It all goes to show mothers need a community when raising children!
Celebrate the beauty of different breastfeeding journeys through these photographs.
