Elaine Bellis doesn’t think mothers talk about the challenges of breastfeeding enough, so she opened up about her difficulties on Instagram recently. She posted a photo of her infant twin daughters breastfeeding at the same time; in the caption, Bellis said that she’s tried everything in her power to produce milk for her newborn twins but that her body “couldn’t build up any milk over the last month.”
The new mom says she pumps all day to be able to provide her girls with just an ounce of her milk. “I never thought I would have problems breastfeeding and realize now I did the absolute best I could do,” she said.
Read more: Watch Adele’s Perfect Response to People Who Pressure Women to Breastfeed
“I feel like often times, women portray that their motherhood experience is rainbows and sunshine and maybe it is for them, and that’s their truth,” Bellis told The TODAY Show. “But for me, I was having that sometimes, but other times I was having these huge emotional breakdowns because of breastfeeding.”
Luckily, Bellis says formula and breast-milk donations keep her daughters healthy. She says she will continue to breastfeed her girls when possible to promote bonding.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com