'The Bachelor' alum on why she's not breastfeeding her son: 'My body needed a break'
Ashley Iaconetti, a former contestant on "The Bachelor," is opening up about why she is choosing to not breastfeed her newborn son.
Iaconetti, who gave birth to her son, Dawson, on Jan. 31, shared in an Instagram post that she is giving herself grace after what she described as a "rough pregnancy."
"I know myself well enough to know that I’m a better mom and therefore Dawson is a happier baby because of this decision," she wrote. "I had a gut feeling during my pregnancy that this would be best for us."
"I knew that my body needed to be only mine again after a rough pregnancy. My body needed a break. It didn’t need to learn to do something new again," continued Iaconetti, who welcomed her son with her husband, Jared Haibon.
Iaconetti explained that she didn't want her body to "struggle" or for herself to become frustrated if breastfeeding didn't come easy, writing, "Dawson deserves the best version of me."
Iaconetti added that her son has not had any complications with being bottle-fed.
She also said she supports breastfeeding, but made her own choice.
"I think breastfeeding is beautiful and I’m in awe of the women who choose to do it," wrote Iaconetti. "I just know the choice I made was right for our family."
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics, citing health benefits for both moms and babies, recommend infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and as complementary foods are introduced for one year or longer.
In practice though, many mothers find breastfeeding challenging, are physically not able to breastfeed or choose not to. Many doctors suggest bottle feeding is a suitable alternative in these situations.
Iaconetti received more than 154,000 likes on her post, and dozens of comments, including many who thanked her highlighting that "fed is best."
"Let’s normalize this train of thought and drop the guilt women feel when they choose formula. FED is best! It should be an amazing experience not a stressful one," wrote one commenter.
"Why is this even controversial? Fed is best," wrote another.
Another commenter wrote about her own experience with her own son, writing, "I gave up breastfeeding at 6 weeks and I was a much better mom after that. My son is now 17, he’s healthy, happy, smart and headed to college in the fall. He lived! Your baby will be fine too. Good for you!!!"
