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Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, is breastfeeding her twins. The twins were born in January, and mother-in-law Queen Margrethe recently admitted ”that the newborns are keeping their mother busy (duh!):
Asked by Billed Bladet if coping with twins was different than when her other grandchildren were born, she replied: “Not for me. But I can see how much it means to the family that it hits, if I may say so. There’s twice as much all the time, it is very strenuous. I have the impression that it is sleep, eat, breastfeed. Sleeping, eating, breastfeeding.”
Queen Margrethe breastfed her own children, so that is one less Booby Trap for Princess Mary! How wonderful that these royalties are using their very public platform to talk candidly about breastfeeding, and what it’s really like! It is so important that new mothers have realistic expectations, and that the concept of spending the first few weeks getting to know and bond with the new baby is normalized. Some moms feel pressure to “get their body back” and want to “have a life” after delivering, and don’t realize how precious and important those first few weeks are to learning the baby’s cues, responding appropriately, and developing the close and intimate relationship that creates a blueprint for later intimacy and a healthy psyche. Mom and baby NEED to bond, and this period is critical regardless of feeding method!! So it is great to see Princess Mary and her husband, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, modeling healthy attachment parenting principles and mastering the learning curve of breastfeeding.
We need royalty breastfeeding portraits to help normalize it.
Now all we need is an official breastfeeding portrait just like the wedding portrait to help normalize and market breastfeeding . . . and if only Her Royal Highness would pass on her wisdom and example to Mariah Carey . . . Celine Dion would also be a good mentor, as she is nursing her new twins too!
While there was no official declaration, from various news articles one might glean that Princess Mary did not have a c-section, which would put her in stark contrast to the majority of twins born in the United States, where it’s almost a given that multiples mean an automatic c-section. Regardless, kudos to her for breastfeeding and for being so open about it! Let’s hope she uses her position to advocate for infant and maternal health. Special thanks to Nikki Lee, RN, IBCLC (and my CLC teacher) for the tip about Princess Mary breastfeeding.
Other Breastfeeding Royalty
Throughout history, members of the nobility have either breastfed or used wet-nurses. I found a fascinating discussion on Royal Forums about breastfeeding royalty, and it seems that today’s highnesses are standing up for the right to breastfeed their own children, and rebelling against their mothers! Here is a small gallery of breastfeeding royalty:
Princess Diana
Queen Rania
Princess Grace
Queen Sirikit
Did we miss any breastfeeding princesses? Which breastfeeding royalty inspires you most?
@BestforBabes
Best For Babes
In the article when discussing the princess’ birth you call her Princess Margaret. Her name is Mary. The Queen, her mother-in-law is Margaret…
Thanks, I corrected it!
Kudos to all of these royals breastfeeding their babes! You mentioned that it would be nice if celebrities came out about their feeding habits of their newborns (ala’ Mariah Carey and Celine Dion). Perhaps you missed the recent article in which Celine Dion debuted her twins and confessed that she not only breastfeeds them both but co-sleeps with them and her older son, Rene Charles. Julie Bowen of Weeds and Modern Family was also very public about nursing her twins.
Great article! I am a bit confused by one small detail though - the reference to Celine Dion seems to imply that she is not breastfeeding, but the article it is linked to references her breastfeeding. I’m not sure what was meant by the comment about her?
We meant that she would be a good mentor for Mariah Carey too, because she is successfully breastfeeding twins! Thanks, I corrected it to be more clear.
I guess she breastfed - since she gave birth at home. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Märtha_Louise_of_Norway
I remember when Princess Grace spoke at a La Leche League convention.
I love it!! I did not know that about Celine Dion. No matter who you are in the world, I think breastfeeding twins deserves applause
I love when any mom of twins is recognized for her breastfeeding efforts. But this is especially wonderful news since royalty gets a certain amount of respect already just being who they are. Even princesses use their breasts for their natural purposes! Thanks for the article! I will definitely share. (And I think Nikki Lee is great, too, and that is how I heard about this site AND Booby Traps! I am taking her peer counseling course right now.
My sister breastfed her twins.
yes it can be done = my best friend relactated to breastfeed her adopted twins girls
My friend breastfed her triplets for 8 months, it was an amazing effort on her part, not to mention her husband and other supports who helped with the juggling, pumping & supp feeding with pumped milk. I had enough trouble breastfeeding one (still going 2.4 yrs later), any woman who manages breastfeeding twins deserves mountains of praise!
I breastfed my twins just as I breastfed my singletons, and to be honest, it is not any more effort to do 2 at the same time once you get the attachment under control. Yay for people choosing to speak publically about their positive experiences, royalty or not.