Claire Foy describes not being able to breastfeed at work like ‘a stamp on my heart’.
Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, but one of the biggest hurdles new mothers have to get over early on is heading back to work. And this is a struggle for celebrity mums just as much as us regular mums!
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The Crown actress and Golden Globe winner Claire Foy opened up about one of the most stressful parts of motherhood to British Vogue this month. The 33 year old actress, who had her daughter two years ago relived the difficult experience describing the inability to breastfeed her daughter as ‘like someone had stamped on my heart.’
Realisation
The realisation happened to her while she was on set filming for hit Netflix drama The Crown, where she found herself “halfway up a Scottish mountain with engorged boobs and no way of getting down to feed my baby”. As she tried to get her broken breast pump to work (in a Land Rover, no less) she relayed to British Vogue that she felt like she had made the worst decision of her life.
Although Foy relayed her distress at this early stage of motherhood, you wouldn’t be able to tell from watching her fabulous portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in the first season of The Crown, a role that won her a Golden Globe and has definitely opened up doors to many roles in the future. So going back to work at the time that she did has certainly paid off for her. We’re certianly were enthralled by her performance in The Crown and can’t wait for the next season airing on Netflix this November. You watch the trailer for the new season here!
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Regret and guilt
But the real story is that this moment and the decision Claire made to go back to work is still with her, and something she struggles with. And we’re sure there are many mums out there wrestling with the same issue and even guilt that women feel when they go back to work.
In Ireland, we’re lucky that we get six months paid maternity leave, but that is not the case with many countries around the world. And it can be necessary for women to get back into the workforce, sometimes as soon as two weeks after giving birth. But we hope, that whatever the situation is, mothers aren’t made to feel guilty or regret their decision; be that staying at home or going back to work.
If you do go back to work, early or otherwise, it’s important to remember your rights in the workplace. So if you’re breastfeeding know that you’re entitled to extra time to express milk during the day. You can read more about that here.
Here at m&i, we hope that women who may be struggling with any guilt or regret, will be able to forgive themselves for being human; for being mothers, women, and members of society. For both wanting to work and wanting to spend time with their children. You are allowed to want both.