Too much pressure on mums to breastfeed, says TV’s Alex
ONE Show host Alex Jones has claimed there is “too much pressure” on women to breastfeed their babies.
The 41-year-old had her son Teddy with husband Charlie Thomson last year.
As the main breadwinner she decided to return to work three months after giving birth.
However, the BBC star said she was left feeling like a failing mother as she struggled to juggle breastfeeding with her hectic work schedule.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine she said: “I think women find it hard to admit they want to go back to work and they are going back a bit earlier than everyone thinks is acceptable. In hindsight, five-and-a-half months would have been better.”
She also said there was “too much pressure on women to breastfeed” with little awareness of how difficult it is.
She said she managed to express her milk for a month before she was forced to turn to formula after she leaked through her top while on camera.
She said: “I’d sit on the sofa and I’d feel this stain start coming through the dress – and I’d think, oh no, this is awful.” She also revealed negative remarks on social media took a toll on her confidence and self-belief.
“It destroyed my confidence in terms of trying to feed and be back at work,” she said.
“So by four months I had to give in to formula completely.
“I was combining but it just wasn’t working. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but Teddy thrived just as well on formula as he did on breast milk.”
She has previously revealed she had postponed having children after her split with TV host Matt Johnson. But after making documentary Fertility & Me, the presenter had a “huge wake-up call” when she learned her mother had gone through the menopause at just 43.