Stacey Solomon has gained a new legion of fans thanks to her candid approach to motherhood. And this week, the star shone the spotlight on her breastfeeding journey, with a refreshingly honest account of her experience nursing baby Rex. The mum-of-three shared a smiling selfie with her two million Instagram followers, showing her beaming at the camera while feeding her two-month-old son. She wrote: "There was a time, not so long ago, when I used to dread this. It's so nice to uncurl my toes, not be fighting with shields or trying to sooth my bleeding nipples, and actually get excited for the times that Rex wants to feed on me.
Stacey Solomon has opened up about her breastfeeding journey with baby Rex
"I never managed to exclusively breastfeed," she confided. "He has bottle and boob, mostly boob before naps for comfort and that works for us! Looking at this photo reminds me of how much pressure I put on myself in the early days. I wanted to love it so badly and had imagined how 'easy', 'convenient' and 'blissful' it would be, and it wasn't any of those things. I never believed anyone when they said it will become easier and almost painless eventually, but it has. I can't even remember when it changed, but 10 weeks in and it feels so much better.
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"If I could offer any advice, it would be what everyone told me," she concluded. "FED IS BEST and WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. Mummas YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. If you're wondering why this photo looks weird it's because I've blurred out any boob just in case Instagram tell me off!"
Stacey pictured with partner Joe Swash and her three boys
Stacey's candour really struck a chord with her fans. "9 days into breastfeeding journey and struggling. Comforting to know I'm not the only one and it will get better," one wrote. "I struggled so much and put so much pressure on myself," another added. "Turned he had tongue tie so it was even more difficult. Mums need to lay off the pressure on themselves and do what's best for them and their babies in the moment x." Stacey's Loose Women colleague and friend Nadia Sawalha also reached out. "Awww such a wonderful post," she wrote. "So important. You’ve articulated exactly how I felt. Wish there had been social media when I was struggling with feeding. Felt so alone. Your honesty is helping so many x."
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Little Rex is Stacey's third child. Both Stacey and partner Joe Swash have spoken out about how the little boy has connected their two families together; Joe has a son Harry, 12, from a previous relationship, while Stacey is mum to sons Zachary, ten, and Leighton, seven.