Working mothers struggle with this dilemma every day. How do I return to work and continue to breastfeed my new baby? Watch Meryl Streep on Graham Norton share that very dilemma at her first Golden Globes in 1980.
There are dozens of different strategies including pump and dump, topping up with formula, leaving expressed breast milk for the carer to feed the baby and the good old timing-your-working-hours-around-feeds.
Well, just listen to what she had to say about the time she tried to schedule attending the Golden Globes around her new baby’s feeds …
“It was a perfectly nice white silk dress, but the luncheon went on, and I was breastfeeding, and two o’clock came, three o’clock came, and boom!”
“I was there for Kramer vs. Kramer just after giving birth to my first child,” Streep said. “In those days, they didn’t lend dresses, and I didn’t have any more to buy something, so I wore my wedding dress.”
Continuing the story, with more detail, Meryl continued “It was a perfectly nice white silk dress, but the luncheon went on, and I was breastfeeding, and two o’clock came, three o’clock came, and boom!” she said with a laugh, indicating that she started to lactate.
“It was not good, and I sat with my arms crossed over my chest. They called my name, and I walked to the stage with my arms crossed and accepted the award one-handed, while still covering my breasts,” Streep added. “They must have thought I was so odd. It was so embarrassing. But only to L.A. County. No one else saw!”
And just quietly, how much do you love the ‘dads’ on the couch nodding along with understanding and empathy?? Oh yeah, you know they know what’s going on! But how impressive was that? We think it’s equal parts hilarious and inspiring. Here’s a superstar sharing the normalities of being a mum without apology and like a champion.
