HGTV star Erin Napier shares supportive message for moms who can’t breastfeed

It should go without saying that fed is best—because of course it is, right? Babies need to eat to survive, period. It shouldn’t matter how they eat or where their food comes from, as long as they’re eating and growing and thriving. Erin Napier, half of the power couple who stars on HGTV‘s popular show Home Town, is sharing a supportive message for formula-feeding moms everwhere, because she’s one herself.

In her most recent post on Instagram, Napier shares a sweet photo of her newborn daughter, Mae, as she gulps down a bottle of formula given to her by her mama.

“Just a little encouragement for you mamas who weren’t able to breastfeed, like me,” she writes. “Don’t let anyone make you feel less than or belittled because of it.”

As someone who breastfed both of her children, I can say with full authority that the pressure to breastfeed is unreal. Before your baby even arrives, you’re guilted into it from the get-go. Did I love it? Yes. Am I happy I was able to do it? Sure. Did I always love it? Nope! Those first few weeks—both times—were so stressful and painful and demanding. You have no idea if you’re producing enough, they’re always hungry, you can’t get anything else done because you’re always sitting there with your boobs out, ready to fulfill every on-demand milk request at every moment. I’m grateful I was able to produce the amount of milk my babies needed, but breastfeeding is hard, full stop.

Luckily for me, it got easier as time went on. But I will be the first person to offer unconditional support to a formula-feeding mom no matter what the reason is behind their decision to do it. Not everyone can breastfeed and not everyone wants to breastfeed. And that’s OK! Erin Napier’s encouraging message is important for all parents to read.

“Helen was a formula baby and has no allergies, has always been a healthy weight, no big sicknesses, slept through the night by 6 weeks, smart as a whip, and is just as in love with and attached to her mama as her breastfed friends are to theirs,” Napier explains about her older daughter. “Formula is our friend at this house! Just watch as these little matchstick legs get chunky and strong.”

I wish she didn’t feel like she had to explain that her older daughter thrived on formula, but I’m glad she shared this message anyway. Fed babies are healthy babies, and that is all that matters—not how. Hopefully, moms and dads who use formula will feel a little bit of extra support and validation today because of Erin Napier’s message.