Keira Knightley is getting honest about the realities of motherhood. The 34-year-old actress — perhaps known best for her roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride & Prejudice — told The Telegraph that she and her husband James Righton welcomed their second child seven weeks ago, a daughter they named Delilah.
Knightley revealed to The Telegraph that she has to be fairly strategic about pumping breastmilk to feed her newborn. Despite the fact that she’s taking six months maternity leave, her career still calls for occasional pre-scheduled appearances. For example, when The Telegraph interviewed her on the day of the premier of her new film, Official Secrets, at the London Film Festival, she said she’d spent her morning using a breast pump so she could make it through her afternoon of activities “without a leak.”
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“We’re going to be apart for six hours in total, so I pumped three feeds’ worth,” she said at the time. “If I don’t do it, my boobs will explode,” she added jokingly. “I mean, quite literally. It’s going everywhere… The pump is with me. It’s fine.”
Knightley also has a 4-year-old daughter named Edie with Righton.
Another example of the star breastfeeding on the go occurred earlier this month, when she spoke with BBC Breakfast‘s Louise Minchin about her new role — in Official Secrets, and as a mother of two. “You can tell I’ve got a 6-week-old baby, can’t you?! I’m talking, but I’ve got no idea where I’m going,” she joked. “This is about the third time since I gave birth that my hair has been brushed — and I didn’t brush it… Lovely Luke, who is my hairdresser today, he brushed it.”
She told Minchin that she’d pumped breastmilk right before the interview, adding that her schedule seemed to revolve around it. “I’ve gotta get back before 6:30 because that’s the feed — it’s going to be fine, we’re going to make it,” Knightley said. “I definitely have to deal with pumping. Everyone has to deal with pumping — I mean, if you’re doing that and it’s working. If you want to do that and if you can do that — then yes, we’re pumping. Pumping. So much pumping.”
The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends breastfeeding babies for at least the first six months of their lives. However, deciding whether breastfeeding is right for you — and when you’ll stop — is a personal choice. Many working moms stop sooner. Yes, even celebrities like Knightley.