Mom Breastfeeds One Baby & Bottle Feeds The Other Because "Fed Is Best"

You often hear the term "breast is best" thrown around to shame parents who bottle-feed their kids. Then, there are those who shame parents who breastfeed, especially if they do it in public. One mom named Maya Vorderstrasse just took down both these shaming tactics in an Instagram photo of herself bottle-feeding one child with her right arm and breastfeeding another with her left.

In the caption, she described why both of these acts are beautiful and loving forms of parenting. When she became pregnant with her second child, she was still breastfeeding her first, but her milk soon dried up. She was disappointed because her first child was only six months old, and she'd thought of nursing time as "our time together."

Then, she realized something. "Nothing had changed," she wrote. "It was still our time, she'd still grab my hair and smile at me with her eyes. She was so happy. Fed. Loved. Now, I breastfeed my youngest, but [there's] the comfort of knowing that if life throws me a curved ball and I have to stop, or even if I decide to stop, she will be OK. Feeding them is beautiful. Providing for them, seeing them gain weight, grow and smile and be milk-drunk makes my heart jump in happiness."

Seeing how fulfilling both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding can be for herself and her kids has taught Vorderstrasse to also support whatever decision other parents make. "I don't know about your journey, but I can tell you that whatever your choice or circumstance, don't ever feel guilty or like you are inadequate," she wrote. "Ever. Just love them and do the best you can. You're a rockstar. No. Matter. What. Whatever your feeding routine consists of, it is hard being a mother, so let's show support for each other! To me, fed is best."

In a culture where moms are expected to do everything perfectly and put their kids above all else, this post is a necessary reminder that taking care of them in of itself is an accomplishment, no matter how you do it.