[Choi Yeon-su's Instagram]
[Choi Yeon-su's Instagram]

Choi Yeon-su, a former model and daughter of celebrity chef Choi Hyun-seok, has opened up about the difficulties of breastfeeding and explained why she stopped after just one month.

Choi was interacting with fans on social media Sunday when one asked whether she had experienced "breastfeeding gaslighting" — pressure from postpartum care centers or older relatives to breastfeed — adding that she herself wanted to switch to formula but felt guilty about it.

Choi said she had wrestled seriously with the same issue and shared her thoughts.

"I had plenty of milk and it was good for the baby, but I felt so guilty about stopping that I even considered going back to breastfeeding," she said. "But my body was really suffering."

She described the physical strain in detail. "The nursing position gave me text neck, I had to hold the baby just right and my wrists hurt, and even when I pumped and asked my husband to feed her, it all ended up falling on me anyway," she said. "There was no time to rest. On top of that, they say breastfeeding helps your stomach go down faster."

She said the change to her body was ultimately what weighed on her most. "Above all, after one month my breast shape changed and they felt a little deflated, and my self-esteem dropped," she said. "I have so much respect for mothers who keep breastfeeding. I did exactly one month and then stopped."

Choi said mothers who choose formula should not be made to feel guilty.

"If you're going to say someone who formula-feeds has no maternal instinct or that breast milk is so important, then those who can't produce breast milk have no say in this conversation," she said. "I love my child more than anyone — I'm the one who put my body through childbirth to bring them into the world. Unless you're going to give birth for me and provide the breast milk yourself, hush. Everything is up to the mother."

Choi had previously said she stopped breastfeeding after being diagnosed with trigger finger, a condition causing pain in the fingers, because she was concerned that taking medication and applying pain patches could harm her baby.

Choi married Kim Tae-hyun, the vocalist of the band Dickpunks and 12 years her senior, in September last year, and gave birth to a son on July 7.


paq@heraldcorp.com