Bachelor In Paradise’s Ashley Iaconetti is explaining why she chose not to breastfeed after the birth of her first child Dimitri Dawson.
Bachelor In Paradise star Ashley Iaconetti is explaining why breastfeeding isn’t the right choice for her. Ashley and her husband Jared Haibon met during Bachelor In Paradise season 2, and while they did develop a connection, they didn’t leave the beaches of Mexico together. Instead, the pair became very close during the in-between seasons. So close Ashley even though if the pair went on Bachelor In Paradise season 3, it would give them a second chance to get together. Unfortunately, though both parties were in attendance, no connection formed. If anything, Ashley put her heart on the line repeatedly and was essentially told Jared wasn’t interested.
Even if they weren’t in a relationship, Ashley and Jared left the show as close friends. A couple of years later, while on vacation with a group of friends, Jared realized how much Ashley meant to him. As she was in the airport about to board her flight Jared appeared and kissed her, finally confessing his love. Though Ashley was in a relationship at the time she promptly broke it off, and the two have been together ever since. The couple got married just a year later in 2019, and this past January they celebrated the birth of their beautiful baby boy, Dimitri Dawson. Just a week into Dimitri’s life, Ashley’s been pretty adamant that she will not be breastfeeding, and now she’s going more in-depth into why.
This week Ashley took to Instagram to explain in a lengthy caption the reasonings for her decision. The post starts with, “I’m not breastfeeding. I know myself well enough to know that I’m a better mom and therefore Dawson is a happier baby because of this decision.” Already this is a pretty brave stance for any public figure to take as it’s well known that moms get shamed online for their choices, no matter how big or small. There are so many misconceptions and pressures when it comes to breastfeeding, just acknowledging it even is a decision is a big step. Ashley continues, “I knew that my body needed to be only mine again after a rough pregnancy. My body needed a break. It didn’t need to learn to do something new again.“
Ashley explains that breastfeeding could add so much more complication and frustration to their situation, “I didn’t want my body to have to struggle again if breastfeeding didn’t come easy, which it so often doesn’t. I knew the frustration that could come with that challenge wasn’t going to be good for my soul.” Ashley goes on to explain the pros of formula feeding, mainly feeling less exhausted and her husband being able to assist more, “I’m fortunate to say that over the past 7 weeks there have only been a few days I’ve felt tired. It’s made this huge life transition easy to adjust to.” Ashley then adds both Jared and herself were formula-fed, and so they knew it was ultimately a safe decision. Ending the post with thanks for her family who’s been incredibly supportive of her decision, and an assurance that Dawson has been happily drinking his bottles since day one.
To some, Ashley’s explanation may seem unnecessary. But so many people the minute they find out someone from Bachelor In Paradise, or even just a friend, are expecting can’t help but put their two cents in. Explaining why breastfeeding could be dangerous, or why not breastfeeding could lead to disaster. Depending on who you ask, almost every woman has a clear decision in their head on what they want to do. Ashley’s taking the narrative back, and explaining in her terms why she made her decision. As she put at the end of her post, “I think breastfeeding is beautiful and I’m in awe of the women who choose to do it. I just know the choice I made was right for our family.“
Source: Ashely Iaconetti/Instagram
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