Hilary Duff Shares Photos of Herself Breastfeeding Newborn Daughter Mae: 'Babe'

Hilary Duff is documenting her breastfeeding journey with her third baby.

The Younger star, 33, and husband Matthew Koma welcomed daughter Mae James Bair on March 24, and on her Instagram Story Wednesday, Duff shared selfies showing her time spent with the 3-week-old.

"That late afternoon cluster feed ......." she writes on one slide as she cradled her baby to her chest. On another breastfeeding snap, she writes, "Just me - ma babe - and a @nooksleep ..... all day errrrday."

Duff — who also shares daughter Banks Violet, 2, with Koma and is mom to son Luca Cruz, 9 — also shared an adorable video of herself rubbing Mae's head with her finger as the baby smiled and made faces during the sweet mother-daughter moment.

In a May 2019 Instagram post, Duff opened up about her decision to stop breastfeeding her second child at that time. She said she decided to share her outlook because stopping breastfeeding "was so emotional and hard."

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Hilary Duff/Instagram

Hilary Duff/Instagram

Hilary Duff/Instagram

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"Last week was my last week nursing Banks (my six month old)," she wrote at the time, sharing a breastfeeding photograph. "I am a working mom of two. My goal was to get my little girl to six months and then decide if I (and her of course) wanted to keep going."

Duff continued, "Let me tell you. Pumping at work sucks. I had zero downtime and am usually pumping in a hair and makeup trailer while four hands work to get me ready for the next scene with lots of other people around. Even if I had the luxury to be in my own room, it's not even considered a 'break' because you have to sit upright for the milk to flow into the bottles!"

"Plus you are having your damn nipples tugged at by an aggressive machine that makes an annoying sound, that echoes through your head day and night (I swear that machine and I had many conversations at midnight and 3 am)!" she continued. "Ttttthen having to find someplace to sterilize bottles and keep your milk cold (ok I'm done with that rant lol)!"

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Duff further explained that her experience breastfeeding her son (whom she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie) was a far cry from what it was like with Banks. Despite her struggles, Duff expressed joy at sharing the experience with her daughter.

"Felt so lucky to be so close to her and give her that start. I know many women are not able to and for that I am sympathetic and very grateful that I could. For six wonderful months," wrote Duff. "But I needed a break. I was going to break. With the stress of a dropping milk supply and a baby that was getting bored or not caring about nursing when I was available to."

Duff continued, "I was sad and frustrated and feeling like a failure all of the time. When really I'm a bad ass rock star. Moms get high on feeling like superwoman…because we are! Doing too much, because we can! ... But somehow stuck on the feeling we can always do a little more! We are strong as hell over-achievers. I am amazed at all that we can do in one single day!"

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Duff wrote at that time that she thought about her choice to stop breastfeeding "ALL day every day."

"It was a constant loop in my head. Weighing the pros and cons," said Duff. "And half of the time I wasn't making any sense. It was about me, and not Banks at that point. I cried many times and felt so depressed while weening. I wasn't myself at all. Something scary was hovering over my brain and my heart…the part of me that I know is smart and rational."

"The lows felt horrible. I was missing good time with my baby. But I was really missing that natural oxytocin high," she continued. "Those chemicals are powerful hormones and no joke. I am happy to say that I haven't fed or pumped in three days and it's crazy how fast you can come out on the other side."

Duff added that she felt "fine and happy and relieved and silly that I even stressed on it so hard."

"Banks is thriving and I get even more time with her and daddy gets to do more feeds! And mommy gets a tiny bit more sleep!" she said. "Whether you are pre or postpartum. Or just a busy mom, You are a [superhero] everyday for all that you do. Always putting yourself last and running a mile a minute…while carrying all of the bags lol. Love you all and hope this helps anyone struggling! See you nursing bras✌🏻 until next time!"