Julia Fox opens up about 'failed breastfeeding journey': 'It just didn't work'

Julia Fox is getting real about the struggles of breastfeeding.

The Uncut Gems star, who is mom to two-year-old son Valentino with her ex-husband Peter Artemiev, took to TikTok on Tuesday to speak about how she struggled to feed her then newborn.

"My breastfeeding journey was really s***ty," Fox said. "It just didn't work. I tried so much. I would pump every couple of hours, and I did all the things, and there would be just one little drop of milk. And I really thought, like, 'Oh my god, I'm defective. Like, what's wrong with me, I can't do this basic thing that my ancestors have probably been doing for millions of years.' ... I just felt like faulty goods, you know — like less of a woman, less of a mother."

Fox, 33, shared that what made the situation worse was how everyone would refer to breast milk as "liquid gold," making her feel "sad" and "guilty" that her son "wasn't getting that."

Looking back, however, Fox wondered if there was a "karmic" reason why she couldn't breastfeed.

"I think that God knew that if I had to breastfeed, it would have been too hard for me, because I look at moms that do breastfeed and that is a very insane commitment," she said. "My son was a couple of weeks old, and he could go spend the night at his grandma's house or his grandpa's house. And if I were breastfeeding, that would be very difficult, because I would need to pump. I would leak in my clothes, I wouldn't have been able to go back to work so soon. I don't know. Now in hindsight, I'm like, 'Oh, my God, it was protection, you know?' Because I think that I was already having such a difficult time in those months."

She also reminded formula moms that her son turned out great.

"Don't feel bad about giving your kids formula," she added. "I really kind of think it's the same thing. Also not for nothing — I don't know how nutritious my breast milk would have been. Also, I wanted to smoke weed."

Fox isn’t the only star to speak out about breastfeeding issues. Mandy Moore documented her struggles with breastfeeding on social media, while actress Ashley Greene told Yahoo Life her own journey was a "rocky road."

Fox has previously spoken about how parents need to make the choices that are best for them. She told E! News in September, "I always resented the fact that when women have children, they suddenly become that child's mom. You need to choose you sometimes."

She added that being the "best version of yourself" is ultimately good for your children as well.

"If you're making all these sacrifices and, in turn, you're miserable, then that shows," she said. "You project that onto your child and you don't even realize you're doing it."

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