Get her a comfortable chair, a nursing pillow and the highest of fives. Because in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, Teresa Palmer is opening up about her journey.
The Lights Out actress—who announced earlier this year that she was expecting her fourth child with husband Mark Webber—recently shared that she has been breastfeeding for seven and a half years straight, since the couple welcomed their first child, Bodhi, in 2014.
"Today is day 2728 of breastfeeding straight," the 35-year-old actress captioned her Aug. 3 Instagram post. "I have nursed since Feb 17th 2014 when my first son was born. I nursed him into toddlerhood through the pregnancy of my 2nd son, embarked on a tandem nursing journey for a year. I then continued nursing my 2nd son through the pregnancy of my daughter, in to my second tandem nursing journey."
Teresa, who in addition to 7-year-old Bodhi, is also mom to Forest, 4, and Poet, 2, added, "I'm now still nursing my daughter through this pregnancy and will jump in to my third tandem nursing experience in a matter of weeks."
Although the Warm Bodies star went on to explain that "some days are a lot," she also added, "other days I sit in a place of deep gratitude as I cherish and honor this experience with my babes."
Teresa also acknowledged that she is "privileged enough to have the choice to breastfeed," adding that she realizes "not everyone is afforded that."
Acknowledging the idea that fed is best, she continued,"I know many many women who tried to nurse and couldn't without it affecting their mental health and well-being. Women should be celebrated for however they feed their babies, free from judgement."
Detailing an experience where she endured "verbal abuse by a man" while breastfeeding in public, Teresa said she hopes to encourage other women to feel empowered, if and when, they choose to breastfeed their children.
"I hope that other women who are wanting to breastfeed and have the opportunity to, can do so without fear of people judging them," she concluded. "It's incredible to think that these debates and harmful conversations are STILL going on. Let's hope we are moving towards change in this area. For anyone struggling with any of it, I see you and I can only hope that you have enough people in your orbit offering you unconditional encouragement."