Kate Middleton: New Mom Pressures, Breast-Feeding and More Royal Baby Expectations!

We break down the parenting road that lies ahead of the pregnant Duchess

By Brett Malec Jul 18, 2013 12:04 AMTags
Kate Middleton, Duchess CatherineLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Image

We can only imagine the pressure that Kate Middleton is feeling as the entire world waits for her to give birth to the royal baby!

And besides the pressure to finally deliver her first child with Prince William, the world, including special interest and women's rights groups, is looking at what kind of mother the Duchess will be to her son or daughter.

"There is a little bit of pressure on Kate," royal contributor Victoria Murphy tells ABC News. "There's a lot of people in our generation kind of looking to her to set an example."

One question regarding Kate's impending motherhood is how much time Kate will take to rest post-birth before getting back to her usual schedule of appearances and charity work. In England, new moms are entitled to a full year of maternity leave.

"I like to spend as much time as I can with mine so I'm taking my full leave and a bit extra," one new Brit mom told ABC News. Another dished of Kate, "She should take the year off, definitely. I think the first year in any child's life is so crucial." And as for nannies, many think Kate should be as hands-on as possible with the royal baby. "I definitely recommend, if she wants to, to do it herself and look after it. She's got the time," another woman dished to ABC News.

And what about breast-feeding the royal baby? If you recall, just last month a Brit Beverley Turner penned a piece for the Telegraph begging the Duchess of Cambridge to breast-feed her newborn in an effort to inspire other women to do so after new statistics show breast-feeding figures have fallen for the first time in England in almost a decade. "We also need women with power and influence to get their milky bosoms out and feed smiling in paparazzi pictures. Celebrity is depressingly powerful in dictating trends," she wrote.

Talk about putting pressure on a princess!

"It's so difficult for a young royal mother," royal historian Robert Lacey told ABC News. "It goes with the territory that every interest group in the country will say, 'Why aren't you following my agenda? Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that?'"

"The better the childhood that she can give her son or daughter as a mom, the better the future of Britain, really," said Murphy. "So that's part of her constitutional role, if you like."

We're sure Kate will be a stellar mom! Now just give birth already!