Doing double duty. Bekah Martinez is learning how to occasionally say no while breast-feeding her two children.
“My daughter, [Ruth], really gets a lot of comfort from nursing, but I’ve had to set a lot of body boundaries for myself,” the Bachelor alum, 25, exclusively told Us of the 22-month-old on Thursday, December 3, while promoting her Charlie Banana partnership. “Like, ‘No, this is just time for me and my body right now,’ or, ‘This is just time for me and [my 5-month-old son, Franklin]. It’s really helped me have set boundaries that maybe I wouldn’t have to set otherwise if she wasn’t nursing.”
Since “everything’s working” so far, the former reality star isn’t sure when she will wean the little ones. “Tomorrow things may change, but for now, I’m really enjoying having the breast-feeding journey with both of my little ones,” the California native told Us.
The “Chatty Broads” podcast cohost has given her Instagram followers glimpses of her nursing journey since welcoming Ruth and Franklin in February 2019 and June, respectively. Martinez has previously clapped back at trolls slamming her breast-feeding selfies.
“There is NOTHING psychologically damaging about nursing through and even past the toddler years,” the former ABC personality wrote via Instagram in July. “I’m not saying that to shame people who initiate weaning earlier (I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it and would do it myself if I ever felt overwhelmed with breast-feeding), BUT it’s absurd when people freak out over a 3-year-old or an 18-MONTH-OLD still nursing!! It’s NORMAL.”
Martinez explained to Us on Thursday that mom-shaming along those lines “really bothers” her. “It makes me angry that there are people out there that think it’s OK to tell people what to do with their bodies or how to parent,” she explained. “If children are safe and loved and taken care of, I don’t think it’s really your business to comment on how people are doing their journey.”
The Bachelor Nation member was even bashed in October for putting a bow on her baby boy. “I thought it was hilarious,” she told Us of the negative comments. “The response was ridiculous.”
Martinez is committed to making decisions to benefit her babies, including using Charlie Banana’s reusable cloth diapers. “As a first-time mom, there are so many products that you don’t need,” she said. “Just stick to the basics. The product we use the most is diapers, and we use cloth. That’s our biggest kind of focus in terms of sustainability.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
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