Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young)’s son, Tristan, is no longer breast-feeding — and the milestone is a shock to her system.
“8 1/2 months postpartum. As I write this, my heart is full but also my mama heart is a little sad because my big boy does not want to breast-feed anymore,” El Moussa, 36, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, October 18. “It’s bittersweet for me because breast-feeding as a new mommy was something I grew to love. I love the bond, the skin to skin, the cuddles, and if I’m being honest, it would have been harder for me to make the decision to stop.”
The Selling Sunset star explained that her 8-month-old son “started to get uninterested” in breast-feeding about two weeks prior, so he made the choice for her.
“[He] would just pull away and blow bubbles but he would still end up enjoying our morning feeds … until today 😢,” she shared. “I don’t want to force him so I’m trusting the process, like I have from the start.”
El Moussa, who shares Tristan with husband Tarek El Moussa, noted that although she plans to “still offer” the option of nursing, her son has become a “busy boy” that is “so distracted” at feeding time.
While their mother-son dynamic is evolving, Heather revealed that she is “really proud” of herself for breast-feeding as long as she did. “I passed my goal of 4 months, then 6 months, and I’m proud of my Tristan bear,” she continued. “Breast-feeding was something that was initially hard for him when he was just a newborn because he struggled with his tongue, cheek, & lip ties. But we were a team.”
Part of Tristan’s struggles stemmed from having tongue-tie — also known as ankyloglossia — which restricts a baby’s range of motion. Tristan had surgery for the issue in June, which proved to be successful.
After “many tearful nights and stressful times,” Heather revealed on Wednesday that she and Tristan were able to get into a rhythm. “Breast-feeding is so freaking hard to begin with and there [were] many times I wondered if I was drying up or wondering if he was getting enough milk,” she confessed. “But at the end of the day, I’m so proud of us and so proud of all the mothers out there — no matter how long or short you decide to breast-feed or breast-fed at all because you are incredible and I hope you never feel (or felt) ashamed or let anyone judge you for YOUR process.”
The Flipping El Moussas star concluded by “sending so much love and strength” to fellow mothers who are “in the thick” of breast-feeding. “I’m here for you because I myself have gone through it all,” she wrote.
Heather and Tarek, 42, tied the knot in October 2021. The couple welcomed Tristan in late January and have since found their parenting stride. (Tarek also shares daughter Taylor, 13, and son Brayden, 7, with ex-wife Christina Hall [née Haack].)
“I am absolutely obsessed with being a mom,” Heather exclusively told Us Weekly in June. “I’ve had practice with Taylor and Brayden, obviously, but going through the newborn stage and having a baby is a completely different ballgame.”
While their house was “chaos” at first, Heather has since adapted to her family circus. “Everything’s different. But I did not think I’d be this obsessed and in love with him,” she gushed. “I knew I would love him, obviously, but it’s, like, this obsession and love. It’s so hard to even leave him and go run errands. It’s hard to go to the gym.”
