Kate Upton is sharing her breast-feeding struggles 14 months after welcoming her and Justin Verlander’s daughter, Genevieve.
The model, 27, felt “so much pressure … to be doing all these things, like breast-feeding on the go,” she said in her cover story for Editorialist’s 2020 Body Issue on Thursday, January 16. “The reality, for me, was that breast-feeding was sucking the energy away from me. I realized I needed to calm down, to allow my body to recover.”
The Michigan native went on to tell the outlet: “Having VeVe changed my life in such a wonderful way.”
She and the professional baseball player, 36, welcomed their baby girl in November 2018. “Genevieve Upton Verlander 11.7.18,” the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model captioned her black-and-white Instagram reveal.
The athlete shared the news with a post of his own, writing, “Welcome to the world Genevieve Upton Verlander. You stole my [heart] the first second I met you!!! 11.7.2018.”
Four months later, Upton posted a photo nursing her little one. “Will cherish these moments forever,” she wrote alongside the sweet March upload. “Can’t imagine a greater superpower!”
Verlander told Us Weekly exclusively about his wife’s “tremendous” transition into motherhood that same month. “She’s been the most amazing woman and mom,” the MLB player said. “I knew that she would set a great example for our daughter, no matter what. It’s the person that she is, it’s the person who I married. I’ve always appreciated her for her strength.”
The Virginia native gushed to Us: “But just seeing her interact, all the nurturing and everything that goes on with being a mother, it’s been tremendous to watch. I know it’s not easy for her either, but it’s quite a connection that they have, and it’s really special for me to be able to witness that and be a part of it.”
He and Upton wed in November 2017 in the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort in Tuscany, Italy.