Elsie Hewitt on Formula Feeding & Postpartum Mental Health: ‘No Shame’
Model Elsie Hewitt has opened up about her decision to formula feed her daughter, Scottie Rose, whom she shares with comedian Pete Davidson, articulating a nuanced perspective on the often-fraught cultural expectations surrounding infant feeding. In a deeply personal essay published in Elle magazine on , Hewitt detailed the layered thought process that led her to choose formula, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing her own mental and physical wellbeing alongside her baby’s needs.
Hewitt, 29, acknowledged the societal “gold standard” placed on breastfeeding, recognizing its benefits – including the provision of antibodies, optimal nutrition, and the potential for bonding. However, she also highlighted the significant physical and logistical demands it places on a postpartum body, a body already undergoing a “seismic shift” after pregnancy and childbirth. “It also concentrates most of the physical and logistical labor of feeding onto one body—the same one that just grew a child, birthed it, and is already moving through the seismic shift that is postpartum recovery,” she wrote.
The decision, Hewitt explained, wasn’t simply about weighing the nutritional advantages of each method. It was about reclaiming agency over her own body, a body she felt had been “looked at, assessed, consumed, and monetized” throughout her career in the modeling industry. “My body has been looked at, assessed, consumed, and monetized,” she wrote. “It has been poked and prodded and quite literally cut open.” She expressed a desire for her body to “feel like it belonged to me again.”
Hewitt’s reflections also touched upon the pervasive “quiet shame” often associated with formula feeding. She described grappling with this shame and challenging the “moral hierarchy around breastfeeding” to arrive at the conclusion that what was best for her and her baby were not mutually exclusive. “It took some grappling with that shame, and some exploring of the moral hierarchy around breastfeeding, to affirm that what was best for me and what was best for my baby did not exist on different levels or rankings — they were one and the same,” she stated.
Crucially, Hewitt emphasized that her decision was supported by those around her. She expressed gratitude that neither Davidson, her family, nor her medical team attempted to influence her choice. “I feel fortunate not to have felt pressure to breastfeed from the people in my life. My partner didn’t push me in either direction,” she shared. “My mother…made a point to tell me, simply, that the decision was entirely mine.” This lack of pressure, she noted, was deeply meaningful.
The essay also revealed a vulnerability surrounding the “inherent guilt” that can accompany choosing formula. Hewitt acknowledged the biological programming to nourish a child and the feeling of potentially “going against something ancient, instinctual, and profoundly beautiful.” However, she underscored the importance of self-compassion and recognizing that prioritizing mental and emotional wellbeing is not separate from being a good mother. “I still have to remind myself — and sometimes literally ask to be told — that being mentally and emotionally OK is not separate from being a good mother,” she wrote.
Hewitt and Davidson welcomed Scottie Rose on . Hewitt has been open about the overwhelming joy she feels as a new mother, previously sharing on social media about being “absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief.” In a January interview with Us Weekly, she even hinted at the possibility of expanding their family in the future, describing the experience of childbirth as “insane, but so empowering.”
Hewitt’s willingness to publicly discuss her feeding choice is particularly noteworthy given the often-polarized discourse surrounding this topic. By articulating her reasoning with honesty and vulnerability, she offers a refreshing perspective that challenges conventional norms and encourages a more compassionate understanding of the diverse experiences of new motherhood. Her story resonates not as a defense of formula feeding, but as a powerful assertion of bodily autonomy and the importance of prioritizing a mother’s wellbeing alongside her baby’s.
The couple’s journey into parenthood has been largely private, but Hewitt’s recent openness provides a glimpse into their approach to raising Scottie Rose – one seemingly rooted in mutual support, respect, and a commitment to making choices that prioritize the health and happiness of the entire family.