'Teen Mom' Star's Breastfeeding Experience Brings Her to Tears

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Teen Mom may be a show aimed at scaring teenagers away from parenthood, but the show has been attracting older moms to MTV pretty much from the beginning. And if you're a mom who ascribes to natural parenting methods, you're going to love Teen Mom 3, especially star Katie Yeager.

Katie is a natural birthing, extended breastfeeding mama! And she sat down with The Stir this week to talk about breastfeeding on TV, donating her breast milk, and why sometimes breastfeeding would move her to tears!

On breastfeeding her now almost 2-year-old daughter:

I went 16 months breastfeeding Molli. Sometimes I wish I could still breastfeed her! It's one thing that I've always said: at least try. I sometimes would cry because I was so happy. That's one thing that I gave my daughter.

It felt so good whenever anyone said congratulations on your breastfeeding success; I know a lot of moms have trouble with it.

On donating milk:

I donated milk for eight months, I think, to Primary Children's [Medical Center], which is out of Salt Lake City. I would pump and send it out because I was in Wyoming still. I was grateful to be able to do that, and once Molli weaned, up until I lost my supply, I donated there.

I'm very proud that I was able to share that bond with my child.

On why she chose to breastfeed:

I was researching it when I was pregnant. I did the natural birth too, and I felt like this was the next step. I felt like I wanted to at least try it and I wanted to get that colostrum out, make sure she gets those benefits. And, definitely, I was hooked!

After I got through the first month, which was like the worst ever, I would cry and cry and cry -- and once I got over that rough patch, I was like, I love this. I want to breastfeed forever!

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I tell everyone, if you're not happy, if your baby can tell that this is pain for you and you're crying and you're upset about it, then don't feel bad! It just was something that worked for me and that I loved, and if I were to have another baby, I'd definitely not get the epidural and definitely breastfeed because that's just what I know. 

I don't know how to make a bottle. I don't know how to mix formula. I would be lost! I'd be crying because I don't know how to make formula!

It's just something that I felt was the best for me, and anytime I meet another woman that is in the same situation, I geek out and bond with them, of course, just like any mother does.

On being able to share her breastfeeding with the whole world on MTV:

I'm proud of being able to do it at such a young age, and it's definitely something ... if somebody needs help, I'll be the first one to say it'll be okay, you can make it through it, this is what I did, this is how you can do it if you really want it.

I'm definitely a big breastfeeding supporter.

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Katie isn't the only mom from the show to breastfeed -- Kailyn Lowry from Teen Mom 2 has spoken in the past about her own breastfeeding, and both Briana DeJesus and Alex Sekella told The Stir they did as well (albeit not for 16 months) -- but she is definitely the first to do so extensively on camera. The Stir got a sneak peek at the first episode of Teen Mom 3, and Katie is often seen with a blanket over her as little Molli eats.

Are you excited to see a crunchy mama on Teen Mom?

Image by Jeanne Sager