America Ferrera Reveals How Kerry Washington Helped Her During Postpartum

This Barbie has fantastic friends.

America Ferrera recently offered insight into how Kerry Washington helped her ease back into work after she gave birth to son Sebastian, 5.

"When I first had my first child, my son, I went back to shoot on Superstore when he was 10 weeks old," the Barbie actress told People in an interview published Jan. 4. "I was so lucky to have Kerry Washington as a friend, who had two of her babies while she was on Scandal."

America—who shares Sebastian and daughter Lucia Marisol, 3, with Ryan Piers Williams—wanted to know how to balance motherhood and work.

"I remember asking her, 'How do you do it? How are you on a TV show and have a newborn baby? What am I going to do?'" the 39-year-old said. "And she gave me the most detailed instructions of every single thing that I was going to do to make my life easier, down to the exact Pack 'n Play for my trailer."

She noted that the Scandal star even suggested "her pumping and breastfeeding schedule on set and exactly what bra she bought to get for wardrobe."

As America put it, "She just saved me."

In fact, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress said she wouldn't have managed that period without Kerry's advice.

"I think all the time about how many tears and how much energy and how much money and how much trial and error she saved me by just telling me what she learned," America added. "And countless times, just in the almost six years that I've been a mom, it's other moms and other women who have saved me and kept me going and kept me feeling like I can do this."

America and Kerry aren't the only two stars to share their tips and tricks as new moms. Keep reading to see how other A-listers have navigated everything from breastfeeding to their postpartum body changes. 

"I think my breastfeeding journey was also very empowering because it was so difficult," Keke told Essence in an interview published Aug. 21. "And I wanted to give up at so many different points, but I just kept pushing myself and kept trying to figure it out."

She added, "The relationship I had with my son during that process empowered me to get back up and do things for myself again."

The Game alum, who shares son Cree, 12, and daughter Cairo, 5, with ex-husband Cory Hardrict, opened up about her struggles with breastfeeding. "When I had Cree, I was struggling to breastfeed him," she wrote in an Aug. 10 Instagram. I was only able to breastfeed for 3 months before having to switch to formula. And during the second time, I found that I was able to breastfeed Cairo for 13 months." 

She continued, "Nonetheless, the journey was difficult...if you are struggling with breastfeeding, I want you to know that it is more than okay to feed your children formula. As long as your children are fed, loved, happy, and supported that's all that matters."

 

The House Bunny actress snapped a photo of herself nursing daughter Louetta, who she shares with musician Derek Richard Thomas, during a family beach day in August 2023.

In a carousel of Instagram pictures, the former Victoria's Secret model shared a photo of herself breastfeeding her and Jason Statham's baby girl, Isabella. 

In May 2022, Ashley Graham shared a photo of herself feeding her twin boys, Malachi Ervin and Roman Ervin, at the same time. She captioned the post, "double fisting (peep the whacky tan lines)."

In March 2021, the Victoria's Secret model shared a pic of herself on Instagram breastfeeding her baby girl, Tuulikki Joan Daly. A couple of hours later, she shared the same photo on her Instagram Story, writing, "Find it interesting the amount of dms I get from men who get offended when you post a photo breastfeeding... Like, why is the most natural thing so offending to you? Breasts literally excists [sic] so we can feed our children [red heart emoji]."

The Twilight star opened up about breastfeeding her 20-month-old daughter Bodhi Soleil Reed Somerhalder in an Instagram post in 2019. "To be honest, I have no idea how long her and I will be on this journey together. I follow her lead, and she tells me exactly what she needs," she wrote.

"little bear," Kehlani tweeted in 2019, along with photos of her and baby Adeya.

 

"On a lighter note.... @acrebaja was bomb," the actress shared on Instagram while kicking off 2019, after welcoming her second child, daughter Banks. 

"Feeding time for the little munchkin," Robin Thicke's girlfriend wrote by a video of her feeding their daughter Mia. 

The actress breastfed son Grey, writing on Instagram in 2017, "BREASTFEEDING=JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE!"

The Hills alum and mom of one told her Instagram followers in 2016 that her sister, Casey Loza, is "always capturing me in moments. #momonthego."

The actress is all smiles as she snaps a selfie of her feeding her little one.

The model mom of two encourages other moms to share #breastfeedingselfie pics.

The Bravo star astutely pointed out in 2016 that "this #breastfeeding stuff is no joke."

The actress shared this photo in honor of daughter Elizabella's first birthday in 2015. "Happy Birthday, my beautiful Elizabella. You've taught me that my heart has no end. You were the missing piece to my soul. Thank you for choosing me," she wrote. 

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