Chrissy Teigen is again in a Twitter war with her followers. This time, she’s defending her choice to have a night nurse for her and hubby John Legend’s upcoming bundle of joy. US Weekly spoke with Chrissy on Thursday at the Sports Illustrated VIP Sunset Cruise in Miami. When the very pregnant model was asked about the best parenting advice she’s been given, she said, “The recommendation of a night nurse! It’s pretty unanimous. Everyone was like, ‘If you can do it, do it.’ So we’re going for it!” Cue internet outrage. Chrissy struck back at the magazine for running the article in the first place and had to take a defensive stance against her critics calling her out for their shameful decision.
Chrissy tweeted “A night nurse doesn’t replace you waking and feeding at night. You’re up with them. They’re helpers and teachers.” In a response to a supportive fan, she later tweeted, “I am so used to sharing our life that I forget how protective I will be soon. I cannot handle this kind of constant judgement!” Does this mean Twitter is going to get an “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup note from Chrissy?
I can’t imagine Chrissy cutting off her social media antics entirely, although she is aware that her haters will still be around after the baby is born. On Thursday, she tweeted the following:
As you can see, I am already dreading all overly critical parenting articles to come in my life!
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 18, 2016
But, if she gives up Twitter, she won’t get answers to burning questions like, “Is Pizza Hut’s new garlic knot crust pizza gross?” (One of her followers responded “IT’S AWFUL and about as worthwhile a creative endeavor as velvet contact lenses. Treat yourself to regular stuffed crust.” So now you know too.) You know she’s not going to be able to stay away, especially if her baby is adorable. If they can afford a night nurse, I don’t see a problem with it. Mind you, I don’t have (and will never have) kids of my own, but I’m aware that parenting is hard work and if I could get help, I would. I do feel bad that she’s getting such a hard time, especially because she really didn’t ask for it (this time). Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and take a little break from social media, Chrissy. Everyone will still be around when you come back. I promise.
Photo credit: WENN.com
Honestly parenting is so hard take all the help you can get. The reason PPD is so rampid in North America is because we are expected to do things on our own be everything and all to everyone. Screw that. So many cultures have literally an entire village step in with the new mom and these moms suffer less. Look it up.
^This, exactly, so well said.
Totally agree. And it’s a marathon not a sprint, so what happens in the first few weeks isn’t everything.
“And it’s a marathon not a sprint…”
Not when you’re trying to get your body to swiftly “bounce back” and go all “Gisele” in your parenting! 🙂
Seriously though, I love your point. And as I commented below, I had help with both of my children with my parents and my husband and have no shame over it.
Very well said indeed, and I really am baffled by how judgmental people can be. I don’t have kids and have no plans to have any at my age, but I know a few of my friends who have children and they’ve run the gamut from “I want to do everything myself” to “I want all the help I can get”.
If it is what they think is best for them and the child, who would I be to get all critical? Yeesh. People need to get lives and stop criticizing others’.
Oh I knew she’d take heat for saying she was getting a night nurse. She probably knew it too and hopefully realizes it’s coming from jealous people who can’t afford one themselves. It seems to me if you are able to get a good night’s sleep, you will be a much more rested and serene person to be with your baby during daylight hours. It’s all good. I remember dragging up at 2:00 am to feed the baby and then having trouble getting back to sleep. A night nurse would have been wonderful.
yes .. It’s so true. In other cultures everyone from the community helps the new mother. If I could have I would’ve hired a night nurse. I had a such a tough time with my youngest – he never slept the night his first year and a half and I had a 4 and 3 year at home too. My husband worked nights … I would’ve loved the help.
Yep. Why shouldn’t she have help. I feel for her. The Sanctamommy Brigade can be so tiresome, and I don’t even have kids.
Very well said. Parenting is so so hard and if we could afford it I would have a night nurse for sure. Just one full nights sleep can make a huge difference in everything during the day.
hell, if I had had the money to do it, I would have hired a night nurse as well.
Well said. I’m a gay dad and we had a night nurse come and help us with our twins for a few weeks after they were born. My husband had to go to work and I had to take care of the twins during the day, so everyone was happier AND rested. As long as you have the right person for the job, I see absolutely nothing wrong with the extra help. Our kids are 12 now and they are VERY happy and healthy kids! It’s a personal choice.
Good for you! I’m pregnant with twins & would love to have help at night. A family friend had triplets & she had a night nurse for a while. No shame in taking the help if you can get it – I’m sure being rested makes you a more patient parent.
I would get a night nurse too! I don’t get the judgement going her way from her twitter followers. But staying away from social media for a while sounds like a good idea.
It’ll curb some of the mommy judgment, but she’s going to have to get used to the fact that mommy judgment comes from everyone. All the time. It’s not just social media. You can standing in line at the grocery store and have someone give you their unsolicited opinion. At least if she stays off social media though, it’ll limit the judgers.
Totally. And just think how much more present and happy parents can be during the day when they’ve gotten a great night’s sleep!
Yes yes yes!! I came to say if they afford it why the hell not!? I was a single mom and my daughter had colic, you bet your ass I would’ve had a night nurse if i could’ve afforded it, lol. No shame in it whatsoever.
My kid didn’t sleep through the night (we are talking 5 hours at a stretch) until 14 months old. He was the WORSt sleeper ever and I was literally going crazy around 7 or 8 months, up every 2 hours to breastfeed and comfort back to sleep. my nerves were fried, I would cry at the drop of a hat, and I was emotionally frayed all around. didn’t even feel human. I would have killed for a night nurse to take over just one of those feedings, but guess what, they are like $30/ hour and we just couldn’t afford it, so I soldiered through. she can pump before she goes to bed, and her nurse can take over a couple feedings, allowing her to get a 5 hour stretch of sleep so she can feel human.
THANK YOU! Sleep deprivation was the worst for me when I had all of my four kids. If I could have afforded a night nurse I would have gotten one. People need to pour themselves a big glass of ”judge not” and STFU!
I think due to lack of sleep I became really irritable and quite depressed. I don’t want to be super mom who does it all, I just want to be a happy mom. I used to sleep in an extra hour on the weekend instead of waking up at 6:30am I would wake up at 7:30 I needed that extra hour. It allowed me to feel like I could handle the whole day better!
I think being a parent is the most difficult thing, any help you can get, good for you!
Gah, that’s the worst. I feel for her. My husband and I were discussing a night nurse yesterday, and if I could afford it you’d better believe I’d have one! There’s nothing wrong with a little help.. Especially when your 3 year old has the flu and you have a newborn at home fresh out of the nicu. Go on Chrissy- I know I’m a way better mommy when I’ve had some decent sleep and a little extra help!
Oh no! I feel for you. We just experienced our first family stomach flu that lasted over a week. First it was my 2 yo son, then me, then my hubs, then my 3 yo daughter, then my boy twin who is 5mo. Like dominos we all fell except for the girl twin surprisingly. I’m convinced that trying to care for infants and toddlers while you are in the bathroom every 10 minutes puking yourself with no one to help you is what hell must be like.
Oh gosh, you win! How awful. Hope you’re all feeling better!
Congrats on the new baby! I have had two babies in the NICU, so I feel your pain. It’s crazy, especially with kids at home. Hope you guys hit your stride soon!
Having a night nurse is hardly something that only celebrities do. We were lucky my MIL helped us out as my husband and I were complete nincompoops when I had our son.
Any mother, new or experienced, wealthy or poor, needs help the first few weeks. Good God almighty, people will criticize anything.
One of my closest friends had a night nurse for both of her sons. It’s not as if she wasn’t involved. She breast fed so the nurse would bring the baby to her to feed. She needed the help being a first time mom and all. She had her first son past the gestational age and didn’t know much about babies. She was 40 when she gave birth to her first son. If I could afford a nurse I would have had one as well. I would also have a nanny or two.
This! I’m a postpartum doula, a lactation educator and a childbirth educator. I work with ALL different types of families as a night doula, with varied degrees of wealth. The purpose of a doula is to educate and empower the parents to care for their babies in the best way, or conversely, to allow mama to get adequate rest so that she can heal and take care of her baby properly the next day.
A typical night for me with a breastfeeding mama consists of me waking the mama for feeds every two or three hours, I then help her latch the baby on properly, I get her food/water, then we sit together while she nurses and either discuss issues or questions she might have. I will take the baby mid feed and burp and change them, swaddle them and then wait for mama to complete her feed. I then take the baby and shoo mama off to bed so that she can grab that extra 45 mins of sleep before the next feed, and I calm the baby back to sleep. In the morning I leave notes for her, and then I field any questions or concerns mama has during the day via text. Like Chrissy said, it’s more than just minding the baby for many families, even when they have the night help. Very few of breastfeeding moms sleep through the night even with help. They have to wake to pump even if I am the only one with the baby and we aren’t doing nursing. But in all of my experience I’ve only had TWO mamas who formula fed and slept through the entire night.
In this industry I’m so sad how many women feel bad for having help, or who are put down by society for paying for help. In most ALL other cultures there is a Fourth Trimester, where the mama is taken care of by her community, and given the opportunity to heal, to bond with her baby. There is a real lack of this here in the US, and it saddens me.
I live near LA and while a lot of my clients are celebrities, uber wealthy and well known, they certainly aren’t the only ones who want some assistance. So many of the families I work with don’t necessarily have loads of extra money, but realize the investment of an extra set of educated hands when they have no family around is worth it. I also try and offer my services to one or two low income families a month as well, teaching them the basics of baby care, breastfeeding and postpartum self care. Everyone deserves to have help postpartum, and I wish there was less shaming around those who can and do.
That sounds like a wonderful service, Little Darling!
I had a postpartum doula when I had my 3rd-and she was the BIGGEST help ever. Seriously-I don’t know how I could have done it without her-I was exhausted and hormonal and sore. She was amazing. I rave about doulas (for birth and postpartum) to all pregnant women.
same here-both grandmas were my night nurses, along with my husband, after I brought baby home. The more help and support for a new mother, the better-no matter where that support comes from.
I would love to have a night nurse – I would have more children if I could afford some help through the difficult first few years. We have no family around and you see the difference just having some help in those moments of horrible desperation when you are either all sick or no one has slept. Humans, it’s a miracle there are so many of us.
There is nothing wrong with having a night nurse to help if that’s what you want. Don’t know what the duties of a night nurse (and is it an actual RN or LPN?) are but if you are getting up to do the feedings then what is the purpose of having a night nurse? To take care of the child if he/she is crying and soothe them. I can tell you that the best moments with my children were when I could hold and cuddle them, even late at night. I’m not trying to criticize but really want to know.
I said the same thing below. Especially since if a newborn needs soothing chances are they’re just hungry (yet again) and if you’re planning on getting up with every feeding you’re already up. Are you just paying someone to stand there with you? The snuggles are the fun part. The lack of sleep is what SUCKS.
It depends on what you want. Some will bring the baby to you, let him/her feed, then whisk it away/change the diaper/get it settled back to sleep. So you barely have to wake up. Others will give the baby a bottle so you can get uninterrupted sleep. Lots of different ways for different people’s needs.
I can only speak for my friend. She was a first time mom at 40. The nurse would bring the baby to her bed to feed. She didn’t have to get up to feed. The nurse was there to tend to the babies if they only needed changing, if they were cranky or needed to be rocked back to sleep. She also monitored them while they were sleeping. My friend was afraid of SIDS. The nurse also gave her tips on how to handle certain things. She cared for the babies by herself during the day while her husband was at work. Getting rest at night and not being deprived of sleep made her day time much easier to care for the babies.
In retrospect I should have hired a night nurse. After a week of NICU, I was a complete mess, and my son was not up just for feelings. He was up for hours, every night. We took turns driving, walking the floor with him, rocking etc. So we were both zombies during the day, and my husband had to work every day. My mom helped for a bit but a night helper would have been fantastic – except my PPD was such that I could barely let his dad hold him. I wanted to be present every second out of fear that something could go wrong.
In short, if you have a colicky, fussy baby, it is a lot more than just quickly breastfeeding and laying a baby back to sleep. Having help, particularly a trained nurse who can soothe both mom and baby, maybe help with breastfeeding (which for many women is hard, especially at first), is great. Some people are lucky, with easy going, sleep anywhere kids, but for those who aren’t, and whose parents are also raising another kid or two, professional help is amazing.
I was lucky, my children were sleepers (all three slept through the night before 3 months of age) and took 2 naps a day until they went to kindergarten. My oldest had fussy babies – so I get that. The bringing the baby for me to feed and take back – eh. I actually had the baby within arms reach in a port a crib for the first three months. My fear was I would sleep through them crying as I am a really heavy sleeper. Luckily my ex was a light sleeper and he would wake me up.
You know as long as a child isn’t being abused or hurt, I think people need to chill on telling someone how to raise their baby. It’s crazy to me how many sanctimommies there are out there. There are a million ways to get from one point to the next, its just all about preference. It really drives me nuts how judgmental people are, especially other mothers- when it comes to parenting choices.
This will be interesting!
I like Chrissy and she can do whatever she pleases, it’s her kid. But you gotta know posting certain things will create a controversy, so either she’s an idiot and doesn’t realize it, or she should stop being like Kim K and tweeting every single thought in her head. These girls have way too much time on their hands.
For real! I don’t even care about the friggin’ night nurse at this point. Just be quiet about your privilege and if you speak about it, don’t get upset if people come for you.
Thank you. You saved me from having to say that very same thing. Do what you want, but don’t fuss when you put EVERYTHING out there and people criticize.
In our house, we called the night nurse “Daddy”…….
That’s how it was in my house too. My husband was awesome. I was a single mom with my first child, and recall my mom or dad coming into my room at night to pick up my daughter when she’d make a peep. My daughter was their first grandchild, and I’d had to have oral surgery within a couple weeks after giving birth (and was pretty doped up for a few days/nights), so I was so grateful for the help.
When my second child was born, my husband (who never sleeps anyway), was up and down all night with our son. Sometimes I wouldn’t even remember the night before, as my husband would do all the word and let me sleep, only waking me to let my son nurse (which barely registered half the time, I was so tired).
Chrissy gets help, a woman gets a job and the baby is taken care of. What exactly is there to judge?
The only reason to have twitter is to follow Chrissy Teigen. I plan to buy her cookbook as a light night read. Children are hard get as much help as you can.
I agree. I think she’s great. And she’s cute as hell pregnant…not an easy look to pull off.
Shes SO freaking cute pregnant! I’m 19 weeks and she is definitely #pregnancygoals right now.
Yeah I think Chrissy’s a great tweeter. She’s kind of a troll and is always engaging in these useless cyber battles, but she’s entertaining, and I think she’s a lot smarter than people credit her for.
I wouldn’t want a night nurse for one reason and one reason only. Because I wouldn’t want anyone in my home except the father. Hopefully he’d be there. We’ll never know because I don’t plan on having children so it’s possible I’d change my mind the second night.
I do find judgy moms hilarious. Do they know that their “advice” would be laughed at in roughly 70% of the world? It’s like they live in their tiny world and never think beyond their white picket fence. I swear, most of those who tsk at epidurals just want others to be in pain.
My daughter was a HORRIBLE sleeper as a baby/toddler…I thought I would die before she grew out of it.
I would have sold my soul for a night nurse!!!
@SUZANNE I am here now. It’s so bad, after 6 months of no sleep…I keep telling my husband one and done because I don’t think I can do this again?! I seriously feel like It might kill me. I might actually look into getting a night nurse for just one or two nights a week. ANYTHING would help. Also, I would put noise canceling headphones on and not get up to feed and change with the night nurse! LOL That’s the point of her being there. When my husband does the night stuff, I can hear the baby so I’m up anyway. It’s the pits.
Sweet Jesus, my 2 year old is and always has been a horrific sleeper. It has literally been 2 years since I’ve slept more than 2 hours in a row without fully waking. Literally. No exaggeration.
I have gained an obscene amount of weight, my depression is out of control and except for my thriving 2 year old, my life is pretty bad – including my marriage. We’ve tried EVERYTHING, and it is what it is. We are waiting for that magic day when he grows out of his night wakings too. I would recommend other moms in my position to start hooking on their local ho stroll to afford a night nurse to avoid what I am going through if that’s what will do it.
Meh. Get a night nurse if you want one, skip one if you don’t.
Personally, I don’t really get the point of having one if you’re still getting up. The feeding and the changing are the easy, straightforward parts, it’s the lack of sleep that’s killer.
I have an infant. I stay at home with him while my husband works outside the home. After 6 months of no more than two hours of sleep in a row….I would do anything for a night nurse! LOL Get the damn night nurse, girl!! The hardest part for me is never being able to sleep. I have been sick 4 times in 3 months from my immune system being worn down. Some night I don’t get two minutes of sleep. It’s awful. It’s the worst part of parenting, IMO. I am constantly run down and even a night nurse 3 days a week would be a God send. I can’t imagine 3 nights a week of 6 or 8 hours sleep. Sounds like Heaven.
I had a night nurse, and later on, a nanny. My relationship with my children was not compromised in the least. if it works for you, take whatever help you can.
She works and makes lots of money, so why shouldn’t she use a night nurse so that the next morning, she can get up fresh and rested to get back to work? But unlike what Chrissy said, I wouldn’t get up to help take care of the baby if my night nurse could take care of the situation. I’d stay in bed especially if I had work the next morning.
She does this every few weeks. Say something controversial or speak on a hot button issue. Weed through the thousands of positive comments and focus on the few negative. Blow it up like she’s being attacked by EVERYBODY and defend herself. Then gossip sites post articles defending her against the five people on the internet that made snarky comments. Attention received. Wash, rinse, repeat.
We had a night a night nurse right after our kids were born. They are 12 years old now and doing great! As long as you have the right person, nothing wrong with it, so do what’s right for you. The kids will be alright!
This woman looks so sexy!!
She looks awesome!!! Who cares what people with too much time on their hands think.
Shoot, my son is nearly two and he still won’t sleep through the night. So I’d definitely get a night nurse if I could. A well rested mom is better for the whole family
Everybody needs help with a newborn. Whether it’s friends or grandma or a hired night nurse. And someone who is experienced with newborns is super-helpful. As a single mom, I was fortunate to have my mom come to town for the first month my son was born. When the group from my birthing class met when our little ones were a few months old, I quickly discovered that my first month had been a lot less stressful than for some of the other new moms. The other moms had sweet, well-meaning completely inexperienced first-time dads to help them. We had grandma who’d had five kids and a batch of other grandkids. Sometimes you just need someone who knows how to take care of business!
At 18 months, my daughter has just slept through the night for a whole week. I actually feel like I’ve just had a week on a tropical island for how rested I feel! Get the night nurse lady!
One of the few regrets I have about the early months with my daughter, who had colic, was not getting a night nurse a few times. I didn’t do it cause it was going to be more than $200/night. But in retrospect, it would have been worth the money. That was basically the worst few months of my life.
Coping with a baby isn’t a competition. If you can afford extra help, go for it.
My mom was my night nurse, with both kids she stayed with us for a month after they were born.
I was still delirious from the sleep deprivation but without her I would’ve lost it completely.
Get all the help you can get. It is not a competition.
This.
My babies are grown now but I would have LOVED to have a night nurse to help me out when I was on the verge of tears from exhaustion, lack of sleep and post-birth pain! I see nothing wrong with it. I so wished I had my granny baby me a bit – new moms need some TLC so much! In the old days the whole family, mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts and neighbours helped with a newborn, today women have to do it all alone and it’s simply too hard.
Can I just say, thank you commenters for being so supportive of this. There are SO MANY sanctimommies out there already and to see a bunch of people come together and support a mom’s decision for HER kid is so refreshing. Nicely done, Celebitchy readers. 😊
I recall the three years I spent raising my niece, while my sis finished her residency. I was the night nurse, and let me tell you..if you have the money to be able to hire some help, if you want to, you should. And who is to say that CT will use this nurse every single night? I’m not judging anyone who does this. And tbh, I think these two are going to really love this baby and be very involved. So good on them.
Thus far, I like Chrissy. I think she’s a person that needs to avoid reading her Twitter comments or any media feedback. She gets upset. While I understand that, it’s just not beneficial.
My parents hired a live-in governess to care for my twin and me as soon as we were born (late 1960s). I came from a middle-class family (my mom was a high school teacher, my dad was an executive at Ford), but they thought it important enough to hire someone so that both of my parents could continue their careers.
I, on the other hand, quit my full-time executive position in the entertainment industry to raise my babies. I missed my parents so much when I was little – they were awesome parents, and supportive of everything I wanted to do. Fantastic parents! But, OMG, I couldn’t believe how driven I’ve been to be a SAHM. Best job, best decision I’ve ever made.
I would have killed to have a night nurse help me out. Sleep deprivation is horrible, even when the cause is a little bundle of joy LOL.
If I had the money when I was pregnant i would have a day and night nurse. So go for it Chrissy.
Both my kids were horrible sleepers and my first had colic. If you are a super rich celebrity, hiring a night nurse would probably improve your quality of life about 1,000 more than another car, diamond necklace, whatever. In fact, if you could make it work it is probably worth a lot more than cable bill + a year’s clothing budget. Sell your first child to pay for a night nurse for the second is what I am saying.
Chrissy looks gorgeous and makes pregnancy look so easy. And quite honestly, if I could have afforded a night nurse, I would have gotten one myself. You go girl and ignore the haters.
I love seeing her fill out with the baby. I really she would just say eff social media and focus on her family.
Why did she even bother to reveal she was going to use a night nurse? It’s not as if we needed to know this, and I suspect she knew there would be backlash. I do not agree with the backlash, but why set yourself up for criticism? Stop throwing kindling on the fire.
I had help from my parents. It was invaluable. There were times during the first few weeks, I didn’t hear her crying immediately, one of them would be attending to her by the time I awoke and I could go back to sleep.
I was able to do the same for 2 of my grand children.
I have twins and had my parents helping me. My mother always woke up at night. In hindsight I would have totally hired a night nurse and would have preferred one because she would have put my kids on a schedule which would have meant more sleep for me! What is wrong with it? As long as one is not traveling all the time and has no time for one’s kids, what is the harm in taking help? I send my kids to daycare and have help when I need it, it keeps me sane and makes the time I spend with my kids more enriching because I focus on having fun and teaching them instead of walking around like a zombie with no sleep like I did in their first year. I tried to do everything and it made me very unpleasant because I never got a break, so now I take all the help that I can get. And am mu happier and a better mother because of it.
Yes I wish I had one. There are also post pardum doulas.
I hate to say it, but a lot of the sanctimommy/doitallyourself/AP types that were around when my first was born are either divorced or about to get divorced. Over time even with the most sensitive, understanding of men this type behavior does erode a relationship.