Entertainment
Alexandra Burke ‘overwhelmed’ after reaction to breast pumping at carnival while praising ‘beautiful’ experience of motherhood-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro
The singer welcomed her first baby with boyfriend Darren Randolph in July.
Alexandra Burke became the hero of mums everywhere with her breast pumping carnival costume (Picture: PA)
Alexandra Burke was shocked by the positive response to her wearing a breast pump at Notting Hill Carnival this summer, and admits she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the reaction.
The former X Factor star welcomed her first child with boyfriend Darren Randolph in July, announcing the news on social media with a sweet photo of the baby’s feet.
However, Alex, 34, and Darren, 35, have chosen to keep their baby’s name and gender private.
Still, the Bad Boys singer has shared glimpses of her life as a first-time mum, including attending this year’s carnival wearing a breast pump under her costume.
Mums rushed to praise Alex for being honest about the realities of being a new mum and the need to provide for her child, no matter the occasion.
Recalling the applause she received, the singer – who has partnered with myFUJIFILM on their A Million Moments campaign – told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was overwhelming because I didn’t expect for it to have that reaction and again, back to this campaign, that was living in the moment as well.
Alex hopes mums feel less ’embarrassed’ about breastfeeding and pumping in public (Picture: PA)
‘With the carnival and pumping and putting things into perspective with having a baby, it’s about living in the moment and cherishing each moment as they come. But the reaction with going to carnival and pumping I think for me was just – I can’t even put into words because I didn’t expect that reaction.’
Coincidentally speaking right after breastfeeding her baby in a car en route to Buckingham Palace, she continued: ‘It’s a normal thing for people to, if you can, breastfeed, to want to feed your baby. If you can do that it’s brilliant and each to their own, some women choose not to breastfeed but it’s such a taboo subject that nobody wants to talk about or some mums get embarrassed breastfeeding in public.
‘That feeling needs to come to an end because it’s a natural thing.’
To say that Alex is enjoying her new chapter of motherhood is an understatement – even if she’s come across surprises such as ‘the amount of poo that can come out of a small human, it’s quite amazing’.
Her perspective on life has changed and she’s learnt not to ‘sweat the small stuff’, becoming ‘way more relaxed’ now that she’s a mum.
Alex welcomed her first child in July (Picture: @alexandraburke/Instagram)
She’s chosen to keep the baby’s name and gender under wraps (Picture: @alexandraburke/Instagram)
It’s Alex’s first child with boyfriend Darren Randolph, who she began dating in 2021 (Picture: @alexandraburke/Instagram)
‘It’s been such a whirlwind so far and even coming back to this campaign, with becoming a parent, it totally opened up my eyes to not overthinking even down to the pictures I take of the baby or in the moment that we live in. Just live in each moment and that’s what this campaign effectively is about as well,’ she said.
‘For me personally, I didn’t overthink becoming a mother, I think when you have the blessing of becoming a parent, it’s about taking it each day at a time and there are ups and downs that come with it.
‘It’s a rewarding experience, it’s so beautiful and I feel so content it’s unbelievable. I actually can’t put into words how being a mum makes me feel and being with my partner but I think it does boil down to taking each day as it comes and going with the baby’s flow,’ Alex continued.
She added: ‘There’s no textbook to all of this, it’s just about going with what’s right for you, your baby and your family.’
Alex has teamed up with myFUJIFILM for their A Million Moments campaign (Picture: myFUJIFILM)
The competition encourages the nation to celebrate and share photos of their imperfect, everyday moments (Picture: myFUJIFILM)
Alex has a lot of plates spinning at the moment as she’s also recording a new album, releasing a vinyl version of her debut album today after it recently reached the one million sales mark, and will be starring in new film Pretty Red Dress, which received a warm response at London Film Festival and will be out next year.
As if that wasn’t enough, Alex has teamed up with myFUJIFILM on their new competition which asks the nation to celebrate and share photos of their imperfect, everyday moments.
The Broken Heels explained: ‘The world that we’re living in, this social media world, it was nice to get involved in something that was actually just real, and something that’s organic and encourages people to be their true authentic selves.
‘I know that I’m guilty of it when it comes to posting things online, when you overthink things, the image you’re about to put up, you want to be picture perfect.
‘Everything is a process where it doesn’t feel like sometimes it can be as natural as it can be. But with this campaign we’re encouraging people to live in the moment, to post things that haven’t taken you eight or nine times to take a picture, and just go with what’s natural and I think that’s really beautiful.’
Alexandra Burke has collaborated with myFUJIFILM on its A Million Moments competition asking the nation to celebrate and share photos of their imperfect, everyday moments to be in with a chance of winning a host of prizes including a family weekend away. To find out more information and enter, please visit www.myfujifilm.co.uk.
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