Kerry Washington doesn’t mind using her breastfeeding pump whilst "on a conference call".
The 40-year-old actress has three-year-old daughter Isabelle and seven-month-old son Caleb with her husband Nnamdi Asomugha, and has said she doesn’t care if she answers business calls whilst "covered in spit-up", because life as a mother is her version of "perfect".
She said: "I can be covered in spit-up on a conference call while I’m pumping and that’s OK, because this is my perfect. It may not be somebody else’s, but this is mine."
And the ‘Scandal’ star says she gets tips on how to successfully be a working mother from her co-worker and ‘Scandal’ showrunner Shonda Rhimes, who has been a "real role model" to Kerry.
She added to Net-A-Porter’s magazine The Edit: "Shonda’s got I-don’t-know-how-many shows now, plus three kids, and she just figures it out. However busy I feel, Shonda feels busier, so I’m just going to rise to the occasion. She’s been a real role model. Seeing the community she’s created and the work ethic – I feel like there should be more of this in the world."
Meanwhile, the ‘Django Unchained’ actress recently spoke about turning 40, saying reaching the milestone has signalled the "beginning" of a new lease of life.
She said: "Life is just getting better. For me, 40 feels like a beginning. I’m in the middle of so much new – with this career, the kids, and I’m still sort of a newlywed. I’m excited to be at this stage in life."
And Kerry feels it is important to prioritise her own wellbeing and self-love.
Asked what she does to promote her own self-care, she added: "Sometimes, when we’re feeling challenged in life, we feel a pull to isolate, and for me part of the joy of being a wife, a mother, and in a cast of friends is allowing myself to be in spaces of love. So being open to that love.
"Then, for me, self-love is like, Am I sleeping enough? Eating well? Not: Am I eating well to be able to fit into my skinny jeans? But: Am I eating well to be healthy and strong? And to acknowledge the good, because there is always a lot of good."
Kerry Washington not afraid to use breastfeeding pump
