Can someone tell me I’m being silly? I know it’s safe for breastfeeding but I always get anxious about medications affecting supply, causing thrush, etc. I’ve been sick for 2 weeks and finally got medicine. I want to feel better but my baby won’t take a bottle (5mo) so I’m always nervous :(

When I leave the house I’ll give my husband a bottle of pumped milk for the baby. The baby will guzzle whatever I pump out like a greedy gannet. I think he gives the baby too much milk because he just poos it all back out again. How much milk is sensible for one feed? I always feed him just before I leave and I’m shocked at how much milk he gets through! Baby is nearly 5 months. Thanks !

I planned to EBF but after seeing the pediatrician yesterday we discovered LO (10 days) had only gained 1oz in a week. I saw a LC today and he ate a good 3oz from both breasts but I could only get him to eat from one at the first feed back home. I never planned to pump and am feeling super overwhelmed by it I have no idea how long to do it or when and am terrified of giving myself an over supply. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

So I am exclusively pumping and baby is 9 weeks old. Now my problem is he eats ALL the time. It’s typically every 1.5 hours and he drinks 3 ounces. Say he stops drinking and we think he’s done he will cry and show he wants the rest. He sucks 3 down to the end and is satisfied when the bottle is empty. My problem is I cannot pump 3 ounces every 1.5 hours. My morning pump gives me 5-6 ounces. I guess if I am really strict with it and pump every 1.5 hours my day will even out? But then I feel like when I do that I only get 1-1.5 ounces after pumping so close together. I guess I need to hear others routines and success stories. Tomorrow I will up him to 4oz and see if that stretches out the feeding times but last week that just made him spit up and now my question is won’t that just make it harder for me to keep up with him?

 Hello, I am due next month to have my second daughter and not sure which breast pump to choose from. I had my first daughter in 2024 and chose the Spectra S2. I never really got more than 6 ounces together with that pump. I am a big breasted woman, 40G, and I felt like I had to use a tighter bra to get the flanges to stay tight. I also used the Willow, but never really got much milk. Not sure if it was the type of pump. I am going to get another one and wasn’t sure if I should try the Medela this time or has anybody had good luck with the Baby Buddha pumps?  I’ve heard that the Willows don’t have a strong pull anyways, but I was curious about the wearable Buddhas and the one with the flanges?  
    I am also curious to know whether I should pump directly after nursing or if I should pump on the opposite breast while nursing and alternate each nursing session? I do want to build a little supply for when I have to leave her but wouldn’t mind an oversupply either if it’s doable! 
   

Recently went back to work at 4 months post partum. I breastfeed while home but he has adapted well to bottles while I’m at work. My mom and mil watch him on opposite days.

I typically put 4 oz bottles together for them. I have four bottles that I think is enough for while I’m gone. I leave for work around 7:30 (feeds before I leave) and I get home at 4:35ish.

They both did not breastfeed. But they both are saying he’s still so very hungry after feeds. I asked them what makes them think that and they say it’s because he’s cranky after taking a bottle. I do believe he’s going through a growth spurt currently.

The bottles I use are pigeon SS flow which is 0+ months.

I feel like I should bump up the nipple flow. But also I’m concerned that they think he’s not getting enough. I was always told that babies need no more than 4 oz per feeding and that’s what I did with my oldest who was always content.

Do you think bumping up nipple flow will help? Should I give a little more in bottles? I’m concerned as I don’t want his little tummy to stretch. They are both the type to really push for him to finish bottles.

Do you guys take fish oil while breastfeeding? Or any other supplements?

Hi all! My son is 11 months old, and I’ve been exclusively pumping for him since he was 8 or 9 months old. I’m wanting to stop pumping now due to him having a preference for formula, and I also have cracked nipples all of a sudden and cannot handle the pain of pumping while they’re cracked, itchy and bleeding.

Tips and tricks welcomed please! I really wanted to make it to 12 months but I don’t think I will be able to.

I exclusively nurse my 3 month old but want to start practicing bottles for the rare occasion I go out.

I got a haakaa lady bug to collect leaks to make a bottle with and also tried haakaa hand pump to try pumping for the first time.

I had one bottle in the fridge with morning let down leaky milk and one bottle with evening hand pumped milk and noticed the pumped milk had double the fat!

Wondering if the fat content in milk is different when pumped vs leaked, or morning vs night, or let down spray vs pumped??

I am doing extended nursing, but we only nurse at night. LO is 3. Well we had a party and friend brought his grandma. While in conversation, hubby told friend's Gma I still nurse LO. She immediately scoffed and looked disgusted. She told me her 9 month old grand can drink a can of Dr. Pepper by their selves and I need to stop nursing my LO because it's disgusting. I'm reeling, and told friend his grandma isn't allowed at our house anymore, but the nerve!

I am currently in the process of getting the bits I need purchased and ready for my second baba,

I am looking for recommendations on a double electric breast pump please also, I had planned on breast feeding my son however after a very long induction, I never developed any milk post colostrum, my son got all of this until I ran dry essentially. Should I wait until my milk comes in before purchasing an electric pump? How can I encourage my body to lactate? Is it likely I won’t be able to breastfeed again this time around? My midwives have said it probably is due to the long induction at 37 weeks but I’m skeptical

Thanks so much for any advice you can give me as I know a lot of people that have babies, but very few have breastfed 🩵

I went from 14 ounces in a pump session to not even 2 in less than a week. The only thing that has changed is I went back to work overnight.

I'm beside myself heartbroken and freaking out. I'm nursing and pumping every few hours around the clock, drinking water and body armour, started Cash Cow supplements...I just don't know what to do and I'm desperate. My guy is only 3 months old.

Please help 😭

Currently just pumped 5oz each breast and I’m so proud of myself. I had my baby 3 days ago and I’m trying to get in front of his feedings and build my supply. I started my “yellow stash” 🫶.

Buuut Question, I try to pump when my breast feel full but I discovered lumps under my arm pits. Is this normal? Help.

my baby all of a sudden is refusing bottles…he’s used the same bottles since I went back to work for months with no issues and now all of a sudden he refuses to eat when i’m at work. he will go 10 hours without having any breastmilk…normally he would have about 14-16 oz during the day and for the past 3 days the most he’s taken was 4oz….I have no idea what to do. last night he was breastfeeding every 2-3 hours where he normally (since 3 weeks old) sleeps straight through the night without waking to feed. luckily he is eating oatmeal during the day so i’m considering just continuing to feed him during throughout the night as much as I can and give him more oatmeal during the day? has anyone dealt with anything similar? how did you overcome bottle aversions? any advice would be very much appreciated 🙏🏽

This is a long one so buckle up.

I'm going to start with my question, has anyone taken motilium and has it worked/been worth it?

My baby is just over 4 months, breastfeeding was causing some issues for me (something about the hormones) so my obgyn put me on ovestin and said to use it as long as I'm breastfeeding, not long after that my baby would be cranky after a feed and not feed as long.

At his 4 month needles the child health nurse weighed him and said he's a little underweight at this point its become clear my supply has dropped, so she wanted me to top him up after the boob with milk I had frozen, feed him more often and pump in-between feeds, that gave me MAD nipple damage and after a few days he wouldn't latch on for a feed and wouldn't settle so we took him to ed thinking something was wrong with him.

Turns out in the 2 days i had been topping him up with a bottle of my milk he developed a preference for the bottle, so I have to pump each feed and put it in a bottle for him so nothing was wrong he was just mad I was trying to give him my boob, while we were in ed the doctor told me to take motilium to boost my supply because no one wants nipple damage (it hurt my than labour i swear) except each time I take it I get cramps and borderline diarrhoea.

I am so close to just calling it and using up the supply in my freezer then swapping to formula when I run out.

My lo is eight weeks old, and she’s nursing pretty well after a super rough start. But I feel like I should be moving on from the football hold by now, and nothing else is comfortable. After a few minutes in cross cradle, my nipples start to hurt—like a rubbing kind of pain—and the arm that’s supporting baby gets tired. Any idea what to do about this? My lc says it looks like I’m doing everything right. What is my future? Will I be bringing boppies to coffee shops for the rest of my life?

I'm curious if this community could share their typical/sample sleep schedule for their breastfed baby. My baby is 10 weeks old so we're wanting to get into some sort of "schedule" in prep for when I go back to work in 8 weeks. Up until now we've had baby with us while we watch TV at night and then we go to our room where he sleeps in our bassinet. He wakes up 2-3 times to nurse throughout the night so I want to keep him in his bassinet for the convenience. Does anyone start the night with baby in their crib and then bring them to the bassinet after their first waking? Is that just silly?

Reason I'm asking this group is because my first son was formula fed and started sleeping through the night around 12 weeks. He was an angel baby when it comes to sleep. We never had to sleep train or really implement a schedule. He was in his crib by 8 weeks and was just the best sleeper. I know this is not common and we had a unicorn when it comes to sleep! I'm worried that since I'm breastfeeding this baby it may be more difficult to create a schedule with him. But i could be completely wrong on this!

Would love to hear your thoughts and any suggestions! Not trying to have baby sleep through the night just yet, but eventually, it would be nice! Is that even a thing since I'd have to wake to pump? 😄

I started with a bit of an oversupply and very fast letdown - my baby would choke during feeds and I’ve had to hand express before feeding her to make it more manageable. I can use a manual pump and easily pump ~100ml in like 5-10mins (I didn’t even have to work the pump very hard, I could just hold the handle and let my milk spray lol)

Out of the blue staring around 2 days ago, my breasts no longer feel full and are soft all the time. Baby is staying on breasts longer during feeds. And I’m pumping much less.

What is going on? I understand supply is regulated at this point but surely this is too big of a difference? I wonder if it is because my baby is starting to sleep longer stretches at night and therefore “dropped” one of the feeds?

Feeling gutted because I’ve had a rough start with breastfeeding, but I persisted, and just as i feel like I’m starting to get a hang of it, out of no where my supply plummeted :(

My mom babysat for me and saw the milk i pumped in the fridge and was concerned about it because the fat solidifies on top of it. She said there must be something wrong with it and that my diet must be to blame (ah yes, that yogurt cup i managed to eat today is definitely to blame...). She insists her milk never had fat like that. Im so tired of comments from people who literally had children decades ago who somehow think they actually remember what it was like when they barely remember what they had for dinner yesterday.

I'm a FTM and 1 month PP. I need help with some guidelines of using expressed breast milk. I have been following the 5 - 5 - 5 rule, I.e 5 hours in room temperature, 5 days in refrigerator and 5 months in freezer.

Let me know if any one has stored it for longer ?

I heat the refrigerated milk by placing it in a bowl of hot water. But found of today hot water destroys some properties of breastmilk. What temperature of water do you all use for heating the milk (refrigerated not frozen milk) ?

Once heated the refrigerated milk, how long can we use the milk ? Can we place it back in refrigerator and reheat the milk ? What do you all do with the discarded milk after the said time?

As a FTM, I feel like I’ve tried everything to make sure I’m getting the same amount of roughly the same amount on each side. However, recently my 4 month old baby blistered one of my breasts (that provides more ounces), so I’ve been pumping that side after nursing the other…but my goodness- bow that side is producing +6oz at least twice a day, roughly 2.5-3oz any other time. I’m trying to now do the same with the other, less producing side, but it’s just not happening. Any suggestions?

Also, wanted to note that, my heavier side, I literally have to pump almost 30 minutes to fully empty it. My less side clears out around 7-8 minutes

I am pregnant with baby #3 and am trying to decide which wearable pump to get. I breastfed my first 2 until a year and had an oversupply (with the use of haakaa/pumping extra). I have a spectra s1 if needed for a primary pump but my insurance will cover a double electric wearable 100%. I am an inpatient RN and finding time to get off the floor was always stressful previously. I am interested in getting a wearable this time with the goal of pumping every 2-3 hours and staying on the floor vs stepping away for 20 min every 4-6 hours. I am looking for something discreet and quiet. I am leaning toward a willow go vs elvie stride (or stride 2). I have a small chest (A cup when not pregnant, C/D when pregnant/breastfeeding). Any input is helpful!

My 6 week old was born with a quite visible tongue tie, but we chose to wait to release it because she was breastfeeding really well and gaining weight amazingly. At 4 weeks, when my supply settled and my breasts stopped being so leaky LO’s latch backslid and she started being fussy, needing a nipple shield, and dropped off her curve. Working with an LC, we chose to get the tongue tie released at an ENT a week ago. The day after the release she breast fed twice like a dream, and since then she has gotten worse each day. Today she won’t drink from the breast even with a nipple shield. When I do sucking exercises she barely sucks on my finger. My LC said her tongue movement was way better and we just needed to strengthen the tongue but I’m starting to lose hope. Anyone have a similar experience that ended up with a baby able to latch and transfer milk? How long did it take? Currently pumping and offering bottles every other feed, and trying to latch + triple feeding during the other feeds.

I (30f) have a 3 month old son. My left boob produces 2x more than my right boob; my left boob produces 5-6oz and my right makes 2-3oz per 30 minute pumping session. Nothing I have done has made them symmetrical. I've tried pumping and feeding him longer on the right boob, zero effect. Now my left boob is noticeably bigger than my right, I'm worried that when I stop breastfeeding it will stay asymmetrical. Has this happened to anyone else and/or is there something I can do to prevent this from happening?

Context: I exclusively BF my 7 month old son. It’s been a difficult journey but we’re in a great place now and I love nursing him and our special bond. Can’t imagine not nursing and want to continue as long as is right for both of us, however can’t get these shitty comments out my head..

Baby puts everything in his mouth (obvs) - MIL ‘is mama not feeding you enough?’ When I say I want to BF for 2 years - ‘so you’re not going back to work?’ ‘I know a woman who BF her 3 year old (look of disgust)’, it’s time to give up when they have teeth’, ‘It’s just weird’ (NCT group, MIL, SIL, sister, friends…) My husband - ‘but babies don’t need it nutritionally after a certain point - it’s doing nothing for them’

I don’t know anyone my age (31), friends or family who exclusively BF or have done so past 12 months. Feel surrounded by judgement and just so many opinions about MY journey with my son. It’s somewhat fine now as it’s considered ‘normal’ at this age - but when I continue for the months and years to come, how can I forget these comments?

Looking for solidarity!

I have officially weaned my toddler

My son is a few days short of 20 months old. This was something I was terrified to do, and I wanted to share our story in case anyone else is struggling.

He’s been EBF since around 6mo when I switched my work schedule around so he didn’t have to take bottles anymore (which he previously did with my husband or my mom when I was away at work). We nursed to sleep and on demand throughout the day and night. After he turned 1yo, I was ready to night wean at the very least to hopefully start getting some better sleep and more independence for myself.

We first night weaned when I went away for a few days. This lasted for a couple weeks once I got back but eventually we started nursing through the night again after some stints of sickness and teething. I quickly became burnt out and made the decision to night wean again when he was 16mo. It was a harder process this time, but after a week of some hard nights he was only nursing to sleep and then sleeping much better at night. By then our only feedings were after breakfast, at nap time/after lunch, and at bedtime.

Even with the limited number of feedings, I started to resent breastfeeding more and more and really wanted to wean completely. I have a trip coming up in April and thought I’d completely wean then, but lately just the sensation and whining for it started to really irk me. It wasn’t fair for my son and while there were still a lot of sweet moments, I felt myself physically dreading nursing.

At 19mo, I decided to cut out feeding for nap time and having my husband nap with him all the time instead of me. After a couple weeks of that, i just decided to try to have him fall asleep at bedtime without nursing. It was very spontaneous and I told him as we got in bed “I’m going to tell you something that you make not like. It’s ok to have big feelings about this. At bedtime, no boobie.” He yelled like he was frustrated and then turned over and went to sleep. I was SHOCKED at how easy it was.

The next day, I fully intended to nurse after breakfast, but we ended up going out that morning to a bakery and grocery shopping. By the time we got home, it was nap time and he still hadn’t asked to nurse. It’s been over a week and he still hasn’t asked or cried for it. I didn’t fully intend to completely wean right away like that, but overall I’m so happy that we did.

A couple nights ago, we were winding down for bed and had the sweetest moment. He was sitting in my lap, we were chatting and he said “boobie? Nooo. Boobie? Nooo” not in a sad or mad way, but just kind of toddler speak where you can tell they are putting together things in their head. He then said “hands?” And took my hands to tickle my palms with his fingers (something we’ve done for a long time). It choked me up that he’s grown up so much and understands so much. I feel like I’m doing something right to have such a good and sweet little boy.

Overall, I think what worked for us was slowly cutting down feedings and setting boundaries in addition to him growing older so he understands more of what is going on. I know it’s not this easy for everyone, but if you’re starting to resent nursing like I was, I encourage you to also consider what is right for you and to consider your own mental health. Your little one might surprise you and make it easier than you expected.

I have moments where I feel guilt for not nursing longer, but this experience has shown me that he is indeed securely attached and I’m more to him than a milk machine(something I often felt). I hope my story helps someone out there or makes them feel less alone. I’m grateful to have been able to feed my baby for almost 20mo, and I’m relieved that chapter of our lives is over now.

English is not my first or second language, so apologies in advance.

I’m pumping a lot. Breastfeeding is quiet a challenge for us, but we’re getting there!

The first problem now is that I’m stuck to the machine while pumping, so when I’m alone with our LO, I can’t pick her up or do anything else while pumping. Second, when she will go to daycare, I’d also have to pump during the day and since I’m in my car a lot, I want a better option.

I’m thinking about getting a handsfree breast pump, but I’m not sure if it is worth the cost. What are your experiences with handfree machines and do you have any tips about the type of machine?

Im at loss here she's a fine eater and everything but I can only do football hold comfortably without suffocating her. And now that her legs are getting longer she keeps pushing off the boob because she wants to spread out. Idk what I should do or can do

I’m ready to stop co-sleeping, or I’d at least like to start the night separately, without doing CIO (no judgement on other parents who took that route).

I’m happy to keep doing night feeds (babe is 6.5 months adjusted), but I just don’t want to be surgically attached to him all night long. Unfortunately my son thinks he’s allergic to independent sleep.

Anyone who successfully got their crib-hating baby into the crib using gentler methods, please share your wisdom!

my daughter is 3 months + 2 weeks and insists i am her pacifier. she refuses any pacifier that isn’t the actual boob which leads to her overeating then spewing milk and angering herself. my nipples are so incredibly sore and sensitive at this point. we co sleep (working on breaking that) and most of the time when she realizes i took away my boob she’ll wake up and start looking for it and scream if i don’t give it.

what do i do? is there a paci that is like a boob? the ones i see online look nothing like nipples especially mine imo. it’s starting to hurt to nurse or pump and her latch is fine it’s just over-use of my boob.