Baby is ebf but I'd like her to be able to take a bottle to give me some freedom to go out without her sometimes. She used to take a bottle as a newborn fine but she hasn't had them consistently for a few months now (5 months old).

She is now refusing bottles. I left her with parents and she only drank 40ml in 5 hours. She pulls a face when drinking so I wasn't sure if it was the taste of the frozen breastmilk so I've tried formula too but she's the same. I've tried different bottles and teats still doesn't take the bottle.

I just don't know where to start as there's so many variables to choose from bottles/breast milk/formula. Do I just pick a bottle and type of milk and go with it?

Last night I handed off 20 oz to a parent in need of milk for her baby, and today I'm giving the bulk of my stash (200+ oz) to a parent with twins.

I wanted to donate just to get it out of my freezer, but knowing I'm feeding other kids and helping them thrive feels incredible.

That's all, that's the post. Appreciate this sub.

Hello Mamas.

I am an EBF Mom and baby is now almost 7 months. She takes a bottle when I have to be away so she's familiar with bottle and does not give trouble with that part.

I work remotely but I have some work days where I have to be on-site. I did this a few weeks ago and I tried to pump enough to leave with the nanny and then I was also pumping at the office while I was away from baby. It worked out but man I Was exhausted.

Now that she's 7 months, I have one day per week where I'll have to go to office and this will be two times only. If i give formula in my absence for those times would my supply dip, or would I be able to go back to EBF'ing? Basically combo feeding, how does that work with supply? I have no idea. Any help would be so appreciated!

My baby girl is 3.5 months and EBF. From the beginning she’s been a frequent spitter/throwing up. Always a happy spitter and doesn’t seem uncomfortable. Pediatrician recommended holding her upright longer, but no matter how long she’s held upright she will always spit when put down. She will usually still spit/throw up when held upright too. Sometimes she spits up while still nursing. She was born 92 percentile for weight, dropped to 73 percent at her 1 month appointment and 49th at her 2 month appointment. Her poops are exclusively green with mucus. I’ve cut out dairy soy and eggs at her pediatricians recommendation for 5 weeks now . Lactation consultant also recommended beef. No improvements, any advice?

I need to replenish my freezer supply, but I’m worried that if I pump I’ll be taking milk away from a feeding for my baby. When’s the best time to add a pump in? And what if he wants to eat right after I pump?

I’m about to go back to work after 13 weeks at home with my baby. I will be pumping in my classroom and I need a somewhat cheap mini fridge (just big enough to hold a few soda cans, or in my case bottles).

anyone have mini fridge suggestions that will actually keep my milk cold?

Hi all

I’m looking either for reassurance or just support as I had an awful start to nursing. After a planned c section, I had poor milk supply and was barely pumping drops. I saw an LC and she suggested some supplements and a schedule that was working (managed to go from drops to 10-15 ml a pump early days), but in my second week I had a massive family emergency where I was back and forth from the hospital, the house was a circus with in laws, and couldn’t focus on pumping or nursing well at all.

Baby is gaining well with formula but my supply dropped immensely, where I’m hardly producing a few ml per pump using a hospital grade medela symphony now. I just restarted a strict schedule of pumping every 2.5 hr and trying to nurse as frequently as possible, but I feel so defeated as the volume is so pitiful. I don’t think I’ll ever produce enough to EBF but I’d love to at least partially combo feed a few oz a day. Baby is supplemented with formula, but I feel bitter and robbed of this experience of nursing due to the chaos of last week. Is it too late to establish a milk supply, given I restarted a schedule at 2.5 weeks PP? Bloodwork indicates outside of slightly low prolactin (which my OB assures is actually normal) my A1C and thyroid are fine. I might have IGT, but don’t have any of the classic signs of it. Is there anything I can do to expect a change or improve my supply?

I have a ton of FSA money to use yet and I’m just wondering best (and worst) handsfree and wireless pumps. I’d really like a smart pump that I can use with an app. I got an Elvie secondhand but it doesn’t connect to the app so I can’t track time and output or change pump pattern. I have a Medela max flow for a wall pump and I like the output. Thanks in advance!

I know this is probably a dumb question but how do I know if I'm giving my baby enough if I'm mainly breastfeeding? My baby is 10 weeks old today. I BF all throughout the day but I supplement 1-2 bottles a day to 1. Give my boobs a break 2. It's easier for him to get his probiotics drops that way and 3 Get him used to formula because I go back to work soon. He saw the pediatrician last week and they said everything was great but here's the thing he NEVER sleeps during the day. He wakes up anywhere between 6-7 and is up anywhere from 9-12pm. I'm exhausted. My husband thinks we aren't feeding him enough but I don't know. He seems to be more fussy than not and sometimes when I do try to feed him he gets fussy and just pulls away on my nipple and then I take it away and give him a paci and he seems fine. I pump about once a day in the evening when he gets a bottle to try to get a small stash going for when I go back to work and/or if he gets sick. Could it be he's fussy because I'm underfeeding him?

Our little guy (4mo old next week) is so hungry. I mostly nurse and supplement with pumped milk / formula when I’m exhausted and/or supply dips compared to his needs. He is still nursing every 1.5-3 hrs during the day with about 10 feeds a day. I’d love to get closer to 3-4 hrs apart and 8 feeds a day. Any advice on how to get there? He is inconsolable when hungry and isn’t the best napper.

I'm 6 weeks postpartum and just wondering if this is my period returning or stop/start lochia.

Pre-pregnancy, my periods were quite heavy and painful. I would get cramping the day before and have a sore back. My lochia had been very minimal from birth and after a week, I was only using pantyliners when I realised it wasn't going to get heavier. It stop/started periodically but never for more than half a day to a full day max.

It's now been almost 2 weeks without any bleeding at all. My baby has had slow growth since birth and was static on our weigh so since yesterday we've been pumping more and supplementing with formula. Last night I noticed fresh red blood on my underwear. No pain and about the same volume as my lochia had been.

I've been pumping since day 5 so I didn't think it was linked to me increasing demand.

I know logically it's probably just lochia but I've been told my periods would be 'fixed' after childbirth and I've heard the odd story of peoples periods being different postpartum and whilst breastfeeding so I was wondering if anyone else has had the same? Could lochia stop and then start again 2 weeks later?

Hi everyone! Really hoping I get some replies to my post (feel like I’ve had no luck lately on any of mine).

To keep it short and sweet… has anyone had such a drastic difference in supply between breasts? My left boob is arguably an over supplier and my right way under. I can pump 4-5 ounces out of left and get about .5-1.5 on my right. Could my right boob just not like the pump? I can always hand express afterwards too.

Mind you, we are EBF for now but I try to pump 1-3 times a day to keep my supply up in between nursing.

Thanks all!

I have a 6 week old and I’ve been struggling with night feeds. She’s been cluster feeding every 30mins and it gets to the point im all tapped out and she is hysterical when latched. I gave In and gave her formula at 11:30pm last night. This girl slept until 6:30am. I feel so much more rested. Part of me wants to give up and feed her formula. At least at night so I can get some sleep. I’m mostly here to vent but any advice on how to help the night time feeding is also welcomed.

Need help with baby boy. Nursing was going great, never really used bottles at all, he was in the 88%, and sleeping through the night for several weeks. Then I went back to work at three months postpartum, and his dad is watching him in the day, and I come home at 3pm, and take over for the evening and dad goes to work. I guess his routine was upset pretty badly by this because he stopped sleeping through the night and wakes up like 3 times a night. And now, my second week back at work, when I get home he refuses to breastfeed and just cries and fusses at me until I just snuggle him to sleep or make him a bottle. Last night I got him to latch but he seemed to get bored or something, and he wasn’t upset but he wouldn’t nurse anymore or sleep. I needed to give him an ounce from a bottle to get him to sleep. I am struggling to keep up with his milk intake pumping at work. And I only have a very small stash to fall back on. Anyway, what’s my next move here? Im so tired and feeling rejected. Try to nurse him while he cries? Fold and give him the bottle right away? Quit my job?

It doesn’t help that I’m feeling underwater and out of the look at work as well. With the lack of sleep and trying to keep up with the baby with pumping at work, I’m not coping too well.

Just found out I’m 5 weeks pregnant and am still breastfeeding. Does anyone have experience with being pregnant and continuing to breastfeed? I really don’t want to wean until she’s 1

I breastfeed my 7week old baby during the night every 2/3 hours but i still get engorged by the morning 5/6am. Should I start pumping?? I’m just sooooo tired during the middle of the night I don’t want to get up and get the pump ready yah know 😅😅😅😭😭😭

Baby is 10 weeks and I have a tough time with making enough milk (we top up a couple of times a day). She has just started sleeping from 8pm until 2am (ish), dropping her 11pm feed. When she wakes at 2am, I am very engorged and she empties my breast. I don’t want to go 6 hours without removing milk because I don’t want to impact my supply, but I’m nervous if I pump at 11pm, she will be left hungry at her 2am feed because I will have removed the extra milk. Any thoughts on what’s best here? While we’ve had to top up a little, it’s been idyllic otherwise and I’m so nervous about impacting my supply and not being able to get it back.

I exclusively breastfeed my 6 month old, so we are joined at the hip (or more often boob). Over the last month she has gotten separation anxiety, so where as I could leave her with a pumped bottle for a couple of hours, now my maximum is about 20 minutes.

I've got a hair appointment tomorrow for highlights and a cut. I need this for me. When she was 5 weeks old I (DIY with craft scissors) cut my waist lenth hair to shoulder length because I didn't I couldn't get time to dry it all. Since then I've had postpartum hair lost (second baby, I knew it was coming) and I really feel shit about myself. I honestly need this so badly.

I am so stressed about leaving her, I am making sure that there is plenty of pumped milk and she is being cared for by my husband and gran so that there is reinforcements. I have moved to the nearest hairdressers (2 min in car / 7 min walk).

Please any positive thoughts, reassurances would be appreciated.

I’m 9 months pp, EBF but I do pump 2x a day while at work. My nipples are constantly in pain still. Yes I did everything got ties done, spent hundreds seeing IBCLCs etc everyone doesn’t know what’s wrong with me. She sometimes clicks too. I’ve tried everything with a deeper latch.

My baby is gaining beautifully and she’s chunky and yum.

I am miserable most days!!

Pros: natural birth control and I’m nursing clean (I do FAM and track and I haven’t ovulated yet), I bond with my baby, it’s so so convenient

Cons: I’m always in pain, my boobs are massive, I haven’t lost weight, I have no libido (absolutely 0 desire), my breasts are off limits to my husband during intimacy, I’m feeling a bit touched out

I won’t give formula so am I stuck doing this?

My LO is six weeks old and boy has breast feeding been a journey. I’ll admit I knew nothing about breastfeeding when he was born. The hospital I delivered at didn’t have a lactation consultant on staff so I went by what the nurses told me - which was to religiously pump every two hours to help my milk come in. So I did.

When I finally met with a lactation specialist at 3 weeks PP, she was horrified and told me to nurse, nurse nurse and only pump when I feel engorged and at night. So I did.

My son has a lip and tongue tie that his pediatrician refused to acknowledge until yesterday that has inadvertently caused my son to not be able to properly and full drain my breasts - I did not realize this until I was badly clogged in my left breast.

We have had to heavily supplement due to weight problems and me not producing enough breast milk. I have tried everything I can think of to get my milk supply up and nothing seems to work.

When I pump and give him a bottle instead of nursing to try and gauge what I’m producing, it’s maybe 1.5 oz at the most between two breasts.

I’m beside myself - has my supply regulated and just isn’t going to increase? We want so badly to breastfeed because of the health benefits and it seems like just absolutely nothing I do increases my supply

I’m so upset that I was given such different advice with this journey and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t educate myself more to prepare for this journey because it feels like the combination of both - not researching and being given wrong advice at first, have me screwed.

Does ANYONE have any advice?

My baby boy is 3 days old. I feel like breastfeeding is going well, he’s having plenty of wet and dirty nappies.

He was born Monday. Monday and Tuesday were good days, but since then, I’m just not sure it is going well at all.

I have slept no more than 4 hours in the last 3 days.

He just will not settle. He is constantly crying and routing for my boob. He won’t settle unless it’s on me.

He will feed, come off and then instantly cry for more. This goes on for hours and just doesn’t stop. lts non stop.

I’m emotional, exhausted and feel ready to give up.

My husband has suggested formula. It breaks my heart to stop feeding him, but this isn’t sustainable. I feel so unwell from lack of sleep and I’m also worried that our journey isn’t working 😞

Hey y’all - we only had one wake-up last night, yay! However, I woke up extremely engorged 😅 I think my letdown ended up being way too strong with how full I was, because LO fell asleep for a minute after she finished eating then spit up EVERYTHING all over both of us. I had my husband take her to hold upright while I cleaned up. After about 10,15 minutes, she was showing more hunger cues, so I’m currently feeding her again holding her at a higher incline instead of my usual cradle hold.

My question is, until my supply regulates with these longer night stretches, how should I handle the engorgement or aftermath if she were to spit up like that again? Should I be starting with my haakaa or hand expressing when engorged so she doesn’t get that overwhelming letdown? If she does spit up, should I wait to feed her again or just until she’s showing signs of wanting more? We’ve had small spit ups before but nothing like what we just experienced so it scared me. Help!

my boy has a good latch and he feeds well i just hate the feeling of breastfeeding so much it makes me feel so weird and uncomfortable and i dont even know why. i feel so guilty even though i give my baby pumped milk too, directly feeding him just makes me feel so weird inside and i just cant explain the dread 😭 i hate it and im just trying to push through and breastfeed him 2-3 times a day at least cuz i genuinely cant do this every 2 hours.

Edit : so based on all your replies it does seem like DMER, I dont wanna completely give up breastfeeding so ill continue doing it 2-3 times a day hoping it gets better 😭

Help please!!

Two days ago I suddenly had flu like symptoms come on - feverish, chills, bodyaches- and thought I was getting sick. But then I noticed my left breast was sore and tender and put two and two together and realised it was probably mastitis.

I slept on it and yesterday all the other symptoms had passed but my breast still had a hard lump in it and had a bit of a red patch. Since then I’ve continued icing the breast, feeding as normal (there’s no pain or discomfort) and have taken some ibuprofen. The lump doesn’t seem to be going away though, and it does feel like baby isn’t getting as much milk from that side.

Do I need to get antibiotics? I don’t feel unwell at all anymore but over 48 hours has passed and this lump doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. How much longer should I ‘wait and see’? Im just so unsure

Newbie here so just wanted to see if this is in the range of normal since my 6wo was initially slow to get back to birth weight.

Anyone find MOTN feeds are your baby’s best? My girl clusters and grazes during the day, but she has 2 overnight feeds 4-5 hours apart that she literally feeds for 30 mins nonstop, burps easily, and falls right back asleep. Makes me wonder if she’s not getting enough during the day despite clustering every 2 hours. AKA I can’t just let a good thing be a good thing and have to find a reason to worry 🫠

Baby (EBF) has a suspected cows milk protein intolerance due to blood and mucus in stool. I return to work in two weeks. I built a freezer stash for this purpose, but now realize that my freezer stash will be unusable. Our pediatrician gave us simlac alimentum samples just in case.

Has anyone been in this situation and have any advice to share?

How long does it take for dairy to clear the milk so I can try to rebuild enough of a stash to cover my first day back? Google and Reddit searches have given me mixed messages.

Thank you in advance!

I’ve heard of the 4 month sleep regression but why the hell is my 13 week old suddenly awake half the night? 😭 we went from two 10-minute feeds a night and a well-rested mom to LO waking up practically every half an hour after the initial stretch. He’s also sleeping poorly overall - jerky movements all around, so I’m barely sleeping at all since we cosleep. Did this happen to anyone else as soon as they were 3 months old?

My little boy is 15 months next week and I'm lucky enough to still be breastfeeding. However, it's starting to throw up some issues and I could really do with some help. Firstly it seems to be affecting his relationship with food but only when he's with me. He'll eat well at the childminder but at home if he knows I'm around he'll only have a few bites before refusing any more and asking for milk. I've tried redirecting or just flat out saying no, we've also tried dad doing meal time while I'm in another room, although we're obviously keen to be able to eat as a family. Secondly, it's starting to have an impact on my mental health. Having a toddler grabbing at me every 10 minutes for milk and also feeding at least every hour at night is exhausting. If I say no he becomes absolutely inconsolable and it's impossible to calm him down.

Honestly, at this point I'm more than ready to wean, but I don't want to do it in a way that is traumatic for him. Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation?

Just to add, he's been given a clean bill of health from the GP.

Have been dealing with thrush for a month now and was directed to take oral antifungals and start a candida diet, which i am already trying to do but in combination with little ones CMPA leaves me very little options for food… my luck with LC’s has been not great and I haven’t found them to be helpful. Last one told me to I just google about the diet forgot to send my and didn’t tell me how long I should go on it for…along other things.

Anyone had a persistent issue with thrush after mastitis? What helped?

Anyone else that has done the candida diet, how long did you do it for? When did you know to stop it and start reintroducing foods?

Hi team, since she was born I've had a relatively uncomplicated breastfeeding journey except for one thing. Everyone I'm feeding on my right side, my entire inner right leg (hip to foot) gets painful pins and needles. I've gone to EP's and specialist but noone can offer any help. So reaching out to the reddit realm for help. Anyone have any ideas on what may be causing it or how I can resolve it. It's making me want to end my BF journey early.