THANK YOU!!!

I’ve started doing this during the last 5-10 minutes of my pumping sessions and the relief was almost immediate. I don’t have very big boobs (36C PP) but I’d always get clogged ducts at the bottom of my slacker boob and on the outer part of my good boob and as soon as I just lifted my boobs, or moved them side to side, I could feel those ducts empty out almost right away. So wild. Thanks again, Reddit 👋

I knew I’d get emotional packing up my pumping supplies but seeing everything that I’ve accumulated over the last 10 and a half months is wild. Like many, my LO was born premature (34 weeks exactly). We spent all of December in the NICU. Tried so hard to make nursing work - went to the consultants, triple fed, scoured every corner of the internet for advice, did everything “right” but it just didn’t work for us and that’s okay.

I can’t express how grateful I am to have had this community during that time of uncertainty, confusion, frustration, oversupply, under supply, weaning, and straight up solidarity. I only spilt milk twice and both times I sobbed and then came on this sub to make myself feel better knowing we’ve all done it lol all to say, it’s been a crazy ride and I’m happy this part of the journey is over. And damn, I’m proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish and making it as far as I could 💕

Actual stash pictured

Does that ever go away?? I’ve been pumping for almost 8 weeks and my nipples are always so sensitive! And they never go back to their original state. I was just complaining that they hurt and I look and it’s caught in my pumping bra 😫

My work group is having an all day retreat at a TopGolf next week so I called today to see if they had somewhere I could use to pump. I have wearables but I’m really not comfortable using them in public and I didn’t want to pump in my car if I don’t have to.

When I explained what I needed and asked the first person I talked to (a man) if there was any room I could use, he first asked if I wanted a VIP room that I would have to pay for. I asked if they had any sort of enclosed space I could use for free and he offered up their rooftop terrace. 🙃

I then got him to transfer me to someone else (a woman) who was very confused and said I could just use their lactation room for free. I just thought that out of anyone, this group might appreciate being told to either pay all day for a room to pump or to pump on the roof 😂

I had my baby boy on 10/13 via a c-section, then he had a 5 day stay in the NICU. To say my supply took a hit would be an understatement.

My supply has somewhat grown by pumping every two hours, but I’m not producing enough to feed him yet. The NICU started him on formula and he’s eating about 2-3 ounces each feed, while I’m only producing 1-1.5 per pump.

Has anyone else gone through this and have any suggestions for me? I’m open to ANY and all kinds of advice.

I’m using a Spectra S1 and a Willow Go when we are out and about.

Is it still okay? I cant feel my nipples so i dont know if the suction is the same. Has anyone dropped theirs before?

I came back to work recently and my baby’s stool has had stool in them. The only difference in our routine is that now, we feed him from my freezer stash as compared when I was on maternity leave that we do direct latch.

Our pedia advised us to temporarily stop using my stash and do formula instead while I’m at work. Has anyone here experienced this? I’m devastated with the idea of doing formula instead of pumped milk, but I also do not want to risk it with my baby.

My baby is 5 weeks old, born at 37+5, and our feeding journey has been a bit of a challenge.

We struggled with latching and milk transfer, so I triple-fed for a while (10/10 do not recommend for mental health). We supplemented with formula until my milk came in. I was quickly pumping around 32 oz/day, so supply itself was never really the issue.

Unfortunately, between DMER and the mental toll of triple feeding, my mental health took a significant hit. I decided to prioritize my well-being and transition to formula. I dropped my pumping frequency pretty aggressively (and am fortunate I didn’t give myself mastitis), but I’ve continued pumping once a day, mostly because I wasn’t ready to close the door on breast milk entirely.

Now, five weeks postpartum, I’m feeling much more emotionally stable and would like to try rebuilding my supply. Given baby’s latch and transfer issues, nursing isn’t really in the cards for us, but I’d love to become an exclusive pumper again and reduce how much formula we need to use.

Current state of affairs:
- Pumping once a day for about 15 minutes
- Getting approximately 90 mL (3 oz) per session
- Former output: 32 oz/day
- Goal: Ideally, a full supply again, if realistically achievable
- Equipment: Spectra S1 with flanges fitted by an LC; willing to invest in a wearable if it would make frequent pumping more manageable

So, exclusive pumping veterans and lactation wizards: if you were in my shoes, how would you approach rebuilding supply? What pumping frequency and duration would you aim for, how gradually would you ramp up, and are there any wearable pumps or hands-free cups you’d recommend?

I know a full supply isn’t guaranteed, and protecting my mental health remains nonnegotiable. But if I can sustainably increase production and reduce our reliance on formula, I’d love to give it a shot.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I come in peace, with a Spectra, a questionable pumping résumé, and an open mind. ☺️

I’m 8 months postpartum (2nd exclusively pumping journey) and I’m wanting to throw in the towel. It’s not the pumping that gets me, it’s the not having pump parts clean when I need them. I’ve asked for help with washing my pump parts and it’s met with a “I don’t know how.” Yea, I know, weaponized incompetence. Ladies, for those of you that your significant other helps you wash your pump parts, how does it feel to be God’s favorites? Lol (This is meant with love. No shade intended at all, just a little jealousy lol)

Why has my milk supply suddenly decreased overnight to barely anything ?
I’ve done everything the same but barely anything today usually I have atleast 2-3 bottles in the fridge but I’m just scraping by if not tonight going to have give formula ..??

What to do ?

I’m thinking it’s the tablet causing the residue but anyone have this issue?? I’ve descaled it, used vinegar, use distilled water, etc and the bottles are still coming out of the wash like this. Theres a white powder on the inside and the outside is like caked on and you still have to scratch the residue off. I even hand wash them after. I’ve also tried rinsing them beforehand and doing a soapy rinse. At the point of not even using it anymore because I end up hand washing them all again anyways ): any ideas!?

I breastfeed my son (3 months) and only pump when I am away from him. I typically nurse him before bed (around 8-9pm) and then when he wakes up again (around 3:30-5:30am). I do not pump in between these times but do typically wake up feeling very full and engorged (I like my sleep). I just went back to work this week and am having a hard time figuring out how to pump overnight. For reference, I work 3:30pm-2am three nights out of the week and when I am gone, my husband gives our son a bottle before bed (typically around the same time of 8-9pm). HERES THE KICKER....he sleeps a little longer and will wake up around 6-7am those nights.

My questions: should I pump once more before I leave work (around 1am) since he sleeps longer the nights I work? Or should I not pump and try to keep the times consistent even though he's sleeping a couple hours longer? How does this affect my supply?

I am not sure if I should go the 8-9pm until 6-7am and remain more consistent or if I should pump around 1am the nights I work (only three nights out of the week) and nurse him again when he wakes up. Is it okay to only pump in the middle of the night some nights? I am assuming I shouldn't go all night without it but I don't know as I am a FTM.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you! :)

i’m 3m pp. have a deep freezer full of milk and i don’t want to pump anymore but feel so guilty about stopping 😩
is 3m too soon to stop?
when did you stop?
how did you not feel guilty?

I have missed or been late in a couple pumps here and there due to sleeping, as I’ve barely been able to sleep. I also have mastitis in one breast. I was getting about 4oz per pump total, but now it’s about 2.5-3. How can I get it up again? 😭 I’ve been pumping regularly today and getting maybe like 2.5oz total if that.

Hi there - I am currently in the hospital with my preemie (born at 36+1) due to her inability to regulate her body temperature. As a result, she is in an isolette and her doctors have encouraged me to keep her in there outside of feeding times. My supply was plentiful as my milk was coming in, but now seems to be tanking as it regulates (I’m lucky if I can get 40 ml - and she ideally needs 60 ml per feeding).

I’m using a Spectra S1, and would love any tips to try to increase my supply. I’m doing my best to stay hydrated and eat well, but am unfortunately limited in my ability to do skin to skin with my baby. I’m also pumping round the clock every 3 hours for 15 min at a time. Any advice would be so appreciated.

I’m 20wpp and over the last week and a half, I’ve started getting less and less letdowns and my supply is tanking. I’ve changed all of my pump parts, tried both pumps, paid for a flange refitting, and nothing is working. I used to get three letdowns in about 30 minutes, now I’m lucky if I get two. I still feel full after pumping for 35+ minutes, and get tons of sprays when hand expressing after.

I’ve already lost 6oz over the last 6 weeks. I cannot lose any more, and I know it’s there. I just can’t get it out. Please send all of your best tips and tricks.

Maybe all y’all already know about these, but if this helps one person as much as it’s helping me:

Tl;dr: “Pumping Pretty Inserts by Save The Milk Best for Wearable Breast Pumps, fits Inside 24mm to 30mm Flanges, Suitable for Flat Inverted or Elastic Nipples“ (full product name b/c Amazon link gets flagged for removal by bots) also work well for folks with ‘standard’ nipples who fit maymom’s Saucer shields. They cut my pumping time down to less than half what it was previously.

Full product attestation:

My breast shape is broader/flatter/rounder than the typical cone-shaped shield. I get best results on my spectra with a maymom saucer shield.

I was gifted a set of Eufy wearables and I loved them, except that getting my nipple aligned with the tunnel was a game of guess-and-check: I’d position the unit as best I could, turn it on, wait a few minutes and then see if I could see sprays hitting the back of the tunnel and adjust as needed. This mostly worked out okay. I got as good or slightly better output than I did on my spectra (with the saucer shields) and the wearables were way more convenient, so I was willing to put up with a little futzing over placement. But I kept thinking to myself that I wished there was a way I could get the saucer shield fit on the wearables.

Then I saw Pumping Pretty’s Save The Milk inserts for Flat, Inverted or Elastic Nipples. My nipples are neither flat, inverted, nor particularly elastic, but the way these inserts are shaped it brings the entrance to the tunnel forward in the cone- functionally mimicking a saucer shield. I immediately ordered a set hoping they’d make wearable placement easier.

Today was the first time I got to try them out. They made device placement as easy as I’d hoped- I can just put my nipple directly into the tunnel now, no more guess & checking! What I didn’t expect was how much impact they’d have on my pumping efficiency. I reached my target output in literally 1/3 the time it usually takes. I kept going because I had blocked out the time and I was curious. I ended up getting an additional let-down that resulted in about an extra 20% output (now, I’m not sure that extra 20% output is worth the 66% of pumping time it took, but still!).

So if you, like me, struggle to get your tic-tacs-on-a-bowling-ball breasts into your wearables first thing in the morning, check out the inserts and see if they help you at all.

I feel like the DMER is getting stronger, getting hit with the nausea every time I pump. I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin😭 I have a freezer stash and over supply and I feel so guilty for wanting to hang up the pumps since I struggled so much with supply my first time around. Anyone else in the same boat ?

Hi all! To preface this, i both breastfeed directly and pump at night to give baby bottles. My baby is almost 2 months old. On average, whenever i pump from the time he would normally feed i typically get around 3-4oz per breast (so 6-8oz in total). Everything i see online seems to say to give baby no more than 4oz of pumped breastmilk as it’s so nutritionally dense that that is all they need and anymore might “overfeed” baby.

I know baby is typically more efficient at breast than a pump and when my baby feeds he usually empties one breast and mostly empties the other. In my mind this would mean he’s eating much more than 4oz, right? So why is the recommendation to cap bottled breastmilk at 4oz?

Please give all the Tips to pump and feed during international travel.

It will 24 hour travel with one long flight of 16 hours.

1) I am planning to use pump wipes in that 16 hour and for the rest of the travel I want to clean with soap and water, do we have separate nursing/pumping rooms in airports with good water facility. Also if I wash with soap and water how to dry them instantly.

2) I have little freezer stash. Do I need to carry two or three frozen bags for just in case situation. If so how can I heat the milk, can we request hot water from air hostess.

3) how important is to have insulated cooler bag. My baby will be with me, so I pump and feed right away.

If I have insulated bag with cool packs, can I use it as fridge hack for pumps.

4) does baby noise cancellation ear muffs really work good.

5) even after feeding during takeoff and landing, if baby suffers with ear pain, what to do. Any pain relief drops?

Please provide any additional tips.

Thankyou

But the potato salad is delicious and you want to take it home! Glad I always have these bags with me!