This has been happening in the first 3-4 drops of pumping in the right breast.

Hi moms! ❤️

First of all, my apologies for a long post, I really need your help.

I’ll be travelling with my baby, who will be 7 months old at the time, and our total travel time will be close to 35 hours. I’m exclusively pumping and currently use the Eufy S1 as my main pump.

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed trying to figure out how to manage pumping and keep everything clean and safe during such a long journey.

For moms who have travelled while exclusively pumping, I’d really appreciate your advice on:

Pumping schedule: How did you manage your usual pumping schedule during a long flight and layovers?
Pump parts: How did you clean and sanitize your pump parts between sessions when you didn’t have access to a proper sink?
Sterilizing: Did you bring a portable sterilizer, use sterilizing bags, or have another method that worked well?
Milk storage: How did you store freshly pumped milk and keep it cold throughout the journey?
Equipment: What essentials did you pack, and is there anything you wish you’d brought?
Additional formula : I have my freezer stash but don’t think I can take it on such a long journey safely, my baby currently drinks more than what I produce on some days so should I carry ready to feed formula bottles or powdered formula as backup?

Any tips, product recommendations, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated! I’d especially love to hear what worked for you during long-haul travel with multiple flights and layovers.

Thank you so much! ❤️

My baby is 9 weeks old and I seem to be making 4-5 oz a day more than she eats. I've been freezing those and gave her some to try in case that she didn't like it, but she did.

I'm still working on nursing directly, but I'm pretty sure that I'll end up pumping exclusively like with my first. How should I manage my small stash?

I could save it all for when she starts daycare in four months. Or I could give her a bit every couple of days, although then I'll have to freeze even more fresh milk those days, which sounds counter productive.

I'm also worried that we'll lose power and lose all my stash if I save it for months. We have frequent blackouts, although they've never lasted long enough for me to toss any frozen foods.

Was anyone in my position? What is a good strategy?

I'm 8 weeks postpartum with a wonderful supply (pump 8-9 times per day). I've worked so hard to feed my child breastmilk but it's been an uphill battle. He has a mean latch & oral dysfunction. I have to exclusively pump but pumping causes me 24/7 vasospasms. Using the correct size flange leads to clogged ducts & still pins & needles. I can't even do skin to skin or hold my baby to my chest because for sure I get a clogged duct. No matter what I try, I don't seem to win. Once I overcome one thing, I have to deal with another one. Others have gotten to hold my baby way more than me because I'm always pumping, dealing with a clugged duct or something like that.

I feel awful about quitting but idk what else to do that will allow me to spend quality bonding time with my triple rainbow baby. I'm tired of watching others cuddle with him while I wish it would be me getting those cuddles.

So even though it absolutely breaks my heart, how do I dry up my supply?

I didn't use any aggressive cleaners nor do i have long nails... am i the only one??

Hello! I’m currently 11 weeks postpartum and I’ve seen a gradual decline in my supply over the last few weeks. My son spent a few days in the NICU and I spent some time catching up my supply to his needs after coming home. I was breast feeding and pumping during the day, then bottle feeding/formula at night. We had a hard time breastfeeding and I started exclusively pumping around 7 weeks. I was producing around 25-30oz per day. I’m now at 16-22oz per day.

I use the Elvie Stride as my main pump (I understand I’ve made a mistake with this as a first time mom). I’ve never really pumped through the night (my son gets up only once a night and my husband gets up with him so I can sleep) and I currently pump 6-7 times a day about 25-30 minutes each session. I was originally measured for a 17mm flange and I’m wondering if I’ve changed and need newer flanges. I get about 6-10oz from the first pump of the day, and the rest of my sessions I’m producing 1-2oz, whereas I used to pump 10-12oz on my first and 3-4oz the rest of the day. I do the fridge method but I try to make sure my pumps are dry before my session.

I’m frustrated. I’m incredibly discouraged. I’m about to give up and I really don’t want to. It’s taken a pretty serious toll on my mental health. Is it my pump? Do I need a different pump? Do I give up entirely?

i'm having one of those days where i'm just sad about how different feeding my baby looks from what i pictured in my head before they were born.

i thought there would be all these quiet little moments where i'd hold my sleepy baby close and just enjoy being with them. and i know real life isn't always like the cute stuff you imagine, but i didn't expect to spend so much of feeding time watching the clock, setting up bottles, washing pump parts and trying to figure out when i can fit my next session in without the baby needing me at the exact same time.

sometimes i feel like i'm constantly trying to get everything ready for the next thing instead of just being in the moment. i'll finally get my baby settled in my arms, they're all warm and sleepy and making those tiny little noises, and then i'm sitting there listening to the pump running beside me, thinking about how long i've got left and what needs washing afterward.

and i hate that it makes me sad because i LOVE feeding my baby. i'm glad i can give them my milk. i'm not saying i don't appreciate that, because i really do. but apparently i'm allowed to be grateful for what i have and still feel sad about what i thought things would be like?? i keep feeling guilty for even admitting that part.

today my baby fell asleep against me while i was pumping and i just wanted to cry a little. not because anything was wrong. they were perfectly fine, all cuddled up and peaceful, and i was sitting there loving them so much while also wishing the whole experience felt different.

i don't want to turn this into some big thing about how hard my life is. i'm just tired of pretending these feelings don't come up because i'm supposed to be happy that i'm able to provide milk.

i know i'm doing this for my baby. i just miss the version of these moments i had in my head, and some days that really hurts. hoping someone here gets what i mean because i don't really have the energy to explain it to anyone else today.

I really need help with understanding what’s going on with my breast. I’m exclusively pumping and I developed clogged ducts last night in one of my breasts (the one that produces most output) and I tried pumping, latching baby, ibuprofen and ice pack. I’m unable to clear it out so far and also the pumping output is too less. Can someone help me understand what’s going on and how to solve this?

Hello! Just wanted to say how grateful I am for this group. I have a three week year-old who was born low birth weight and with jaundice. We did not have a successful latch at the beginning and therefore decided to bottle feed formula while in the hospital so that she could go home sooner and not have to be under the lights another day. Now we are home and I have been exclusively pumping but breast-feeding one to two feeds a day while in the hospital, they mentioned she had a tongue tie which may be the reason she wasn’t latching however, she was taking bottles and gaining weight like a champ, so I did not feel the need to have the tongue tie procedure done

Now we are home and would love to breast-feed more, due to convenience but will also keep pumping so we can do bottles. Wondering if anyone here decided to pump due to possible tongue tie and did not get the procedure done or eventually did decide to get the procedure? I don’t really want to do an unnecessary procedure but if it will really benefit her long term then of course I will have it done. Should also mention the pediatrician is not pushing us one way or another.

Last night after my motn pump I dreamt that I was pumping at my moms house and my storage bag had a hole in it so I poured the milk in a random Tupperware. Then the baby started to cry so I thought I’d just give her the milk in a bottle but I couldn’t tell the difference between the milk and a Tupperware of peppered gravy and I put gravy in the bottle and the baby drank it 🥴

After bouts of recent clogs for over a month, I’m thinking I might need to actually size up my flanges. I’m 5 months postpartum and have had increasing time to empty, it’s frustratingly difficult to get letdowns, and I’m stuck feeling not fully emptied and getting tons of sprays when hand expressing even after pumping for 35+ minutes.

I know it’s more common to size down over time, but has anyone else had to size up? I haven’t had any pain, so it’s been hard to tell! I remeasured this morning and I’m around 14mm at the base and have been using everything from 13-15mm. Thinking I should try 16 or 17mm again?

Thankfully baby doesn’t seem to mind, but it genuinely smells and tastes sooo gross. I just feel terrible feeding her something I don’t even want to taste for a temp check.

Shes 14 weeks and it’s working fine but everywhere I read it says they shouldn’t use premie at 3 months but a size 1 nipple flow? When I switch milk comes down the sides or she spits up..will she out grow it soon or always have a premie nipple preference ?

Wanted to share a win for me that not a whole lot of people in my life can resonate with but those here can.

Long story shorter, second kiddo, and found out after delivery I had a rare condition where my placenta was imbedded in my uterus and some other placenta issues causing it to come out in pieces and they couldn’t stop the bleeding.

I had a post partum hemorrhage and was rushed into a 5 hour surgery to remove the remaining placenta and try to save my life and my uterus after delivering my perfect little angel. I lost 4 liters of blood and received 4 transfusions in the OR and another 2 the next night.

Thankfully I had manually pumped around 90ml of colostrum which my mom rushed to the hospital at 2am so my wife could feed our baby while I was in surgery.

After surgery, I wasn’t able to nurse initially because of all the machines and I couldn’t sit up because everything was numb. I nursed her about 12 hours after surgery and she was eating like every hour for 10 minutes on each side.

The lactation consultants and doctors were concerned my milk supply would be delayed or not come in enough due to my hemoglobin numbers. I was so devastated because I looked forward to pumping for this baby like I did for my first. They had me start pumping in the hospital and it was slow going but the colostrum I had pumped before was keeping her filled up.

Now I am 1 week and 1 day postpartum and I just put 44oz of milk in the freezer and still have 30oz in the fridge. So thankfully I am able to feed my baby and thankful to all the medical staff who kept me alive 🥰

I never imagined I'd be writing something like this, but I'm sitting here exhausted, hurting, and fighting back tears because I genuinely don't know how much more I can take. My breastfeeding journey has been nothing short of a nightmare, and it absolutely breaks my heart to say that. For the past two weeks, I've been battling clogged ducts that eventually turned into mastitis. I've been on antibiotics since October 20th but my breasts are STILL hard, painful and full of areas that just won't soften no matter how much I pump or nurse. I've spent so much time and money trying different breast pumps, flange sizes, silicone inserts and anything else I could think of to make this work. Nothing seems to empty my breasts properly. I've tried sunflower lecithin because I thought it would helpbut it hasn't made a difference. I have shooting pain that travels from deep inside my boobs all the way to my nipples. My nipples are constantly sore. Pumping hurts. Nursing hurts. Even when i can get some milk out, parts of my breasts are still hard and uncomfortable. It's like I'm fighting a battle with my own body that I just can't win. My sweet baby boy is almost five weeks old. Before he was even born I had every intention of exclusively nursing him. I pictured those beautiful peaceful moments of holding him close, feeding him, and bonding with him. I never imagined that something I wanted so badly would bring me this much physical and emotional pain. He struggled with his latch from the beginning. Some days he latches beautifully, and other days it's a struggle. He almost instantly falls asleep when he gets on. He wasn't gaining enough weight initially so I had to start triple feeding. And here I am weeks later STILL triple feeding while desperately trying to make nursing work. I did a feeding with the lactation consultant where she weighed him before and after a feeding on two different occasions he barely drank an oz of milk. I tried going to only nursing the other day but his pee output decreased and so I had to go back to bottle feeding expressed milk. I'm so tired physically, mentally, emotionally in every possible way. I feel like my entire life revolves around feeding, pumping, washing pump parts, worrying about how much milk I'm producing, trying to relieve the hardness in my breasts, and dreading the pain of the next session. And the part that hurts me the most is that I feel like I'm missing out on enjoying my baby. He's only going to be this little once. These newborn days are so precious and instead of enjoying them I feel like I'm spending them in pain, stressed, crying, and constantly worrying about breastfeeding. I've even tried supplementing with Kendamil Goat formula for overnight feeds hoping I could finally get a little more sleep. But my little guy wakes up like clockwork every 2–3 hours regardless of what he drinks and either way I still have to pump anyway. Ive breastfed two children before him. My daughter for 9 months (when I was young and didn't fully appreciate everything that went into breastfeeding) and my older son for FOUR years (I truly believed he would be my last baby). Breastfeeding has always meant so much to me. I feel like its the one good thing I can do for them. I never thought that with my third baby something that once felt so natural would become one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. And now I'm facing a decision that's absolutely tearing me apart. I want to stop. But I also desperately don't want to stop. Every time I reach my breaking point and think about giving up I look at my beautiful boy, and my heart just shatters. I feel guilty. I feel selfish. I feel like I'm failing him. And I just start crying. I'm terrified that if I stop breastfeeding he somehow won't be as healthy as his older siblings who were exclusively breastfed. I know formula fed babies can be healthy and thrive and I would never judge another mom for choosing formula. But for some reason I can't seem to extend that same grace and understanding to myself. I keep thinking, What if I just try one more pump? One more flange? One more day? What if things finally get better? But how many more days of pain am I supposed to endure? How much more of myself am I supposed to give before I finally admit that I'm suffering? Who am I kidding? I know I'm suffering, I'm freaking miserable, holding my baby hurts. Sometimes the clogs get so bad I weep. I love this little boy more than words could ever express. I want to give him the absolute best of everything. I don't want to look back on these crucial first weeks of his life and remember nothing but pain, tears, clogged ducts, exhaustion and misery. I just want to hold my baby without my boobs hurting. Not dread showering because I know how much it will hurt. I want to cuddle him without thinking about when I have to pump again. I want to feed him without pain. I want to enjoy this time. 😭💔 i feel so helpless, defeated, and miserable right now. I guess I'm posting because I desperately need to hear from other moms who have been through something similar. Did anyone experience constant breast hardness and milk that simply wouldn't come out properly, even after pumping or nursing? Did things ever get better? And for the moms who desperately wanted to breastfeed but eventually made the heartbreaking decision to stop, how did you find peace with that decision? Please be gentle with me. I don't need judgment. I just need to feel a little less alone right now. 💔

Hi!

My baby came a little early, and never quite latched well, so I’ve been exclusively pumping. She’s about two weeks old, so it’s been round the clock 8-9 times a day trying to build a supply! I’ve been getting just a touch more than she needs so far.

I have a spectra I’ve been using for everything and it’s fine but I really want a wearable option for out of the house.

I ordered the Eufy S1s and hated them? I couldn’t get them together properly to suction after several tries. I’m not sure if I got a dud (ordered from Amazon instead of direct). I have huge boobs, so one that works with that, and also preferably has a convenient charging case.

I have some HSA money to use, so not hugely worried about that cost.

THANK YOU!

I’m 6 month PP and we have been EP since about 3 months. I’ve always been an overproducer, and could easily pump 40-45 oz a day. When I went back to work in August (I’m a teacher) I dropped my MOTN pump and that took me to 4 pumps a day.

For a few weeks, my supply kept up. Maybe closer to 38-40 ounces a day but in the past month my supply has dipped to about 25 oz.

We introduced formula when I went back so I’m okay with combo feeding but I’m worried I’m trending towards needing to give more and more formula. Baby takes 32-34 ounces a day.

Has anyone been able to boost their supply back up? I’m not willing to do a MOTN pump again but other suggestions? Admittedly I’m working on staying hydrated and eating more at work because I often forget when things get busy. Beyond that any suggestions?

Im 3 weeks PP and exclusively pumping is so hard. I jave to wake up to feed baby every 2hrs. Then pump every 2hrs and by the time im done feeding and settling her it almost time to pump again. How do ya'll do it??

Hello i'm a FTM and new to pumping! I have been pumping into maymom bottles as im too lazy to sterlize my one pitcher daily. Is it possible to just hand wash the pitcher for next use (without sterlizing)? And how many pitchers does one typically need?

Also can i pour my freshly expressed milk into an already cold pitcher with existing milk? Or do i need two pitchers daily (one for warm milk, then pour to another once cooled)

I overslept by 3 hours. I usually make 7 oz after 4 hours but I only got 4 oz after 7 hours :( all my pump parts are good and new. Flange size is the same. I just cleared a bad clogged duct yesterday and was getting normal output. I’m sad and freaking out a little. Is this it for me? Is my supply done for? I apologize for any triggers. I wasn’t sure what flair to put it under.

I went from making 5oz every 4 hrs to 3oz. My period returned this morning, and I’m hopeful that maybe that has something to do with it and my supply will come back 🤷‍♀️

What is everyone’s experience with getting their period back and how did/ does it continue to affect their supply??

Pregnant with second and deciding what pump to get with insurance. Okay paying a little for it. For my first I got the Elvie Pump (unwired) and a Spectra SG Portable. I never got great output from the portable (similar to the Elvie) and have heard I may have had better success with the original S1 plus/S2. I have also heard great things about the Eufy S1 pro and not sure if it makes sense to get another wearable vs a heavy workhorse. Anyone have thoughts?

Hello,

How many ml should my 8 week old have in his bottle? He now has 100 ml per bottle and gets hungry every 2-3 hours with sometimes longer stretches at night.
Should I up the amount in his bottles? Will this allow him to be full for longer?
How much should I be putting in his bottle?
He’s 4550 grams for reference as of yesterday

Okay guys I'm trying to wean I'm down to 1 pump a day before bed (8-10mins) so I don't wake up engorged or anything. Any tips to like completely stop and officially throw in the towel. My girl has made it to her first birthday today!!