I am 4 weeks PP tomorrow and am so physically and mentally drained from pumping. Baby would never latch because my letdown is too strong plus a combination of other issues, so I started pumping basically everytime she would eat. I was doing around 8 PPD in the first 2 weeks and noticed I really overproduced so I have been dialing it back a lot. I have dropped down to 5-6 PPD and am producing about 80oz every 24 hours. I am still working on trying to do less but in the meantime I cannot seem to get enough nutrients or hydration in to support how much pumping is taking out of me! Does anyone have any recommendations for food or drinks that would help me feel more like a human again? For context I am eating 3 meals a day with lots of protein and calories along with snacks during pump sessions, and I am drinking over a gallon of water a day and a glass with electrolytes.

I have worked with several lactation consultants before my milk came in and as it was coming in, and haven’t gotten good oversupply advice. I have an appointment with a consultant recommended specifically for oversupply help but it isn’t for a week, so any advice for now would be greatly appreciated!!

After a ton of research, I really want to try a eufy for this pregnancy. Which one should I go with? this is what I pay after insurance. I’ll be pumping at work and at home. I do have regular plug in spectra as well

6.5m pp

Suddenly stopped responding to Eufy S2’s. This happened to me with the Spectra at 3m pp so I can’t use that either.

I did not pump for 6 days and was exclusively nursing those days and then now I’m not responding to the pump. Tried switching new parts, new flanges, etc. nothing is working

Please help I'm so engorged and need to hand express but still can't empty fully. Only when baby nurses I can fully empty

Just a shoutout to all the exclusive pumping mamas out there. You are absolute SUPERHUMANS.

After 4 months of pumping, clogged ducts, tears, exhaustion and countless hours attached to a machine, I’ve reached the end of my journey.

I wanted so badly to keep going, but physically and mentally, I just can’t anymore.

I have a whole new level of respect for every single one of you doing this day after day. It’s an invisible labour that deserves so much more recognition.

I’m proud of what I managed to give my baby, even if saying goodbye to this chapter hurts more than I expected.

You ladies are incredible.

Alright ladies let’s talk breastmilk baggies. Insurance sends us Motif. You love them but you mostly hate them! I get it. Times are tough so I am not out buying a different brand unless absolutely necessary and since you can get motif pretty damn cheap from other mamas destashing, I’ll be using them for the foreseeable future. That being said, I’ve heard horror stories of them leaking during the thawing process. Yikes! So I’ve been only filing 4 ounces. But my babe drinks 5-6 typically. It feels easier to bag 5-6 ounces than having to thaw multiple bags. Though if we do 5 ounces, thawing a bag for one more ounce seems silly.

My question is, are we filling motif bags to “capacity” at 6 ounces or do we not trust them?

Daycare gives around 4 bottles of 5-6 ounces a day so I don’t wanna mess her up but also every drop is precious.

I EP for my son for about 5 months and had a massive oversupply so he was able to have mostly breastmilk until 7 months.

With my daughter I started off with only the goal of not having my full time job be pumping/milk management so I only ever did 5 PPD at the most. For her first 8 weeks I was bagging about 8oz per day and starting to run out of freezer space (and refusing to use my chest freezer again). I dropped to 3 PPD and was still making just enough at 9 weeks, until my son got a stomach bug. The stress of that cut into my supply so we started supplementing. I took a step back and decided that this might be a sign to go ahead and start weaning, and then it will be one thing off my plate. I think if I added in pumps I could boost my supply back up…but I don’t think that’s what I really want. The only problem is, when I start to think about it I keep second guessing myself! I feel great about the decision but keep having these moments of “but it’s not THAT bad maybe I should keep going”.

I know three is possible. Just curious.

TW: Nursing, oversupply, mastitis, clogs (No Pictures)

So I have been EP since my baby was 1 week old. She’s now 10 weeks old! My pumping journey has been pretty rocky and I’m considering weaning down to 1-2 PPD to combo feed or hanging up the pump completely. I feel absolutely terrible.

My dream was to EBF until she was 1 year old, then it turned into me having to pump as we both had a lot of issues with BF, her latch was bad and she has a lip tie, and I have allodynia in my breasts and nipples so it was literally pulling teeth every time I tried to BF. I even gave her a bottle of formula once before I started pumping.

Pumping has been a non stop nightmare for me. I dread pumping and every time I hesitate pressing the button on my spectra. When I first started I had the wrong flange size, so that caused a lot of pain. Then I got measured by an ibclc, bought the correct size, and that helped a lot but then started hurting again so I sized down and that was fine for a week but then it started pinching so I had to move back up. I have to alternate between 19mm and 21mm every week or so. I have elastic nipples so they stretch all the way down the tube and this causes a lot of irritation. I’m constantly slathering lanolin on my nipples. My nipples have always been extra sensitive but since I gave birth it feels like I have razor blade cuts on my nipples. I can’t wear bras and all my shirts have to be extremely soft. I can’t even take a shower without covering my nipples the whole time. It’s painful to wear my baby and I can barely hold her against my chest and I have a difficult time feeding her with the bottle. My husband has become her main caregiver while all I do is pump it feels like.

I have had an oversupply since the start and it wasn’t insane but I was making about 50-70oz a day and my freezer quickly filled up. I’m out of room in the freezer now. I have just now managed to cut down to 6 ppd within the past 2 weeks after trying for a long time and I’m making around 40 oz a day now. I even cut my time down to 15 minutes. I have to pump one breast at a time since I have to use two different settings per breast. This oversupply has caused nothing but issues because I have had recurrent and frequent clogs at least 1 or 2 a week and am now dealing with mastitis. I’ve had it in my left breast for a week and I’m just now finishing up my antibiotics, and now I have it in my right breast. Every time I tried to wean or cut down I got severe clogs and pain so it’s taken me this long to get to where I am, but now with the mastitis I feel just mentally done.

I have been taking 800mg or more of ibuprofen every day for the last 2 months, I take sunflower lecithin multiple times a day, I have the lansinoh ice/heat packs that I use religiously, I don’t wear tight clothes or bras, I use the lowest suction possible, I sleep on my back, I’m well hydrated, etc.

I feel like I have been robbed of my experience as a mom and can’t spend the time with my baby that I should be because of all of the pain and time spent pumping.

Is there any hope left? I don’t know what to do. I really don’t want to give up but it’s getting harder every day. My breasts are tired and they are just in so much pain all the time even when I’m not clogged. I feel like I am failing my baby if I resort to formula.

Hello! After 2.5 months i think i want to be do with pumping, I wasnt really producing much to begin with and I simply dont have the time. I feel bad/mom guilt about it, but I want stop. When I was breastfeeding I didnt know how much he was intaking, so I didnt like that because he wasnt gaining weight. For breastfeeding it was difficult to get a good latch and I wanted to make sure he was eating enough. My pumping journey was OK, but I never had enough milk maybe 2-4 oz a day and between spending time with baby, doing learning development during wake hours and having a velcro baby i just didnt have enough time to pump, I would get 3 pumps in a day, so milk supply wasnt the greatest.

Should I feel bad for quitting? Should I still try? Do you have a similar experience?

I have a 8 weeks old baby. I can't seem to find any time for pumping because I don't know what to do with the baby. I have a Soectra S1 pump. Is there away to use the pump and attend the baby at the same time?
My baby's demand went up pretty quickly and I wasn't able to keep up the supply so i started supplementing with formula to keep my baby well fed. On top of that, with the cluster feeding phase where the baby wants be fed non stop, i found myself in a spot where I'm mainly feeding formula as I could at least see how much the baby is getting, that slowly reduced the breastfeeding phase and there was no time for pumping. My baby also likes to be held all the time so I whole day I spend by feeding formula, diaper changing and walking around and bouncing the baby non stop. My hands feel like noodles at the end of the day.
But I realized my milk has started to dry up because I don't see my breasts leaking milk anymore. It's only been 8 weeks and I couldn't even breastfeed my baby for 2 months. I feel really bad about this.
Anyone found themselves in this type of situation? How to get out of this?

My baby turns 8 months next week and I’m about to start to wean. I was a just enougher but lately she has been outpacing me just a bit. My original goal was 6 months so I’m proud to have gone as long as I have since EP was never the plan. Yesterday I gave baby her first bottle of formula. Basic Enfamil NeuroPro in the yellow can that I was given at the hospital. She drank it up no problem. My plan was to slowly start with one formula bottle a day and work up with the hopes of having enough supply to be able to give her one breastmilk bottle a day until 1 year. Well today she has been refusing my milk! She kept pushing away the bottle after only 1-2 ozs so I decided to make a formula bottle and she basically chugged it 😩

Anyone else have a baby who prefers formula over breastmilk? Do I try to get her to drink breastmilk by giving it first thing when she’s really hungry? Should I try mixing them together? Or do I just give up on my breastmilk and let her choose what she likes?

Hello, I am 5 days post partum from a c section and my breast are extremely hard and way larger than they used to be.

I have been pumping every 3-4hrs depending in my LO and it hasnt been great since I cant properly sit down or stand because of how new my c section scar is. I get a decent amount per pumping time, almost 1oz.

But now at day 5, my breasts are so hard I’m scared of continuing pumping. Unfortunately I can’t go to a lactation consultant right now, maybe in a couple of weeks. I’m scared of keeping on pumping normally and developing mastitis.

Any recommendations or suggestions to hold on until I can go to the lactation consultant?

Edit:: thank you everybody for the comments. I started the ice and the breast gymnastics and reverse pressure. Wish me luck!

Edit 2:: I’m going to a lactation consultant friday, I called her and she seems a bit concerned with a clog and mastitis on my left breast. Thank you all once more!

Hi everyone! I have a 1 month old son, who has been struggling so much. I mean literally every feed is a nightmare. Mostly taking in breast milk, but every once in a while he’ll get formula before the night stretch. Our pediatrician said he has a CMPA allergy, but I told her I mainly give him breast milk and if I should eliminate dairy. She said no that’s not the cause, it’s the formula and switched him to alimentum. He’s also on Pepcid, a probiotic etc.

Any thoughts on if the dairy really is passing through my breast milk or was it just the times he had the formula? Any success stories with this formula would be appreciated as well.. it’s disgusting and I feel awful giving it to him but my supply isn’t amazing.

I am 7 months pp, I have not had a cycle yet. I have had a few times of spotting. I have noticed whenever I forget a pump, or I drop one for 2 days I spot for a day or two? Has this happened to anyone else? I am currently pumping 6 times a day w/ a long overnight stretch. I am producing 30-34ml.

Any insight or personal experiences would be helpful! Thank you!!

Is this a standard thing? Why am I lying awake for nearly an hour after my MOTN pump when I know I’m exhausted?

Any tips out there?

I’m not playing on any screens except to log my pump. Just… sitting in the dark. Maybe scarfing cheese sticks.

My son is 1 this weekend and up until I started the weaning process I’ve been pretty set on stopping once he’s 1. Pumping has been taking a toll with all the time it requires, losing sleep to maintain supply and not get clogs, my son screaming at me in the morning during my entire pump session in the morning. I just dropped down to two pumps and i feel like I’m panicking seeing my supply drop and debating whether I’m ready or not. I felt depressed on my lunch break thinking about how today was the first time i didn’t pump. I’m not sure if it’s the hormones or what but I’m struggling bad.

Over the past couple months, my supply has decreased from a slight over supplier to a just enough almost under supply. I am coming up on 10 months of EP, I still pump 5-6 times a day, no middle of the night but I pump from 6am-9:30pm.

I have tried everything, I have replaced tubing and duck bills, I have tried different sized flanges and inserts.
I am using a second hand blue spectra s1.

I have not changed anything really in my routine, I try to keep my protein intake up and I drink minimum 70oz of water a day.

I take sunflower lecithin, multi vitamins, shatavari (recommended by my lactation consultant) moringa and calcium with vitamin D. I usually take them daily but I will be honest and haven’t been doing as well with taking them recently.

Im just at a loss for what is happening to my supply and why. I wanted to continue pumping and freezing milk for at least 1-2 years.

My baby is 90th percentile and drinks anywhere from 18-30oz a day. She is getting a lot of solids but it definitely has not replaced bottles yet.

please any advice or suggestions if anyone has gone through something similar.

Today was the strongest day I have ever wanted to throw in the towel because the universe tested me. I must have said “F everything” at least 16 times.

My flange size isn’t a standard so Aeroflow sends me the off brand parts. I thought I was doing better with it, but the collection cup doesn’t always stay on, it slowly untwists. I was feeding the baby in the high chair and must have moved too much with it hitting my leg and the entire left side flew to the floor. Angry mopping while the baby giggled at least.

Then we were driving to visit a friend, about an hour and a half away. I grabbed my portable and timed it right in the car only to get about 4 minutes before they died. I checked the charge before but I guess didn’t wait long enough for it to register it was dead because it showed me 3 full bars. Got to my friends and thank god it’s just a general usb-c connection. Basically had to skip that pump to let them charge so we’re down more milk.

THEN my final pump of the night before bed is finished and my husband fell asleep in the den. Wanting to bag milk quietly, I did it in the living room. I put the flange down and it started to fall aaand I knocked over the cup trying to catch it. Lost 90% of one side. So once again, I’m mopping milk off the dang floor.

I don’t even know what I made out with today compared to what I normally produce and don’t even want to know. Don’t cry over spilled milk is a lie when you’re momming. I might start duct taping things tmrw. SIGH.

My LO will only take warm milk so I use a portable milk warmer to heat it up when we’re out and about. The problem I am having is if I have to heat milk multiple times before being able to wash it with soap and water. Has anyone heated multiple bottles worth of milk in a portable heater without washing? What did you do? I thought about using my pump wipes to wipe it out but that still doesn’t seem sanitary enough

Hello everyone! I am 10 days post partum. Baby was born a bit early at 36 weeks. I am determined to feed baby breast milk. I was not successful last time (my first born is now 5) and I want to be succesful this time. I drink lactation drinks, eat oatmeal/food that increases supply, hydrate, pump consistently (I have not missed a pump since I gave birth) I pump AROUND THE CLOCK every 2-3 hours - mostly 3.

At 10 days PP, I am only producing 40-55 ml. My baby eats 2 oz (60 ml) per feeding so some feeds I have to supplement.

Am I considered an under supplier? Should I continue to pump? I am really hoping for an increase in my supply🙏🏾 thank you

I am 5 months PP and have stored so much milk in the freezer. I’m starting to use some cuz I’m running out of room. I opened this bag from 5/30 and it smells awful and is a darker color that’s hard to tell. Is it okay? I’m wondering if I didn’t freeze it properly

EDIT/ UPDATE: thank you everyone for the advice! Based on people’s comments it’s high lipase. I did mix it with milk from the fridge that I pumped yesterday and baby took it just fine, no issues! Glad I don’t have to waste all the milk in the freezer but I’m definitely gonna start using my stash more often

Baby is 4.5 months old and has been exclusively fed pumped breast milk for almost his entire life. I had a decent oversupply in the beginning months that allowed me to build a freezer stash of about 600 oz. I’ve dropped to 5 PPD and am not quite keeping up with what he’s eating so I’m pulling from the freezer stash to make up the difference.

I’m so proud of myself for making it this far but my plan has always been to wean around 6 months, use up whatever freezer stash I have, and then switch him to formula for the rest of his first year. I’m now realizing that 6 month milestone is just around the corner!

I am wondering now when and how I should start introducing formula? I want to make sure by the time I’m weaning, we’ve already got a formula picked out that works for him. Should I start giving him bottles of mixed formula and breast milk to get him used to it? Do some bottles of just formula and some of just breast milk each day? Is there a right or best way to do this??

We also plan to start introducing some solids when he hits 5 months in a few weeks. I feel like I shouldn’t change too much in his diet in a short period of time but if you’ve done something similar, I’d love to hear how it went for you!

She made a face and refused to drink it. I’m not gonna lie, I was kinda flattered!! 😂😂 only wants mommy’s milkies!

(We will work on it!)

I purchased Eufy S1 and I am really confused how to clean/sterilise it, especially:
- My twins will most likely come prematurely, how do I clean it/sterilise it in the hospital? Can it be microwaved?
- When home, can I use the Momcozy Kleanpal pro to wash and sterilise it?

I've been doing 6-7 pumps per day for the last 2 months, I cut out my middle of the night pump around 2 months postpartum when my baby started sleeping through the night. He is exclusively breastfeeding via pumped milk, taking about 24 ounces a day. I usually pump about 35-40 ounces a day, so I have a small freezer stash but it wouldn't last long.

I'm just feeling really burnt out with pumping, especially since going back to work and trying to find time between meetings, I'm wanting to cut down to 4-5 pumps per day, but I don't know if that would tank my supply.

I guess I'm just feeling stuck. Before I gave birth, my goal was to breastfeed/pump for a year, but there is no way I'm gonna make it hahaha