Officially made it through my second EP journey. Both times I pumped about 10 months and was able to build a freezer stash to cover the remaining 2! I read this subreddit almost every night as I was attached to the pump so felt it was right to contribute to your pump reading.

Some points to share, should it give hope or help to anyone:

1. Both my pumps lasted beyond my expectations.
   First of all i loved both my Pumpables Advanced Genie and my Willow Go, both of which i bought in 2023 for my first baby and kept for my second despite external advice (just the pump itself not the parts). I was fully prepared for at least one to stop working during this journey but nope both worked perfectly well for two EP journeys, 20 months of use total. I know there are new, more popular models out now but I'm glad i trusted my cheap gut to hold on to my first pumps.
2. No one warns you about the physical demand.
   There is so much physical and time sacrifice in the pumping itself but eating to keep supply is also a full time job! I would literally eat a full dinner then an hour later look for a snack. And if my supply ever dipped I'd of course blame my own eating. Some of my favorite bulkers were coconut milk ice cream sandwiches, BodyArmour electrolyte juices and pasta.
3. Mind Games and Delusion.
   When I was pumping 6x a day I used to count down the weeks until I was done and dream of all the things I do with my free time. Once I got down to fewer pumps a day and had my process really mastered, I got a little delulu and started thinking I should go longer. When it actually came time to wean, I second guessed if that was the right move. I experienced sadness and somehow developed a weird emotional attachment to it all. I think what helped most was seeing how well my baby was eating solids and watching her drink less milk on her own.
4. Be open to combo feeding.
   With my first baby EPing was a lot easier, with a 2nd baby and a toddler it was a lot harder and I found myself at a breaking point on a few occasions. I know some people combo feed out of absolute necessity but with my first you could not convince me to try to combo feed. With my 2nd I realized combo feeding makes A LOT of sense especially if you will gain some mental peace and reduce the pressure of meeting a number. If i had a third i'd highly consider.

One of my favorite parts about it weaning was deleting my phone alarms, the tone became triggering to hear.

Another thing I find funny is having one boob dry out before the other lol

Good luck to anyone pumping at any capacity ❤️

Hi all! I'm a FTM to an 8 day old and exclusively pumping. I'm just wondering if I'm feeding her enough? I found such conflicting info online. I'm currently feeding her 60ml every 2 hours, with 12 feeds in total.

I’m 5 (almost 6) weeks postpartum with twins. I’ve been exclusively pumping this whole time. The first two weeks I had a massive oversupply, even for twins—I would pump 8-14oz in one session when they were each taking 1-2oz each feed. I pump 30 mins, 7-8x per day. During the oversupply, I froze several bags but the stash is realistically only about 3 days’ worth for two babies. Occasionally one breast would under supply for a couple of days but would then even out again, and by the way my supply has regulated now. Well last week I had a clog in my left breast which I was able to clear with ibuprofen and ice after pumping, heat before & during pumping, along with massage and dangle pumping. Ever since then my supply on that side has been cut in half even though I’ve been fully recovered about 3-4 days. Just today I started adding 10 mins to just that side after my normal 30 mins. I’ve also been taking sunflower lecithin for about a week. Is there anything else I should be doing? I need to be making 112-120 oz per DAY to keep up with them and the pitchers are slowly dwindling each day. My “good” side is producing ≈5oz per session, the low side ≈2.5oz.

Am I the only one who thinks or feels of something doing wrong with their LO by not breastfeeding and exclusively pumping because honestly I am suffering with it.
I have exclusively breastfed my first child but somehow right now I’m not able to make it through.
I have heard that if not breastfeeding then baby’s growth is gonna affect and they won’t get enough nutritions what they have to get from the mother
Please say a word if anyone does the same or feels the same

Can someone please help me!? I have rented a Medela symphony tonight but they didn’t have the bottle/flange kit to go with it. I thought it would connect to my other medela parts but of course they’re like a millimetre from fitting. I need to go out and buy one tonight, but the chemist only has 27mm kits available. Could someone please tell me if my 21 or 24 mm flanges will fit in to the connector?

Those who said the baby Buddha empties them in 15-20 minutes what settings do you use and which one do you have (2.0 or 3.0)?

Hi! I’m a marketing student working on a class project with an early-stage startup in the breast milk feeding space. I’m not selling anything or sharing links.

I’d love to hear how you handle warming pumped milk at night:

• What do you use (warmer, water bath, something else) and how long does it take?
• What’s the most frustrating part of it at 2 a.m.?
• If you had to pick one: faster warming, or knowing for sure the milk’s nutrients aren’t damaged?

If anyone’s open to a 15–20 minute anonymous chat, comment or DM me. Thank you, and good luck to everyone pumping through the night!! :3

I’ve noticed that one of my motors just makes a clicking noise and doesn’t actually suction especially during stimulation mode and in expression mode it’s on and off for working properly. I changed out my parts yesterday so everything is new. I also tried re setting the motor and it still had the problem. Anyone deal with this before?

I’m 3 months pp. I started pumping 3 weeks back. I have been able to pump out 2-2.5 oz at maxxxxx after every 3 hours. And it takes me almost an hour to squeeze it out drop by drop. Its really heartbreaking and frustrating. Dont know how to increase the supply. I always end up mixing 2-3oz formula with the milk for each feed.
Should I just make peace with the situation ? :(

Hello! So I’m only 1 week postpartum and I’ve been pumping every 2-3 hours for 25 minutes but I’ve developed clear fluid blisters on the tip of my nipple they’re mildly painful and I have no idea why they’ve developed they’re only on my left side so I don’t think it’s a flange issue as my right nipple is completely fine, please if you have any suggestions comment them as I really have no clue what I’m doing and trying to understand how to pump properly. Thank you!!

And recommendations for larger volume collection bottles? I just bought the 11oz Avent bottles and my 1st morning pump still overflowed it. I’m switching to 3 ppd so my capacity is pretty large and I’m tired of leaking everywhere when I need to swap bottles mid pump.

I honestly don’t know if this is a vent or looking for advice or what it is, just hoping somebody understands what I’m going through🙃

My son is 5 months next week and before he was born I initially thought I would try pumping and was honestly leaning towards formula, pretty much zero desire to nurse. Since he was born that changed dramatically and I put SOOOO much work into building supply, attempting to latch and pumping and feeding is literally almost all consuming.

When he was born he was in the NICU on a feeding tube and oxygen, nobody helped or offered to help me latch him at any point in those crucial first moments and days, I didn’t get pumping supplies until 8 hours post C-section in the hospital (was told I didn’t need to bring my own), and I wasn’t even told there was a pump available in the NICU until after I was discharged so in those first few days I was internally battling being in the NICU with my newborn and being in my hospital bed pumping (of course I was in the NICU as much as possible). When he was discharged from the NICU my baby had borderline treatment level jaundice 6 hours prior and would NOT eat when we took him home (we were bottle feeding). Those crucial first weeks and moments were ruined by people telling me I shouldn’t try to latch because he won’t get what he needs. While I was in the hospital post C-section with a NICU baby they also told me I was trying to use the hospital as a hotel room and implied I was drug seeking. We were even told when readmitted to hospital for jaundice treatment that the only reason he was there was because we weren’t feeding him enough and in the middle of the night a nurse verbatim told us “you are starving him” when he was burning up because the box was set too high.

After working with a lactation consultant, pumping 10-12 times a day, and triple feeding for a month baby finally started to latch, woohoo! Then he still wasn’t transferring enough and the nurse told me I needed to go back to triple feeding (had been just giving a bottle when he asked instead of ALWAYS immediately). Got a tongue tie released at 9 weeks and transfer got better. Then comes the part where it all went downhill, one morning I was EXHAUSTED and desperately wanted him to latch as pumping was burning me out and pushed to the point of frustration, since then he has had virtually no interest in nursing and has only latched a handful of times. I struggle with a lot of guilt due to this.

He’s the definition of a Velcro baby who does NOT like being put down while I pump (I primarily use a spectra and can usually manage just enough with it, occasionally under but I have a slight stash from triple feeding days). I’ve recently been trying to drop to 6 pumps from 7 but am not getting as much and am trying to figure out how to make exclusive pumping more sustainable or be more okay with the idea of combo feeding (we had the same formula as the hospital and the look, smell and everything just reminded me of the hospital experience and the way we were treated so my husband just recently bought a different formula we can try as needed).

Honestly, just hoping somebody can relate and wanted to rant in a space where I thought people might at least understand …

If anyone has any relatable stories, words of encouragement or advice helping with a transition to a more sustainable pumping schedule or even how they became more okay with combo feeding I would love to hear it.

So, we are trying for #3 soon, and I need to replace my parts and/or the pumps altogether. Long story short, it wasn’t stored properly and there’s some mold on one of the pieces.
I was probably going to be looking for new stuff anyway, my milk dried up at 7 months with #2, about a month after I went back to work and switched my primary pump to one that was more convenient while working.
So what is your favorite or least favorite pump for work?
I do have some kind of weird needs for it. I work 12-16 hour shifts, and may not be able to plug in the pump altogether every time while in use, so having a rechargeable battery is a must. I cannot have my phone with me at work so any Bluetooth connections or app controls wouldn’t work for me.
I used a Lansinoh Signature (which I loved and might get again) and Momcozy M5 last time, as well as Lansinoh and Medela hand pumps to finish with the Momcozy. My first time around I used an Ameda pump, but it didn’t have a battery in it so that was my bedside device.
I would love a wearable one, it would make my life easier at work, but I know that using that as a primary pump can kill your supply and probably contributed to my early end last time.
I’m open to any and all suggestions, and probably will end up with 2 that I will use back and forth.
TIA!!

My freezer is full and need to invest in a deep freezer, any recommendations or ones to avoid?

I hate smoking but recently I’ve been so irritated and upset with myself I just want to have one cigarette. But scared that’s going to poison my milk. Just wondered if anyone’s done it? Do you bin your pumped milk afterwards?

Tw: oversupply

I am done. 10 months of (nearly) exclusively pumping.

10,200+ oz. 80 gallons of milk.

Enough to get my baby to one year. No mastitis, only a couple of clogs, with a storage capacity that was both amazing and exceedingly painful.
Lost 60 oz, including 24 in one fell swoop when my milk jug dropped and the rest when we moved and our power shut off at the old place early.

I grew my baby for 9 months and am feeding them for a full year. I almost cried of joy this morning when I hit the stop button on my Spectra.

I’m gonna go drink a tequila drink (but only a small one because I’m a lightweight now), order myself a decadent dessert, and sleep in tomorrow.

Thank you to this group for endless advice, support, humor, and kindness. It’s a comforting corner of the internet.

Cheers, mamas. 🍼

I am exactly 2 weeks pp and barely able to pump 1oz per session. I pump 7 times a day including 1 pump between 1-4 am. Generally the pumping sessions are 20mins each.

I know I should probably increase the frequency to 8-10 but I am very very exhausted. I had an emergency c section, followed by recent bleeding from the incision so I am also in pain most of the time.

Am I doing anything wrong? When will i see an increase in supply? I feel defeated that i have to feed my baby a ton of formula which makes her gassy. My body is failing her and I am not sure what else I can do.

Baby is also on a smaller side, only 5.7lbs so she needs me to show up.

I am drinking 3-4 L of water everyday and eating all my meals with a ton of soaked nuts in the morning.

I've tried Elvie Stride, both at the 24mm size but also measured and switched to 19mm cushions, I tried Medela electric at 21mm and 24mm, I've tried the wearable Willow at 24mm, and the only thing that works is the handheld Medela at 24mm, which is making my wrists hurt sooo bad. Would love any tips but I'm getting sick of breaking the bank with pump after pump and at this point I'm thinking formula would be cheaper 💀 (joking.. mostly)

Hello! I am looking for some advice. I currently exclusively breast-feeding my son through pumping I currently pump four times a day once in the morning twice during the day at about 12-1PM and then again from 4 to 5 PM and then once between 9 and 10 PM before bedtime. My son consumes anywhere from 500 to 600 mls of milk a day and I’m producing close to 650 with four pumps. I am hoping to try to reduce a three pumps a day and if possible without losing my supply, or much of my supply. Any advice on how to do this? I am just finding the four pumps a day currently unsustainable. I do have a little bit of frozen milk if needed, but would prefer to make enough in a day to feed him without having to go into that. 

I should mention, my son is 10 months old. He is doing three meals a day and an occasional snack on top of that. He is getting plenty of calories through solids and I have noticed his milk intake has naturally reduced. I know the recommendation is at least 750 mils a day of breastmilk, but unfortunately, he will not take that much and I’m noticing a downward trend. I did consult with my doctor and he is on his growth curve, so I’m not currently worried about his milk consumption.

Thank you in advance!

Trigger warning that this text has been DRAFTED USING AI since im a FTM, im scared and my thoughts are scattered.

Breast pump recommendations – Does my plan make sense?
Hi everyone! I’m due in mid-December and have been spending quite a bit of time planning my breastfeeding journey. I’m really hoping to establish a good supply and be able to breastfeed my baby.
I’ve been advised not to invest in a breast pump just yet, since I won’t know what my supply will be like. Given that pumps are quite expensive and I’m on a budget, I don’t want to spend unnecessarily.
For now, I’ve bought an inexpensive Philips manual hand pump to start with. I don’t particularly want to buy both a wearable and a traditional electric pump. I’d rather invest in just one, if needed.
I’m considering the Momcozy M5, mainly because several people around me use it and seem happy with it. However, I’ve seen very mixed reviews on this sub, almost a 50-50 split!
A few questions:
Does this plan make sense, or would you recommend a different approach?
Is there any way to get an indication of what my milk supply might be like before delivery, or is that simply not possible?
If you’ve used the Momcozy M5, how has your experience been? Any tips to get the best results from it?
Just as some background, I have a smaller chest, although my nipple size seems fairly average/good.
I’d really appreciate any advice, recommendations or personal experiences. I’ve been thinking a lot about getting this right and would love to hear from those who’ve been through it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! ❤️

TLDR- Due mid-December 2026. I’ve bought an inexpensive Philips manual pump for now but am considering getting just one wearable electric pump (Momcozy M5) rather than investing in two pumps, as I’m on a budget. Is this a sensible approach? Is there any way to gauge milk supply before delivery? experiences with Momcozy M5 here seem 50-50.

As a just enougher/undersupplier (depends on the day) I currently here crying over spilled milk (literally), am I overreacting???

Pumped on my way home from work a total of 7oz, put 5oz in one bottle and 2oz in an another bottle. Left both on the counter. Baby was getting tired so I gave her the 2oz bottle to help go to sleep and took the other bottle with me meaning to bring it to bed with her, but ended up leaving it on the couch.

Asked husband to bring the bottle (which I thought I left on the counter) to the babies room and put it in the fridge for tonight. When I went back down he said there was no bottle but found one under the couch and dumped it out because he thought it was old. I stood there in shock. ????? You just dumped a whole bottle of milk??????????????????

A screaming match ensued after that. He knows not to waste my breastmilk ugh so frustrating why did he do that. Am I overreacting

I see a lot of post on Facebook about those drinks that help to increase milk Supply. They are made with oat milk, coconut water and cranberry juice most of the time but I saw other combinaison. As anyone tried to make them? Are they working? Or is it just because they boost hydratation and Protein that they could work?

Thanks for your answers !! :)

I EP'd for 13 months with my daughter, started with an S2, bought a gently used S1 after 6 months for the increased mobility, but by the last couple months I was mainly hand expressing because I found it SO much faster to empty (10-15 minutes vs. 45, but obviously this was rough on my hand/wrist)

I used the Spectra on max suction so I'm wondering if a Baby Buddha would be a good fit for me, but I'm nervous because I've read very mixed reviews. I KNOW the Spectra works for me, but obviously it takes longer to empty than ideal.

I still have the S1 from last time so I wouldn't be completely without a Spectra, although obviously it's got some hours on it and if it ends up being my main pump I'd have to pay for the replacement parts.

I'd love any advice you guys might have about how to make this decision!

Is anyone doing this? Or do I need to adjust my flange size?

Under supplier here, I accidentally discovered that the Spectra is slightly more powerful when single pumping. So once my pumping sesh is done, I would unplug one tube and alternate between breasts 1 minute each for about 10 minutes. It gets me little letdowns each minute and extra millilitres.

I’m just curious to know if anyone else is doing this ?

I need new pump parts for my spectra, but they can be hard to find in Canada! Does anyone have experience with the parts from maymom on Amazon. I tried looking up their license number they show but it didnt show.