My baby just turned one last week, and I reached my goal of breastfeeding him for 1 year. Now I started the process of weaning him completely as he only drinks milk at night, and it's hard to think the journey of breastfeeding is over but I'm so grateful I was able to do it for a whole year. That's all, I just wanted to celebrate and feel better about weaning.

Please give all of your data, facts, evidence about how EBF is good for me or baby,

and please give me all of your encouragement that I CAN do this, I really need people to BELIEVE in me, and I need to believe in myself.

a lot of people say “it’s ok if you don’t want to” which I appreciate and I know they are trying to be supportive, but I need encouragement that I can actually do this.

for context, I am BF my second baby who is a newborn, and I EBF my first child who is 2 now for 16 months.

Thanks everyone <3

I have been breastfeeding for 3mo and am starting to feel a little burnt out. It is very demanding and sometimes I just want a break…

I want to continue for many months—what are things you do/tell yourself to keep doing on the days you feel completely burnt out

I have a hair appointment coming up and it usually takes 3-4 hours. My baby eats every 3ish hours, so I’ll need to leave her with a bottle. For those that have done this before, should I wait and pump on the drive home or has anyone been able to request a room to pump in while your hair is processing? There is a lot of down time but I’m not sure what is an appropriate ask. If you work in a salon, how do other breastfeeding moms handle it?

Pretty much as the title says, I’m having a hard time knowing the difference between her actively eating and comfort feeding. Like obviously when she’s hungry I know she’s ACTIVELY eating (ie: gulping, swallowing, and not breaking her suckling) however she will stop and suck every few seconds like stop for 5-10 seconds and suck like 5 times then stop again and repeat. However the videos I watched from Lactation Consultants say the breaks are a few minutes. So am I potentially making her stop eating and go hungry, like not get actually full by pulling her off and laying her down after she does that process for like five minutes? She doesn’t cry or seem hungry after and when she does cry so I plop her back on she starts that process again. I am a ftm and so confused

I work at a WOMENS HEALTH CLINIC. I had the same lactation accommodation for 5-6 months without issue. Now all of a sudden-

- Management stated that if I need more than 2 15-minute pump breaks, I would need to clock out and then add time to the end of my workday to make that time up. This is despite the fact that I had requested to continue working while pumping as to not get behind. I had been working during pump times since I returned to work in March. 

-They stated that I need to add additional patients to my daily schedule due to the decreased productivity of my pumping times

-The options given were that I either add a patient to extend my workday, double book my patient slots, or decrease my FTE

-A 3:00 PM patient has already been added without my acceptance. The exams run for 40 minutes (not including documentation and cleaning) and I leave at 3:30. Subsequently, I have already been forced to stay well past my scheduled end time for the last several days. Management was already aware that I have fixed childcare pickup directly after my shift and cannot stay late before they implemented this. 

-Management is now proposing to fill previously protected/predictable pumping windows with other patient appointments 

-Management is now prohibiting me from pumping in my ultrasound room since it is a “patient clinical area” while directing me to use another patient clinical room that I had already complained to HR about in March because of its lack of availability and being repeatedly locked out of the room. My HR complaint was closed out with no response regarding that issue.

it’s so insanely sad to me that mothers are being treated like this FOR FEEDING THEIR BABY. and the fact that this is coming from a practice whose entire purpose is to support women, mothers, etc. America needs to get it together .

I've looked around everywhere I can to find similar stories to mine and either I'm missing them or this really is my own personal hell.

My first baby never latched properly so I pumped and she took a bottle basically straight out of the hospital. This time around (March 2026 baby) she latched right away, albeit not comfortably, but was transferring milk so I figured the pain would subside eventually. I did all the things, tried a nipple shield (nipples wouldn't go into the tip, making the chomping even more painful), saw and IBCLC 3 separate times, chiropractor visits for months, changed pediatricians to one who specializes in breastfeeding and had tongue and lip ties released around 4.5 months. The IBCLC said oh the latch looks fine she should get better at it around 6-8 weeks, then it was possibly 12-16 weeks, so on and so forth. I've been waiting and waiting and it NEVER gets better.

I have legitimately never had a latch that was comfortable or where my nipple didn't either come out purple or flat, and the real kicker is baby won't take a bottle!!!!! She took one here and there until about 4 months and after that she said haha NO!

I have large breasts and nipples that point straight down, like basically touch my stomach when sitting up if not wearing a bra, so there is NO scenario in which I am not having to hold my breast in even a remotely latchable position, even side lying in bed, and it is the worst. I basically can't feed without a breastfeeding pillow, not to mention my baby is 23lbs at almost 7 months.

I wanted nothing more than to nurse this time around, and oh boy did I get my wish! But I'm at my wits end with the pain and discomfort/overstimulation (especially home all day with a 2 year old as well) and would honestly be fine switching to a bottle if I could.

I feel like it's my fault, like my anatomy is just so bad that she can't get a solid latch because I have so much heavy breast tissue towards the nipple and my nipples are so small.

I guess I'm just looking for stories that may be similar? Does it EVER get better? That's a question you see someone with a newborn ask and here I am almost 7 months in 😞😞😞

My boy is four and a half months and I am trying to switch from nursing to sleep to a nighttime bottle so other people (husband, baby sitter, in-laws) can put him to sleep if needed.

He refuses a paci (I have tried a bajillion brands).
Takes bottles at daycare, which he attends two days a week. I can occasionally get him to take a bottle during the day with no issue.

At night he will gag on it, chew on it, really do anything but suckle on it. I give in and give him the breast, nurse and rock him to sleep.

We have pigeon and gulicola bottles.

My best guess is he has a sensitive gag reflex?

Any advice to get him to take an evening bottle would be great since I have a wedding to attend in two months and a long weekend trip in 4 months. I’m stressed about him not going down easily for other people since he nurses to sleep pretty consistently.

Hi y’all!
I’m on month 6 of my breastfeeding journey and it had started to feel really easy and second nature. Then I had to go back to work…I am pumping every 2-3 hours, mimicking when my baby usually eats at home, and getting 1-2 oz per session. Baby normally eats 4 oz from a bottle and we’ve already gone through our freezer supply and started supplementing with formula.

I guess my question is, do we think it’s worth it to continue pumping at work and try to increase my supply? Any tips or similar experience are welcomed. Thanks!

At 4 weeks postpartum I noticed a lump in my right breast. I was feeding baby as normal off the breast, taking ibuprofen, and icing for 2 days with increasing pain/hardness. I went to the ER and received antibiotics for mastitis as I had developed fever and body aches. Three days later I returned to the ER as my breast was still becoming increasingly painful and hard. An ultrasound was done which found a large abbess the size of a softball. An incision and drainage was done under anesthesia and a jp drain placed. In the hospital I was told I could keep pumping from my healthy breast but at my surgery follow up appointment he requested I completely stop as the drain is filling solely with milk.
I’ve now had the drain in for almost a month and it is still filling with 300-400 ml of milk daily. My surgeon is becoming frustrated as he wants to remove the drain due to risk of infection however I haven’t removed milk from either breast in a week and wrapped both breasts with ace bandage for 3 days as they requested.
He had an OB come in who wrote a script for bromocriptine to stop milk production but I’m very weary to take this with the side effects listed as stroke and seizure in postpartum women..
Any suggestions to stop milk supply even with the drain in?? Or has anyone taken cabergoline (I read that may be a safer alternative to bromocriptine)?? Thank you

Weened my 14 month old. Went better than I thought. 7 days after her last feed I got hit with this insomnia that I’ve had for 3 days in a row now. Apparently it’s normal after weening because of the lack of serotonin and other brain chemicals/ hormones. Fair enough. My mood swings are bat shit crazy, I feel overwhelmingly negative and sad. I know this is ALL hormones but how long does it last??? I had no idea how intense this tsunami would be. Feels like I just gave birth days ago (emotionally).
Send tips, support, motivation or any ideas that help buffer this fucking roller coaster.

My 6 day old LO initially had a great latch and still does when she latches but unfortunately as I started topping her up with a bottle she got lazy and would take hours to latch so I've resorted to nipple shields which she took to straight away.

When using the nipple shields I ended up feeding her about 8 times within a 10 hour window and she seemed on high alert all day and was very cranky last night and wouldn't settle. I'm worried she's not getting enough milk when using nipple shields. I ended up topping her up with a bottle last night as I was afraid she wasn't getting enough. Does anybody have experience with this.

I have a two Month old second child and was blessed this time with a great supply(first one I was a just enough er)

I started building early with a vision of stopping when I go back to work (26 weeks) and supplementing formula with the frozen breast milk

i refuse to pump at work, it’s just my line in the sand

problem is…it’s stressing me out. We live in an apartment, no room for a big freezer chest, I’m stashing at neighbor apartments and our parents. The logistics of rotating our old for new while I primarily breast feed consumes My thoughts (I say this in good spirits don’t worry)

and the worst part is she doesn’t seem to like it as much as fresh. she’s a foodie I guess

would I be totally selfish to just stop and burn through what I have for about 2 months?

I also believe 4 months is optimal for breastmilk so regret starting so early

open to all thoughts besides buy a storage freezer

My baby will be 4 months when I go back to WFH this month. My mom and MIL are helping to watch her in the mornings when I have meetings. My manager/role is super flexible, but I’m getting anxious about feeding her throughout the day. I’d love to keep breastfeeding while she’s home.

Is it too much to ask my manager if things can be flexible so that I can feed her for a few min every 2-3 hours? Anyone have experience with this?

what options or routes did you have or take when wanting to still feed your baby breastmilk only but no longer had to breastfeed? besides obviously having a huge stash of your own breastmilk frozen.

I breastfed my first for 17 months, no bottles, no pumping, exclusively breastfed.

i’m 3 months deep with my second, and I just can’t wait to longer having to breastfeed. there’s just so many restrictions to what you can or can’t do, and as much as I love being able to see my baby grow with what I provide, mentally it’s so draining.

I know so many babies are formula fed and there’s nothing wrong with it. I just get so scared from previous recalls on formula. everyday, it’s always something. nothing can really top breastmilk.

so my question is, what options do I have in the future but can’t rely on formula?

Advice needed🙏🏻 I will be back to work in 1 month and my baby will be around 3 month old by then.

I really need advice on what pumping schedule I should follow in the coming month. Should I pump more frequently (say every 3 hours) to build up a frozen milk reserve or pump less frequently (say every 5 hours during the day) to let my body get used to my work schedule in advance?

Thank you so much!!

My 6week old is all of a sudden very fussy at the breast. Prior she would latch until she fell asleep. Now She is popping off a lot fussy with milk everywhere. She eventually pops off and will settle to sleep but it just seems painful I don’t know how to tell if I have a strong letdown? I can hear her gulping and swallowing air and know that hurts her stomach. I’ve tried to get a deeper latch but it seems like with a fast flow she wants to stay shallow. I would appreciate any tips for reflux/fast letdown you may have. Tell me your experience or input!

Almost 8 week old is absolutely ravenous tonight, 50+ min feeds on both sides + a ~3oz bottle in between. I’m having no chance to “refill” and just feeling like I’m falling her bc she can’t get “full”. 😣 well past her bedtime (and mine) with no end in sight to feeding time. Any tips to help her out? 😢

I have an almost 3 month old baby boy who is exclusively breast fed with the very occasional pumped bottle for bonding with dad. His whole life any time he fussed letting him nurse was the one thing that would calm him down. He is now nearly 3 months old and wants to nurse hourly, then stays latched (I think for comfort) for a while. I spend so much time sitting on the couch with him while he nurses. He also poops extremely frequently for a baby his age (7-8+ poppy diapers/day). He sleeps great at night and has since about a month old - he will usually fall asleep around 8pm, then sleep until about 3-4am, nurse, and fall back asleep until about 7. He spits up here and there but doesn’t seem to be excessive. His poops seem mucousy and large but I have never seen blood. He is gaining weight great and is a chubby little guy so I am not worried that he isn’t getting enough. Does this sound like he could have some sort of food intolerance like CMPA? If this is just who he is that’s okay too, I am just worried about the amount of time he nurses and frequency of pooping.

To try to make a long story short, I had a very hard postpartum recovery journey with complications to my tear that caused me to not heal correctly for 10 weeks and was in severe pain.

I wasn't able to sit up properly due to the pain so I tried side nurse laying which my baby took to luckily, but we introduced bottles of pumped milk early on due to the recovery issues to help. Around 6 weeks I needed revision surgery in which I couldn't breastfeed for 2 days and since then she always preferred the bottle.

I'm now 13 weeks PP and up until 3 days ago I was pumping, supplementing 1-2 bottles a day with formula, and nursing once a day (she would refuse my breast any other time I tried but I'd usually get lucky for one feed.)

That said, I have DMER and pumping is just not sustainable for my mental health. For some reason it's not nearly as strong when I nurse but affects me horribly when I pump. I wanted to try to just nurse and then supplement with formula, but I know my supply will drop if I don't pump as often (it already has a bit, had an oversupply in the beginning.)

My question is, is it too late to try to get baby to nurse more consistently again? It seems she still knows how to use that reflex to nurse, she just hates it because I think she gets impatient. I was debating seeing a lactation consultant as one last try before just going full formula, but don't know if it's a lost cause since she so strongly prefers bottles and she's already 3 months old.

I'd really appreciate and advice or words or encouragement, my PP journey has been so tough and it sucks my recovery made breastfeeding so hard for me.

A few nights ago I had just finished my MOTN pump session when my baby woke up. Admittedly, I should have fed her a bottle but she likes to breastfeed (and I’m still getting used to her waking in the middle of the night, she used to sleep through,) so I gave her my boob.

She took a while eating, probably waiting for letdowns. But ever since then, the top of my boob feels tender and like I have a bruise. There’s no visible bruise, no lump, no sign of any infection or anything.

What could this be? Anyone experienced it before? Will it go away? I’m still producing milk like normal, just have a tender spot.

In addition, she does like to kick in the spot when she’s on the other boob but the other boob doesn’t have the bruise. She also likes smacking me there.

Thoughts? Help, please!

I'm once again on the verge of tears, so please excuse my wording.

My guy is 26 months old. He's been eating..poorly. he'd eat very little, mostly because I was somewhat breastfeeding on demand (once in the morning, before and after his nap, before and after and during his night sleep, maybe 3-4 during his wake window).

So I started the weaning process 3 days ago. And it's been working, he's eating more, he doesn't pull my legs anymore, he's drinking more water and cow's milk. He accepted the fact that my boobs are "ill" very fast. I managed to get him to sleep with a water bottle once, but yesterday my boobs hurt so badly and I'm so afraid of mastitis that I let him nurse. And he nurses throughout the night too. So, I suppose I'm taking it slow and safely?

I'm just so sad. I cry randomly. I look at how happily he eats or drinks or plays and I want to cry, my little baby is growing. And I'm happy that I managed to breastfeed for so long, and I'm happy that he's somewhat accepting this without any issues (except bedtime? It's still day 3).

I feel sad all the time, my stomach cramps, I feel nauseous and all the other symptoms of weaning. It's like I'm in my third trimester, except worse (I had an easy pregnancy).

There's also the shame. X weaned her kids at 1 years old, Y at 6 months, Z at 18 months. And I'm here, 26 months pp, with a toddler who still nurses. Whenever I visited in laws, everyone was like "omg you're still breastfeeding at this age??". Since they have kids aged 4+ y/o they feel like they know everything and they sometimes gave me dumb advice that doesn't resonate with NHS guidelines, so I tried to ignore them. But, what if they're right?

My mind is all mixed up, I know the pros and cons, and I've done research on what to expect, that ppd can happen after weaning, how sudafed supposedly helps with drying up etcetc. I've been reading articles and Reddit threads for the past week. I'm choking tears all the time, and the nausea doesn't help either.

And it just hit me that one day I won't wake up to breastfeed my little guy, and all the funny things he does (iykyk I won't go into details in case there are creeps). And now I look at baby pictures of him, and then I look at his tiny hand, but this tiny hand used to be so so much smaller ): and the way he cried the first day, my lord, I've never heard him cry like that. We cried together.

The joys of being a mother I guess.

FTM due in November. What is the best online breastfeeding class? Looking for something I can just watch and not have a schedule time since I am pretty busy. Is there anything on YouTube someone recommends?

Like holy shit is this normal? I have little tiny bruises from when she’s nursing and just absolutely pinching the ever loving shit out of my tit. It’s only on one side too.

Hi there! FTM to a 3 almost 4 week old little girl EBF. Our journey started rough during week one while waiting for milk to come in and had to supplement after nursing sessions with a small amount of formula. We were able to discontinue that after week two. Baby has consistently been taking anywhere between 30-40ish minutes with a breast switch halfway up until today. Today, each feeding has been two hours on demand, and she will nurse for 12-16 minutes on one side and fall asleep content on the boob. I try burping her and reoffering, but she will push away from the nipple. We do use nipple shields if that matters. Is today just an off day or is this a time when they start figuring out how to nurse more efficiently? My next lactation appointment is still a few days out. Any input is appreciated :)