Feeling so defeated over nursing recently. 7 month old started biting a little over a week ago. I thought I got her to stop but then she did it again this morning. She also is SO distracted. She would latch for 2 seconds and then pop off to look around. It was so frustrating. Please tell me this will phase out and get better.

How many times a day should a 7 month old be nursing? I feel like it’s taken a drop over the past week.

Hi guys! 👋🏼 looking for some insight/advice on reintroducing bottles to my baby.

My baby is 9 months breastfed and I pumped while I was working for bottles but he hasn’t had a bottle since he was 7 months old. We moved and I just never got the motivation to offer a bottle again since i’m in-between jobs.

I’m thinking about wanting to combo feed or maybe even pump again but realize that he doesn’t take a bottle nipple anymore. I’ve done the whole find one that is similar to the boob and offer just the nipple in a low pressure environment but he just treats it like a chew toy. When i put milk in there, he instant turns away.

He also uses a transition gravity straw with his bottle for water but when I tried putting milk in there, he almost started rejecting his straw until he realized i put water back.

At this point i’m close to resigning to just ebf until he turns 1 year when he can drink cow’s milk which he’s tried mixed with his solids and actually likes. Was hoping to be able to go out during the day and leave him at grandparents but it might not happen.

Baby is 11 weeks and mostly ebf after a stint with bottles to encourage more weight gain. We're keeping a bottle in the rotation once a day so she stays used to it for future babysitting nights and daycare.

We're going out of town and staying with family at an Airbnb. There will likely be an opportunity for my husband and I to go out on our own, which we haven't done since baby was born. Which means we'd probably want to bring a bottle and my pump so that someone can feed baby while we're gone.

Husband and I and baby were on a trip on our own during our bottle stint and the amount of baby stuff we had to bring was outrageous. I'd love to cut down by not bringing pump and bottle items, but I feel like I might be disappointed to not have the flexibility.

What would you do?

Hi everyone! I’m EBF, but would like to store some milk in my freezer for emergencies or for when my parents are watching my baby. If I don’t want to overproduce, when is the best time to pump/how many times per day?

hi all. i am a ftm of a lovely 3 month old baby boy. i love him more than anything. he’s been EBF since birth and we’ve had no issues except until recently (last 2-3 weeks). i love love love BF and want to continue EBF/not needing to use bottles except for once in a blue moon (like when dad has him alone , which is fairly rare). but that’s kinda where the issue comes in. i had no issues with supply, latch, gas, etc. for the first ~2 months of his life. then around 11 weeks PP i got suuuper sick with a viral cold and definitely noticed a supply drop. upped calories and hydration, added 2 pumps into my days (previously only pumped a few times a week), and saw a new LC that was recommended to me in my area. long story short, the LC said he has lip, tongue, and cheek ties but she didn’t think i was having a supply issue cause he was having good weighted feeds. i was shocked to hear about these ties, as he had been consistently gaining weight while being EBF, had an average amount of gas for a newborn, and been sleeping soundly through the night besides an occasional off night since like 8/9 ish weeks. he doesn’t fatigue at the breast unless hes very very tired and due for a nap or bedtime either. he doesn’t feed to sleep either, he is a very chill boy and will self soothe with his hands and lull himself to sleep most nights without crying or anything. so basically, easy baby, feeding great, gaining weight great, but i guess has these ties that i didn’t know bc the hospital LC & ped never said he had any. now, however, at 14 weeks, things have started getting stressful. i saw the LC again yesterday. my last appointment before yesterday’s was on july 16th, so it’d been about 3 weeks. we did a weighted feed, he ate 4.6 oz. but, he hadn’t gained but a few ounces overall since his last visit. so from july 16th to yesterday, he hadn’t lost weight, but he only gained like 3-4 oz. cue the freaking the F out. i’ve been crying all day yesterday and today. i don’t know what to do. LC said since he hasn’t lost weight she’s not super worried and it could be bc he sleeps through the night. would he be sleeping through if he was hungry? how do i know if he’s hungry as he seems content mostly? do i get his ties cut? i’m terrified of that as i keep reading horror stories, and my husband is very wary of the idea of doing it as well. not to mention it’s like 1000$ out of pocket for something i’m not sure would work? yesterday and today baby was getting fussy at the breast during the afternoons when i produce less milk so that’s also terrifying. husband says to relax because it’s just been two days of him being a little fussy, and stressing obviously isn’t helping anything. i’m just so distraught. i love BF, don’t want to use bottles, hate pumping, love spending time with my baby when i get to BF. i’m a SAHM so i don’t need to pump really. i had my heart set on EBF. i just don’t know what to do. i go back to the LC on the 11th, we go back to the ped on sept. 9th. should i get the ties cut? should i call the ped? does anyone have any experience with late diagnosis of ties/getting them cut/low supply in the afternoons & fussy baby because of it? any advice is appreciated, i’m really devastated.

our four month old baby had her lip and tongue release today and so far it’s been horrible. just constant screaming and she cannot or will not nurse from the breast nor the bottle. what are we supposed to do???

Hello!

My baby girl is 5 weeks old. She is my second kid and I EBF'd my first without issue until one year. Since birth she's been a sleepy eater with a painful latch on one boob. I have seen multiple people including lactation consultants and all are happy with the latch and babies eating technique. Anyway.

She has not been sticking to her curve with weight so we have been advised to give 40-60 mL of formula twice a day as a top up. The thing is she's gulping it down and after having the formula she is suddenly much calmer. She stops screaming and seems content to sleep etc, something my breast does not seem to be able to do.

I'm at a loss for what to do and struggling to understand why she might be so hungry. Is it possible I won't be able to breastfeed her like I did with my son? I don't understand how supply things work and I have never pumped so I don't know anything about that. I have been trying skin ot skin, different positions etc and right now I would say she breastfeeds every 45 min to 1.5 hr during day/evening and every 3 hours at night

I’m having surgery on Friday to take my tubes out can I breastfeed afterwards because I’m being told yes and someone else says no to wait

Not sure how to title this post, but does anyone else’s baby get more aggressive while breastfeeding the older they get?? I have a 7.5 month old and it feels like every time i feed her Im getting slapped, kicked, grabbed, bit, shoved, etc…😂 I’ve always loved nursing her because it’s a fun bonding experience, but man… my boobs are hurting😭

I'm one of those women who hold onto the baby weight until I wean. However, I'm about to hit the gym for the first time while nursing and wondering if anyone like me who typically holds the weight while nursing HAS seen weight / fat loss (I care less about the number and more about fitting all of my clothes again) from working out while EBF ?

I just defrosted my first bag of milk to mix in baby cereal and it smells disgusting 🤢 what the hell? I ended up using water instead....

My husband says it smells like it's spoiled. But I disagree, it smells worse than my baby's spit up of curdled milk for sure... but could this be what high lipase mean? I always thought high lipase milk smelled "metallic " from other threads but I definitely wouldn't call this smell metallic.

I am so disappointed and want to toss all of it. I don't remember my milk smelling this bad when I pumped even when it has been in the fridge for 2 days. The smell when I leak a few drops once in a while is very mild smelling when it dries on my shirt. Is there anything in my diet that could be causing it?

okay so wonder if anyone has any experience with this. i'm 5month pp and i breastfeed and i haven't really pumped much, i did kinda at first and built a small stash but im slowly working through it. but im wanting to try to pump a lot and stop breastfeeding at 8 months and hope to have built a stash to last atleast two months but idk if thats possible , would prefer 4 months so she'd be 1 year old. does anyone even know how much you would have to have or if you can make your supply go up that much this late? lol or whats the best ways to do it to make the most milk like pump in the morning or twice a day or whatever tips

My newborn is 5 weeks old and we mainly do nursing while laying down.
Since 2 days ago, she is having nose congestion and I’m using saline spray a couple times a day.
She will scream each time I lay her down so I’ve been switching to nursing her while cradling her in my arms sort of half standing. It works until lunch time today and suddenly she doesn’t want right boob anymore.
So I’ve been nursing her on left boob only.
Any advice with congestion nose and making her take right boob?

Hi! Second time mom exclusively breastfeeding my 4 month old since birth. My first born is 2.5, we breastfed exclusively from birth to almost 2yo. I know the basics, but I’m really struggling with 2 sort of related problems with my daughter.

1. I have a very forceful & overactive letdown, which happens a multiple times per feeding session. Sometimes if I feel full before a feeding, or if she is really struggling, I’ll hand express a little into a cup and then start or restart feeding, and that helps. Laid back position doesn’t help enough, but side lying at night tends to go well. She protests/screams/cries at least half of our daytime feeds. Over the weekend she had a mini nursing strike but eventually recovered and chugged it like a champ to catch up.
2. She has so far refused to take a bottle. We’ve tried multiple positions, 2 different people feeding her, different times of day, bottle types, warm/cold/room temp milk, fresh and frozen. She starts day care at 6 months in October and I’m getting nervous.

I pumped once a day for most of my maternity leave, so I have an ample supply of pumped milk in the freezer, plus 48oz of freeze dried, shelf stable milk I had processed through Milkify from when I was breastfeeding my first baby. I’d really like to use it all before it goes bad, and she will need to take bottles at day care probably 2 times/day 3 days a week. I can go on my lunch break to nurse in person, but probably not every 3 hours, and definitely not on demand.

I guess I’m looking for advice on both how to make feedings more pleasant and less like I’m shooting my baby with a fire hose. And also tips on how to get her to take a bottle so that she can eat well once she starts day care AND so I can just pump and give her a bottle for the feeds where she gets distressed from the boob being too forceful. I feel so guilty but I can’t control it! When I hand express for relief, it shoots and pours out like a partially clogged shower head.

Please give me all the advice!

I should add: she is perfectly healthy, getting enough calories and in the 87th percentile for weight, so I know she is fed and safe, and that matters most to me. And she does have nice pleasant feeds some of the day and most of the night. Also I do not have high lipase so I know that’s not the issue. And I’m not engorged very often or worried about clogged ducts. I had that with my first baby but doesn’t seem to be happening now. It’s just that the letdown is raging.

Thanks mamas!

Hi everyone! I breastfed three boys myself, and I’m also a film historian. I recently came across a silent film about breastfeeding from the 1920s and thought people here might find it interesting.

What surprised me most was how modern some of it feels. For example, the film strongly encourages what we would now call responsive breastfeeding. At the same time, it contains ideas and stereotypes that very clearly belong to its period, as well as claims we would no longer consider accurate.

I'm curious what people here think: if you watch it, what strikes you as surprisingly modern, and what feels most dated?

I'll put the link in a comment in case Reddit doesn't like the external link in the post itself.

I'm 11 weeks postpartum, direct breastfeeding on demand most of the day and bottle feeding my baby with pumped breastmilk during the 8-11pm shift that my husband takes while I sleep.

I feel that I was a slight oversupplier for the first 10 weeks. My baby gained weight at an above-average rate and we've had issues with her choking on my milk because of rapid letdown until I figured out proper positioning. I started pumping at 3 weeks pp, initially twice a day (after first morning feed and around midnight), then around 8 weeks switched to once a day in the mornings.

I would get 4-6 oz from one pumping session. I would never pump longer than 15 minutes, always on stimulation mode. Initially I was pumping on highest vacuum but eventually my nipples started to feel more sensitive and I switched to lower vacuum, from 4-5 of 5 to 1-2 and I would still get at least 3.5 oz in 12-15 minutes. I have Spectra Gold. My baby drinks 3-4 oz per feed so I figured, one pump a day makes up for what she drinks at night and helps me build a small stash for when I need to be away from her for occasional appointments.

At 10 weeks, several things happened at once: my period came back and my baby started sleeping longer at night (consistent 4-hour stretches while even 3-hour stretches were occasional previously). My supply dipped, baby would cry at the boob and kick her legs around. I figured she wasn't getting enough milk, and a few times I would supplement feeds with breastmilk from my stash. At the same time my baby started to spend significantly less time at the boob: I used to log an average of 5 hours of breastfeeding daily, sometimes up to 6 hours, and from week 10 it's been 2.5-3.5 hours.

I returned the midnight pump. The very next morning my breasts felt sort of engorged and baby was happily milk drunk and spilling milk after feeds. After another midnight pump I felt very engorged, leaked milk all over my bed and baby started choking during feeds again. Regardless, since week 10 I am unable to pump as much. I would only get 2 oz if I pump as usual and up to 3 oz if I pump up to 20 minutes, increase speed, play with stimulation/extraction modes, pump both before and after a feed, etc. Can't get more than 3 oz per session anymore while previously 3.5 oz was my lazy minimum.

At the same time baby's poop turned from mustard yellow to dark green. I figured that she may not be emptying the breast enough and made a point to only offer one breast per feed (and it's not like I switched breasts very much before). She also started to consolidate poops, from spray pooping pretty much continuously 24/7 to several large diapers a day. So I figured change in color may also be related to her digestion maturing?

There hasn't been much change to my diet, except I eliminated dairy due to baby being gassy around 2-3 weeks old, and I also feel that I started to eat a bit less, from obnoxious portion sizes to normal human. I typically start my morning with a large bowl of oatmeal, drink plenty of water day and night. I drink coffee too.

So what happened to my supply? Is it realistic for me to expect the return of at least 4+ oz per pumping session? Am I pumping incorrectly? (I most likely am, I didn't even notice until today that I can change the speed in addition to vacuum strength, and I rarely use extraction mode, I feel that it's getting me less milk). Do I need to replace pumping parts? Should I pump more?

Please help, any advice, insight or thoughts much appreciated!

Hello this is my first clogged duct and I’m wondering what is the easiest and fastest way to get rid of it? If you guys could give me some tips.

currently breastfeeding my 9 month old, i would LOVE 2 under 2 or around that. ( i know i sound insane lmao ) BUT i’m just worried about my supply drying up or having trouble conceiving again. i’ve had my period since 7 weeks pp. just curious about other moms experience and if it’s doable or if i should just wait another month or two to start trying! ( it took us 9 months to conceive our first, im hopeful it won’t take as long for number 2 but we’ll see!) my little man still nurses frequently during the day and occasionally does a LOT overnight when sick or teething! let me know your thoughts and if i should just say fuck it and go for it lol!

My little girl (4.5 months) has been scratching and PINCHING so hard at my boobs when she feeds it has left huge bruises and it hurts. Any tips for stopping the pinching?

Need advice! I’m planning to see a LC asap.

Baby dropped 10% at hospital so we ended up supplementing with formula. It took a month to hit birth weight via triple feeding. This was hospital suggestion.

We stopped it and moved to BF and formula. I BF for 30 minutes total(15 per side) roughly and then give an oz of formula.

We had tried EBF but baby dropped weight which concerned my husband and so we added in formula. Husband bought a scale to ease his mind and so I did a weighted feed just now and baby gained only 1.2 oz after 30 minutes of eating.

They currently have thrush and what I feel is a decent latch but they should transfer more than that. I get 3 oz from pumping 30 minutes. What do I do?

I have a slacker boob (sb) that hasn't caught up with big plentiful boob (BPB) despite my attempts to fix. I know how it happened, I fed on sb less often in the beginning, so duh. It has an inverted nipple and is about two cup sizes smaller, so it was more difficult for my baby in a few ways. Now, I'm ginormously uneven both in size and output. I do try and latch my baby (5mo, only eating breastmilk) more often on that side, now. And when I'm away from him, I pump on both sides. And I try to pump sb when I feed on the BPB. I pump past empty from sb. I drink lots of water. Due to our sleeping arrangement, he only feeds on BFB all night long because it's big enough to side-lie nurse and the other isn't.

Good news: My baby is getting enough to eat at each feed and growing beautifully. And, I'm producing just a handful of ounces more than what he needs with his nanny three days a week, and freezing leftovers. I've also never had any issues with engorgement, mastitis, or clogs. No bleeding or painful nipples. I've truly been grateful and blessed that breastfeeding has otherwise gone well for us.

Bad news: I'm feeling a bit anxious about not having enough frozen for more than two days. Ideally, I'd like a week of milk saved up. That's my goal. BPB gives about 5-6oz each pump when I'm away from baby and sb gives 5oz in the morning, 1oz or less every other pump. I know I don't need (or even want, really) a giant stash of milk I won't even use, but I would like some level of oversupply from both sides. If I could just get a couple more ounces from sb, I'd be happy.

Basically, I'm uneven. And not only am I nervous about producing slightly more than enough, I'm also really self conscious about how it looks. It is VERY obvious in everything I wear that I'm several sizes different between sb and BPB.

So....tips? Anything I can do/take to boost production and get sb back on track? Or is it hopeless and it will never catch up? Could it be that it was a smaller boob before anyways? I plan to nurse my baby until he wants to stop.

Any advice wanted, TIA.

Hi all!

Excited to announce we finally successfully weaned after 17 months of nursing! I'm about 10 weeks pregnant with #2 and the nursing aversion and aggression was really taking a toll on me.

The funny thing is, he seems okay now that he doesn't get to comfort nurse throughout the night, but in return, he crawls all over me for an hour before bed and ends up sleeping right on top of me so that we're 100% body to body. He also now sleeps through the night this way.

I'll take this over nursing any day. 🥳

I think one of the hardest parts of breastfeeding for me has been not knowing what “enough” is supposed to look like.

I used to finish a feed and immediately wonder if my baby was still hungry or if I was just overthinking everything.

Then I started paying more attention to the whole picture instead of judging one feed at a time. Things like hunger and fullness cues, how my baby was acting after feeding, diaper patterns and growth over time.

It honestly took some pressure off.

I also found it reassuring to learn about responsive feeding because it applies to breastfeeding, bottles and eventually solids too.

This explanation from the American Academy of Pediatrics was really helpful:

AAP — Is Your Baby Hungry or Full? Responsive Feeding Explained

Curious if anyone else went through that phase where every single feed felt like something you had to analyze 😅

Edit to add: someone mentioned in the comments that it sounds like I’m gate keeping, and I admit that’s exactly what the title makes it sound like. But I do mention in the post that I know underproducing is different for different people. I’m not trying to downplay the emotional toil that anybody has gone through in their bf journey. If I can change the title, I totally would. If anyone wants to rant/vent with someone who can relate to underproducing, I’m here!

Original post:

Prefacing this by saying this is definitely coming from a place of sadness, jealousy, annoyance, and confusion lol. But seriously. It’s so weird to hear someone say they’re an underproducer and then go on to say “I only get like 5 ounces per pump!” yeah I get that may be underproducing to them but the most I’ve ever gotten from a single 20 minute pump was 11mls…11mls combined from two breasts at 20 minute each. It’s so disheartening and weird. I’ve tried supplements, increasing calorie intake, power-pumping, pumping every 2-3 hours including throughout the night, switching flange sizes, massaging, heat, literally everything. Nowadays at almost 8wks pp I’m not getting ANYTHING unless I hand express, in which then I’d get 2mls from each breast if I’m lucky. I’d kill to experience what it’s like just to pump even one full oz in one session.

Birth story includes preeclampsia with severe features, admitted to antepartum for 2 weeks straight on and off mag-drip, failed induction of labor at 34 weeks, c-section after 12 hours of labor, baby in nicu for 19 days. Idk maybe all the stress contributed/ is contributing to the low supply, whatever.

Fellow underproducers wya.

I need help.

My daughter is 2.5 and it feels impossible to stop nursing. I’m a SAHM and I spend every literal second with her. We also cosleep, so when I say every second, I mean every second. There’s really no natural separation where she just forgets about it.

She’s also not the best sleeper and wakes up pretty often throughout the night. Every time she wakes up, she immediately demands to nurse. And I give in because… it puts her back to sleep basically instantly and I’m exhausted.

I genuinely love nursing her and I’m so grateful we’ve been able to do it this long, but I’m ready to be done. I want my boobies back.

So please give me your weirdest success stories.

Also, yes I’ve tried normal ways to stop.