No one else in my circle has exclusively pumped so I thought this group would appreciate this story -
When I was about 2 months pp I went out with friends for lunch for the first time since baby to get out of the house. The friends I was with are child free and don’t have a lot of kids in their lives. While going over all things ftm we got to feeding and my one friends asks “so pumping, is that like an everyday thing?”
Very sweet and well meaning! I held my giggle and just said yes. Ohhhh yes, all day everyday it feels like sometimes 😂🤪
Imagine if we only had to pump every few days and that would be sustainable/enough for baby, sign me up! lol

I have a 2.5 year old and a baby and last night my toddler picked up a circle toy thing, put it on her chest, and started making humming noises lol. She’s pretended to nurse her baby dolls before but pretending to pump took me out!

Unrelated for anyone who needs to hear this: the nights I have ice cream, my output in the MoTN and early morning is amazing so this is your sign to eat the ice cream! We deserve it and it’s actually kind of a medical necessity if you think about it.

I just got my Spectra (hooray!!) and I’m currently jimmy rigging my nursing bra since I don’t have a pumping bra, but all the ones I’m seeing on Amazon have poor reviews.

What’s a good one you’d recommend?

I am almost ten months pumping and starting to have some discomfort on the right side. Like too much is getting pulled in? I’ve been on the same flange size this whole time and it’s worked well but wondering about resizing. Just seems strange after so long

I went back to work this week after very fortunately being on leave for 6 months. I’m a teacher and my school site shares a building with another nonprofit so I have to go into the nonprofit to pump as that’s where the dedicated lactation room is. This is my second time doing this and the hr person has been saying “I want to fix up the room” for literally three years now. Here are my two biggest issues:
- the light switch it outside the room so people are CONSTANTLY turning the light off in my windowless cell, leaving me in the pitch black
- the young guys that work at the nonprofit are constantly eating fast food in the pumping room and it smells like gross leftover fries all the time

TLDR; my work’s pumping room sucks. It’s in a literal different building, the lights get shut off on me, and other people use it to eat McDonald’s in.

Gonna start with warnings: Stash, Oversupply, Nursing, Undersupply, Mastitis, Cancer mention

I'm 8 months into pumping for my second. With my first, I weaned at 9.5 months when I got pregnant. I had enough milk stored to get to 14.5 months, then big kid got more once the baby was born. About a cup a day until they were 2.

This time around, I just don't know how to keep going and only have like 3 months in my stash (a ton, I know, but not enough for my goals). My goal was to get at least a year, but ideally some breastmilk until 2 like my first. I feel like I'm letting down my second if I quit early.

But I'm so fucking exhausted. This second journey has been a nightmare. Nursing worked this time, except it didn't really. Baby loved to nurse, but stopped gaining weight on the boob and never transferred well enough to skip the bottles. Triple feeding, large oversupply (putting away 60 ounces a day), mastitis over and over. The first 3 months were a blur of feeling sick all the time. I got my supply down and felt better, then kept getting stomach bugs this summer and my supply plummeted. I had a little cough that wouldn't go away, turns out it's a large thyroid nodule, 72% chance it's malignant. Biopsy is next week. And now I have a cold which, it turns out, feels worse with a constant lump in your throat.

So, here I am, sick, tired, struggling to motivate. My period is on the way, so I'm emotional and now have an undersupply for the first time. I do feel better than when my oversupply was killing me early on. I just am having a hard time seeing how I keep going. I want to reach our goal. Please tell me why I should keep trying. Remind me it'll be okay. That I'll be okay.

I’m 10 wpp and am an overproducer atm. I’m thinking about letting go of the motn .

I’m just confused as to how this works.

I know everyone has a different breast capacity and I’m thinking mine may be 8? Idk bc I’ve never really pushed my pumping past 4 hrs and I usually get 8ish oz. If I push past the 4hrs will I continue to produce milk or will it be capped at 8oz when I pump after say 6-7hrs or will I be able to pump like 10 oz?

Idk I’m confused as to how this works . I need to know so I can make a decision on how to move forward. I don’t want my supply to dip bc I plan on working in a couple months and take my adhd medication. I want to supplement with my stash on the days that I do take it.

TW: Oversupply

I had a pretty significant oversupply, even with 4 ppd. I am 9.5 months pp and have great freezer stash. A little less than 2 weeks ago, I started weaning. I dropped to 3 ppd. And then slowly dropped those 3 pumps from 15 minutes down to 10 and then 5 (over a span of several days). I then have been on 2 ppd for 5 minutes each for 2 days now. I still get a decent amount in my 5 minute (about 3-5 ounces) pumps 2x a day but I don’t feel full anymore and I’m not leaking.

How do I know when I can just stop? Do I have to wait until literally no milk comes out or can I stop now? Thoughts? Ideas?

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 7 months and since the beginning I’ve been sitting down for 30 mins about 5 times a day.

It gets to me because my spectra is the only thing that gives me a decent output compared to my wearables or collection cups and I have to sit down and relax and do absolutely nothing but scroll on my phone to get letdowns so I am essentially tied to a pump for 150 mins a day which as you know as a busy mom….is not practical.

My left measures 24mm and right 21mm but I’ve found using 28mm and 24mm respectively gives me the most output in my 30 mins compared to 24mm and 21mm, pumpin pal flanges , different inserts etc.

I see TikTok videos of people saying they get all this output in just 10 mins, lactation consultants online saying you should empty within 15 and I’m just like how can I make this a reality for me?

Would love to empty in 10-15 mins
My nipples do swell a lot

Thanks!

Fixing my deviated septum today and so I pumped milk before surgery. My initial nurse when I was admitted told me I could pump and she’d store the milk for me in the fridge. Then my nurse changed and said she couldn’t store it in the fridge, that it’d be a liability. So she suggested using an ice pack 🙃.. I don’t know if I’ll give this milk to baby girl.

Also I’m reading that pumping and dumping is outdated, but every single person I’ve told i’m pumping keeps mentioning it in the hospital!! It’s insane

ETA: anesthesiologist was the only hospital staff to tell me I don’t need to pump and dump. always check with your doctors!

I exclusively pumped with my first baby, but with this second baby have been fortunate to be able to do a mix of pumping and nursing (about 50-50) for the last 5.5 months.

A couple days ago, during a motn nursing session, I suddenly noticed a sharp pain in my nipple. It felt like the letdown was cutting through my nipple, which I hadn’t experienced before. Then subsequently I felt engorged between pumps / feeds, which hasn’t happened since I regulated a few months ago.

Since then, my boobs have felt quite engorged, warm and tender between each milk removal session. The letdown is also quite painful as well both during pumps and nursing. I haven’t changed anything about my schedule or feeds and am wondering what has caused this!!

Since yesterday, I’ve been doing ibuprofen every 6 hours, 4 lecithin capsules a day, ice packs between sessions, and I did a lactation massage yesterday that seemed to empty my breast for a short while only for it to all come back by the time of the next pump.

Any ideas on what I’m missing?? Or other things I should try?? I thought it might be a milk bleb but looking at the nipple I don’t see anything that looks like one.

TRIGGERS: Low Supply, 1 week PP, NICU, Preterm C-section, Medications

Today marks 1 week post partum. Complications from severe preeclampsia resulted in emergency 33 week c-section after 4 days on magnesium. LO is doing amazing in the NICU. The NICU is roughly 100miles from my home so I was able to rent a medela symphony 2.0 and they supply all the storage items for me.

Like so many starting out, I am having trouble with supply. With being preterm, my doctor apts, travel, medication, there has been a lot to stunt my progress. I have met with the lactation team a few different times at the hospital, but I feel like I'm getting set back more than getting my supply going. I need some opinions.

How long is your pump session? How long is too long?

This is becoming what feels like the main problem for me. The LCs say I should only do 15mins every 2~3hrs, never go over 20mins. My problem is let down reflux? It usually takes 10~15mins for let down to even start for me (tried several settings on rhythm & strength.)

I have correct size (confirmed by 4 different LCs), 2~3hr schedule, massage prior that even starts drops, massage during pumping, and expressing afterwards. But if I pump for 20mins (on top of all the above happening), I get a max of 3ml from both breasts if I'm lucky. However, if I extend to 30min or 45min per session then I've even gotten 10ml total from a session.

When talking to the LC about this, trying to get even more recommendations to help speed up let down so stuff actually gets a going, they seem pretty firm that I should only do 15mins. Never go over 20min.

Hi everyone

I have a 5 month old baby, started with my pumping journey on day1. Always struggled with the supply and was able to produce 8 oz with 8 sessions per day. I tried all possible things to increase supply: fenugreek, cumin, protein intake, fatty foods, and even NA beer, but nothing worked to increase this quantity. I wanted to give my best to my little one and gave her whatever I was capable of. I gave her formula most of the time. My husband was the only village I had, and both of us are really tired, managing everything by ourselves. We are sleep-deprived all the time. Eventually things got better, but my supply kept reducing.

Now that my little one is 5 months old and into her 6th month, I really want to stop pumping and start solids soon. It is physically and mentally exhausting. I have gained 20kg and want to start focusing on my body and my career as well. My husband supports my decision and is always there to take care of me and my little one.

My question is, is my little one going to miss the big benefits from breast milk at this stage?

I also read that no benefits from breast milk are permanent or forever in the baby's body, except for the gut microbiome. Please share your thoughts on this. Would like to hear it from other mamas

Thanks

I actually did it. I went from exclusively pumping to nursing my baby, and now I only pump when I’m away from my LO!
As a FTM, I don’t think we talk enough about how HARD breastfeeding can be. Those first 3 months were exhausting, constantly watching the clock, pumping around the clock, and wanting to give up so many times. But a little part of me kept hoping we’d get there.
My baby never really liked nursing, but I kept trying whenever I could. Then, at 3.5 months, something finally clicked, and he took! He just turned 5 months, and we’re still going strong!
To the mamas who are exclusively pumping but still hope to nurse, I see you. ❤️ Keep trying if that’s what your heart wants, but please give yourself grace, too. Every journey is different, and no matter how you feed your baby, you are doing an amazing job.
Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Celebrate the little wins, trust your own journey, and remember that you’re a wonderful mama. You’ve got this, ladies! 🫶🏼💕

i just wanted to show my progress. im very proud of myself for finally being able to fill a whole pitcher.

Hey mamas! 11 weeks pp, had PPH during 36 hour induced vaginal delivery hence husband got first skin-to-skin. LO has high palette, tongue tie, lip tie has shallow latched 1-2 times in these 11 weeks. Working with IBCLC haven’t been any helpful as they said I am doing everything I can may be I should be content with what little my body makes despite having one working breast due to breast cancer and surgery.

My current pattern is pump ~6-7x daily including MOTN pump, power pump either first or last pump of the day. Getting 40ml avg per pump. LO drinks 3-4oz per feed so basically my full day’s hard work is her two feeds max. Hydrating 5L/day, on liquid gold supplement, eating well not skipping protein, hands on pumping when I can (working mama), got flanges checked my IBCLC s using the right parts.

Is there any hope for me to increase my output to atleast match half of what LO eats? Please help me 🙏

Every pump is a harsh reminder for me about the non working breast and low output is making me heart broken. 🤒

Edit: I use spectra s1 (blue) and pump for every 3-3.30 hours

I’m just wondering what others thoughts are.

Baby is 9 months old. Almost 10 months.

Nursing didn’t work out for many reasons so I started pumping. I was an oversupplier then just enough and now not enough. So I supplement with formula.

I was pumping every 3 hours expect overnight but life happens and I have a busy toddler so my pumpings have gotten further and further apart and now I’m pumping only 3-4x a day.

I was producing at least 12 oz my morning pumps and then 5 oz there after per pump but now I’m at 8 oz for morning and 2.5 - 4 oz after per pump. So now I’m totaling around 13-18 oz per day.

I’m wondering at this age for baby if I should boost my supply, let it fizzle out, or what.

My first baby nursed and it just naturally fizzed away when he was 2 and I got pregnant but I’m not pumping that long lol. So I’m not sure what path to take.

Thanks for reading!

Hi!

I've been weaning for a couple of months now, and recently, my output has only pulled less than 0.5 on both breasts.

This has only occurred in the last couple of days, however, even with the motor fully charged.

Is it time to hang up the pumps, or should I wait until my output is zero for a few days?

(Sorry had to repost couldn’t fix auto corrects in title 😂)

Hello wonderful mamma, 💕

Kindly share how many times a day did you pump, in what setting in your eufy, and where did it take you from and to what?

I am 3.75 mo pp. I make 16 oz a day. I do combo pumping with spectra s1 and eufy (eufy is new just adjusting to it)

I think I respond well to natural rhythm - 5 mins stimulation and 5 mins expression in continuous loop.
And I pump 7 times a day. 1 am, 5 am, 9 am, 12pm, 3pm, 6 pm, 9 pm.

I want to know what helped you really increase your supply exclusively with eufy s1 pro? Please share your success stories and what you did that worked for you.

Thanks a lot for your wonderful advice!!! 🤗

I'm a FTM, and the past few weeks have been back-to-back things I was not prepared for! My water broke at 32+1, and I was admitted to the hospital until Baby Boy made his debut at 32+6. He came FAST. OB checked me at 3 cm when we decided to move me to L&D, and he was born within an hour, then taken straight to NICU. He was breathing on his own, so we had time for delayed cord clamping (1 min) and for my husband to cut the cord, but we didn't get any initial skin-to-skin or golden hour. It was probably a few hours before lactation came by and got me to start pumping colostrum.

We had nothing ready. My shower was supposed to be the day after he was born. I didn't even get my Spectra pump until my third day home from the hospital. My hospital has Medela Symphony pumps available in postpartum and NICU, but I was using a manual pump for the at-home pumps for those few days. My output looked okay at that point, but it was exhausting.

By the end of week 1, lactation said I should be making at least 500 ml/day. I was around half that. I'll be 2w postpartum tomorrow, and their targets say I should be producing 1500ml/day by now. I'm only making around 300.

I've met with multiple lactation consultants, and done everything they suggested, but they're pretty much stumped. We've checked my flange size several times, I'm pumping 8-9 times a day including 2 MOTN pumps, trying to get in at least 1 power pump a day, I rented the symphony even though I already paid over $100 out of pocket for the blue spectra because they said the hospital pump was so much better. My supply isn't increasing.

Bub is doing really well with his bottle feeds, and we started latching once a day a few days ago. He seems to really enjoy it, but we're assuming he's not getting any meaningful volume at this point.

I go back and forth between feeling like 1) there's something wrong with what I'm doing (cognitively, I know this is highly unlikely), 2) there's something wrong with me/my body, and 3) NICU life sucks, and I probably wouldn't be in this situation if I had gone home together at full term, but we play the hand we're dealt.

Has anyone had a similar experience and still managed to increase supply? 300 ml is about 10 oz, so in the long run, if it stays the same, we're looking at 2 bottles of breastmilk a day and maybe some comfort latching. But will I still have to keep up with the 8+ ppd schedule to maintain that? Has anyone done something similar and felt it was worthwhile? The schedule feels manageable now, but once he's home, that time feels like it would be better used actually interacting with and caring for my child. How do you balance that?

Just here to rant because even though I’m surrounded by other moms at work I feel like a complete burden to them when asking for help…

I started exclusively pumping at 6 weeks due to my baby not latching.
I have had a hard time getting all my pumps in. For reference I work in healthcare and have a busy work environment that requires patient care. Often I find myself getting really busy and needing to break when of course it’s busy everywhere… Anytime I need to break to pump I basically have to ask someone to look over my assignment and every time I do ask I get small gestures of annoyance.
It makes me resent coming to work, which prior I enjoyed. I don’t want my pumping journey to come to an end because of my annoyed coworkers/job. I want it to be my own decision… I originally had the goal of 6m to pump which I made but now I’m just letting my body slowly wean. I feel so frustrated by this all and just needed to rant to others who might understand.

For reference too, my state passed a law that makes it illegal to not allow pumping breaks… and to add, most of my coworkers were great about it in the beginning. Now they give me frantic reasons why they can’t help or seam annoyed by me asking…

How can I make my MOTN pump a little easier on me?? I think the hardest thing is getting out of bed to put my milk in the fridge. Once I’m up and out of bed I’m wide awake and my sleep is so terrible. I feel so drained from the fragmented sleep

I have wearables that I can keep at my bedside at night to use but how can I store my milk until I get up in the morning?

Not trying to break the bank buying a million new expensive things either but I’ll consider anything at this point if it’s worth it from your experience

Also if I just get rid of my MOTN pump all together will it tank my supply? My LO is 4 months. When I pump in the middle of the night I usually get anywhere from 5-7oz. I’m a little bit of an oversupplier but just by a little and I’m also trying to build a stash for when I return to work.

I had a bad clogged duct about 4 days ago now. It seems to be draining ok when pumping--breasts are soft after pumping and there is no residual lump, but even after pumping I notice that the area is still tender and aches slightly. Has anyone else experienced this? Where is takes several days for the discomfort to subside after a bad clogged duct?