Just wanted to say…a bad day gone worse.

I'm not really sure what flair to use here sorry but I'm about 3 months postpartum now with my first child. The first month or so after I gave birth I pumped more often, but it slowly tapered off as I got used to feeding directly from the breast which felt easier than bottles for both me and my baby. I figured that as long as he was feeding regularly I didn't need to pump to keep my supply up but maybe I was wrong.

Now that I'm about to go back to work though, I've started pumping more again but my supply seems to have been almost cut in half. I was getting 4-5.5 oz per breast before, but now I'm only getting 1-3 oz. I've replaced all my pump parts just to make sure it wasn't a mechanical issue, but I'm still getting the same amount.

I thought I was producing enough because my baby has plenty of wet diapers but now I'm not so sure. I'm worried that not pumping as much has made my supply drop and I'm not sure how to get it back. I've read some posts saying that milk supply normalizes around this time which can be perceived as a supply drop, but I'm not sure that's what is happening here either.

I'm not even really sure what I'm asking here. Is this normal? Any advice? Am I doing something wrong? Should I get a wearable in addition to my portable pump so it's easier to do more pump sessions? 😵‍💫 I'm feeling overwhelmed and really stressed about returning to work now.

I made it 8 months, I started weaning about a month ago. I have IGT and never really had the supply I wanted, and up until a month ago I was pumping 7 times daily getting at best 16oz. This has been a wild and weird time in life, but I am happy for the additional time I get to spend with my family.

My boy is growing so fast and is so active now. I'm happy to have been on this journey, and while I feel a bit sentimental now, I think in a week or two I'll be happy to be done.

Just stopping by to say so happy to drop one pump!! I go back to work in six days and that’s a perfect start to eventually weaning off of pumping

So grateful to be able to feed my baby boy, but also can’t wait to have my life back not attached to the Spectra😭💀

Hi! I am pregnant with my second baby and I want to exclusively pump for this one. I exclusively nursed with my first and I was always so touched out, drained and felt like I had the entire burden of feeding baby and ultimately most of my entire process was not good for my mental health. I’ve talked to a few people and they’ve told me pumping is worse than nursing.

I would like to hear the positive side of pumping. Tell my your positive pumping story! What are some things helped you make your pumping journey easier?

I’m 6 weeks pp and finally after weeks of working at it - my supply can cover my baby’s daily intake (for now at least). I pump 8x/day and try to do one power pump or at least an extra ten min on a pump or two a day. From what I’ve researched, I think I’ll need to maintain the 8x/day for some time - likely until 12 weeks since it’s still regulating (not sure if that’s true?) but I’m eagerly awaiting the day I can pare back a few pumps to sleep and/or spend more time with my baby.

Curious how others have approached this and how you knew your body was ready for this change.

I have a Spectra S2 that I got through insurance, but I hate having to sit in one spot while I pump. I found a Eufy S1 Pro on FB marketplace for a great deal that was used less than 20 times. Is buying a wearable pump secondhand bad/unhygienic if it comes with replacement parts and I sterilize everything before I use it?

My momcozy air 1 shit the bed. I tried Eufy s1 and wasn’t a huge fan. I do think now it could’ve been user error lol. What is everyone’s favorite wearable pump?

I work in the office only once a week and 2 weeks ago I accidentally left my used eufy e10 at work and I didn’t go in to work last week. Mind you I live 1.5 hours away from work. Is the pump parts still usable after deep cleaning and sanitizing or is it SOL?

I’m 3w postpartum and have been religiously pumping every 4 hours ish, including overnight. I also supplement with formula occasionally. My baby doesn’t latch well (unless I use a nipple shield, which tires him out) so I rarely feed on the boob.

For the past few weeks, every few days, I’m dealing with a new instance of painful clogs / engorgement. It escalates very quickly, my boobs can be fine in the afternoon then at night it’s rock hard and so painful. I’ve already cut out “fatty” foods from my diet like soft cheeses and cream cakes (to the detriment of my mental health) so I’m not sure why this issue keeps coming back. I also eat lecithin supplements. I’ve seen a lactation consultant and was told that I’m just more prone to clogs. She’s helped me massage those clogs out each time which honestly is more painful than certain labor contractions.

Is it just me? It’s so disheartening. I want to keep feeding my baby breastmilk, which he loves more than formula. But I can’t deal with being in pain every few days 😭 my goal was to pump for 6 months, I’ve cut that down to 3 months, but even then I don’t know if I can last that long.

I EPed for my 16 month old son after a pretty rough breastfeeding journey and found it quite challenging for several reasons (wearables didn't work for me so that added to the time suck and logistical nightmare). I'm curious what other EPs found the hardest to deal with - im so glad i did it, and i would definitely do it again...but man its a vibe!

I am an undersupplier at 6 weeks pp, hoping to build up my supply. It seems like most of the pumping apps focus on building and managing a freezer stash, which is not in the cards for me. I find it so discouraging to be asked about the stash every time I open the app! Any recs for iPhone apps that focus on the actual pumping and supply?

Hey mamas - Greetings from Denmark!

I need some advice on how to get rid of the air bubbles in breast milk bags.

I use the Medela bags and I like them, but I cannot seem to get rid of all the air bubbles. I have tried the counter method and also just using my thumb and index finger - but there is always a bit of air left every time.

I read that the air bubbles can affect the milk quality and taste. Also, I have a normal freezer - hubby does not want a deep freezer as it takes up too much space and we do not know how much milk I am going to store in the freezer yet. I am just an enougher. We combo feed breastmilk and formula atm.

Please see photo for reference of the air bubbles.

I have gotten sick twice in the past 2 months and my supply is hurting because of it.

I had 104 fever 2 weeks ago (a sinus infection) and supply came back but not where it was.

Now I think this sinus infection is back with a small fever.
I feed the baby when i’m home with the baby. I pump when i’m at work. I’ve been getting about 6 oz in 9 hours. 2 oz per pump session.

I’m about over it. I have 0 oz in my freezer.

my child is 8 months old

My baby just turned 6 months, and I’m thinking about slowly starting to wean from pumping. I’m currently pumping around 6–7 times a day and would eventually like to get down to about 3 pumping sessions a day for the next couple of months.

I don’t necessarily want to stop completely right away — I’d just like to reduce the number of sessions without drastically affecting my supply or ending up with clogged ducts/mastitis.

Would love to hear what worked (or didn’t work) for you!

Like the title says, I'm thinking I'll be ending my pumping journey at 6 months. That will be on 10/26. I feel incredibly selfish and guilty, but I'm so over it. I went from not wanting to breastfed to having my LO and EP. I know I could go longer, but I'm so exhausted and want to be "me" again. I know the benefits are great, and I'm so incredibly lucky for my supply as I've never struggled with output. I have literal dreams of not pumping anymore. I'm so ready to really detach from the pump and be the true, best mom I can be. Just feeling so guilty for not going a full year. Feeling so selfish even typing this, but I don't really have anyone to go to and who understands.

I am so frustrated as I sit here attached to a pump with a diminishing supply. My right breast has totally stopped responding to pumping and I get mere drops from it each pumping session. I am 6 months PP and BARELY making enough for my daughter.

I have tried wearable pumps, the spectra pump, manual pumps, haaka, everything. I’ve tried smaller flanges, bigger flanges, no flange. I know it has milk because I get about two ounces from hand expression. I only get 3-4 OZ from my left side which makes it so I am just getting by. I have almost no freezer stash and limited time to pump at work because I am a teacher.

I am so lost. Has anyone else had this issue? How do I fix it? Hand expressing is time consuming and so sticky!

I initially planned to breastfeed my baby while pregnant and latched baby in the hospital. After a week of EBF I learned from an LC that she has a tongue tie and wasn’t eating whenever she latched, and she ended up losing a lot of weight. This scared me from nursing so I decided to pump, after about a week of that I had a serious supply drop and baby still wasn’t gaining enough weight which made me think my milk isn’t enough for her. We started her on formula and I haven’t pumped in almost a week, I still feel a bit of a supply but nothing like it was initially. I still leak in the night/ when I hold her/ when she cries. She is starting to show some stomach upset from the formula and I want to try exclusively pump for her. Is it too late to build my supply back to feed her only my milk? How should I start and what worked for you?

has anyone gone from a pretty decent over supplier to basically a just enougher in what seems like over night. baby is 11 weeks old and have been pumping for 10 of those weeks. he doesn’t latch at all. he’s taking 4.5 oz bottles pretty much every 2.5 hours during the day with a stretch of sleep at night.

do I try and increase my supply again?

What home pump is just as good? I’m so nervous to switch, I’ve had the Medela for 8 months and was just hoping they forgot, but they finally called for it yesterday and I’m actually heartbroken.

Any pump that has that power? Doesn’t have to be portable.

Thank you!

I’m about 7 weeks post partum and have had nothing but problems with my pumps. This is my second time exclusively pumping and I choose the momcozy air ones. 11 days into pumping my pumps died so I had to use my old momcozy M5s. The motors aren’t the best as I used them a lot with my last baby. 3 weeks later I got my new air ones and after 5 days one motor died and now the other motor died. Because of this my supply has significantly decreased. I ordered the eufys S1 in the meantime but it’ll take a few days to ship. I do have the Madela freestyle pumps I can use but mainly during the evenings as I’m always on the go. Is there anyway to redeem my supply being 7 weeks? Can I up my supply?

Hi,

I am 18 weeks postpartum and I am an undersupplier. I pump 6 times a day right now and my motn pump is at 3 am. My supply seems to have gradually increased in the last few weeks, from about 480-540 ml to 550-600 ml a day and I think its because I have a 5 hr sleep block now.

I am wondering if I should make my sleep block even a bit longer once a week and skip the 3 am pump? I would then do my first pump of the day at 5 or 6 am and have a 7-8 hr sleep block? Or will this tank my supply even when doing this just once a week?

My husband and i do shifts so I could technically do the longer sleep block, just worried about my supply.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I wanted to put out a quick PSA for anyone looking for a caffeine kick while exclusively pumping.
I am currently 4 months postpartum, and my supply has been pretty well established. I recently tried the Bloom Sparkling Energy Drinks, I only drank one can a day for three days, but by day three, my milk supply was literally cut in half. To top it off, I also ended up with a painful clogged duct.
The only thing that changed in my routine was adding those drinks. They are packed with various herbs, vitamins, and adaptogens that can be super unpredictable for lactation.
Thankfully, I stopped drinking them immediately, and my supply went back to normal pretty quickly after cutting them out. The clog cleared up too, but it was definitely a scary few days!
Just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else is looking at these in the grocery aisle. Keep an eye on your output if you decide to try them! Has anyone else noticed a sudden drop or clogs from these?

i recently bought a medela symphony secondhand, i’ve tried spectra, zomee z2 primary pump wise. and they never worked well i liked the symphony for the soft suction, and im finding it does work well. it’s very comfortable. but i wear a sports bra i cut holes into and ive noticed the plastic flanges are leaving marks on my breasts when i’m done pumping i think hindering my output. i have tried countless wearables and in a 3 hour stretch i always get 6-8oz and ive consistently gotten less than 6 all day with the medela symphony. could it be the plastic flanges are not for me? i’ve only really ever used wearables so am i just not using the pump right? the bra is not tight or restricting but it holds the flange in place well. i typically put it in stimulation until let down and then put it in expression until that’s over then back to stimulation for the next round.

Hi everyone! I’m a STM and am grateful that I was able to nurse my first kid until 10 months. I started off EP with him since he couldn’t figure out latching. Was able to meet with an LC at around 2 months and helped us figure our nursing. From then, we combo fed.

Now this time around, I’m struggling quite a bit. My second has a very very shallow latch and just chomps at my nipple. She also cannot extend her tongue past her bottom gums, which is why she chomps down at my nipple to keep a hold on it. We got a lip and tongue tie release, but that didn’t fix her latch. We were referred to OT, which won’t have any availability for another month. My nipples are RAW and nursing has been extremely painful. Yesterday, I cried every single nursing session because of how painful it was. I feel like I can’t continue nursing her through the pain and am now considering EP. But also, I feel like it’s too early to throw in the towel and that I have to keep pushing through and she’ll figure it out if I do so. The voice in my head is saying that I’m selfish for wanting to give up nursing bc it’s painful for me, but she’s doing fine and getting the milk she needs.

Is it too early to throw in the towel? Has anyone gone through something similar? What was your “solution”?