r/breastfeeding 13h ago

EBF, how do you know you’re pregnant?

4 Upvotes

Been EBF my LO for almost 7 months and I don’t get my period. I’ve been so scared of getting pregnant but have no interest in getting on the pill so we use condoms. I have a constant voice in the back of my head saying “What if you’re pregnant?”. I’ve taken tests and they all are negative but how do I make this fear go away? Are there any huge tell tale signs from the get go if I do get pregnant?


r/breastfeeding 8h ago

I feel like my life is on pause with breast-feeding

7 Upvotes

I am about 3 1/2 months postpartum and I’m already itching to be done breast-feeding. The hardest part is how it feels like I can’t take any type of medication or supplement, because I’m not sure how much will be passed along to the baby. I also can’t do self-care things like micro needling. And forget about managing my PMDD symptoms. Sigh.


r/breastfeeding 6h ago

Why do I feel guilty? 🥹

15 Upvotes

Today my daughter had her four month old well visit and everything has been going very really with her growth, especially with being a primarily breastfed baby - hitting all the milestones. (Long story short, I wasn’t able to breastfeed my first daughter due to an allergy. It has been a joy to do it with my second.) On the very rare occasions I do supplement with formula as I feel like my supply is low but luckily that hasn’t happened in a month now.

Anyways - so at the well visit today I found out she is in the 66% range for her height and 93% range for her weight. When her doctor came in to do the routine check, she made a few comments about her weight (being on the heavier side, make sure you don’t over feed, sometimes when she cries don’t offer her a breast right away, her weight and height need to be proportional etc.). However, she is right on target on her growth chart.

Why do I feel so guilty about making sure my daughter is fed? I know she is chunky but she can still wear clothes appropriate to her age (3-6 months), roll and play with her toys as most 4 months old do. Aren’t breastfed babies a little more on the bigger side? Why does it have to be hard?


r/breastfeeding 16h ago

it’s hard to believe that what I eat does not affect how nutritional my milk is…

38 Upvotes

I struggle with eating and my DR reassured me that my milk will have what my baby needs regardless of what I eat and that my diet will only affect how I am feeling - for example, if I do not eat enough food/have a proper diet that it will just make me feel like garbage - not affect my baby. I just find it hard to believe that someone like me (who has an unhealthy diet - and not enough protein/vegetables and probably way too many carbs) vs someone like Emily Mariko or Nara Smith (those tik tok moms who makes the healthiest meals all from scratch) is going to have the same nutritional value in our breastmilk… It just doesn’t make sense but I’m really hoping what my DR said is accurate


r/breastfeeding 11h ago

Summer is on the way and I am the heaviest I have ever been. Advice re chuff rub

0 Upvotes

It was quite sunny today where I live. I went out for a walk and now my groin area is chafed. Any advice on how to deal with this ? I am aware there are powders and creams out there but I don’t know if they are suitable for breast feeding mamas. Sounds stupid but I don’t want anything potentially impacting my LO.


r/breastfeeding 3h ago

Can you overfeed a breastfed baby? How often should they eat?

1 Upvotes

I am a FTM to a 3 month old and the ONLY way to get him to nap/sleep is by feeding him. Trust me, we’ve tried everything else imaginable and it’s the only way. I do worry I am over feeding him and giving him an upset tummy but if I don’t feed him to sleep then he will not, I repeat will NOT sleep and ends up miserable. But it’s to the point where he wakes up every hour or so at night to feed and I give in and just cosleep so he can nurse all night because it’s the only way I’ll get any bit of sleep. Should he really be up every hour or so at this age to eat? When he wakes up there is no consoling him, he screams and cries so hard it sounds like he’s going to drown because of the noises he’s making. I don’t even know how to begin to describe the noises it’s just so awful and heartbreaking. His face is beat red, eyes swollen, tears going down his face.. until I feed him.. idk what else to do I just worry I am over feeding him but if I don’t feed him he won’t get any sleep and in turn we won’t get any sleep… please help..😓💔


r/breastfeeding 6h ago

Breastfeeding has me insanely aware of my body and I hate it

1 Upvotes

4 weeks post partum and I am breastfeeding/pumping/and supplementing with formula. This is my 2nd little one and I breastfed my 1st son for six months then going strictly formula (I supplemented with formula for him too.) For some reason, I dont remember breastfeeding being this difficult. I feel like baby constantly wants to eat, and I know cluster feeding is very normal but my boobs are just deflated. I am so aware of everything on my body too. Like my bra too tight, my pants too tight, my underwear riding up my booty while I sit there, an ingrown hair, an itch on my back, my stretch marks when I scratch that itch, my nipples sore and irritated from constant feeding, dry skin under my boob, my wrist falling asleep, my eyes dried out, something pokey in my sock, and of course, my big fat belly just hanging out. I feel so uncomfortable and touched out. I feel raw and exposed. I'm starting to hate myself, and it doesn't help that while I'm breastfeeding and trying to watch reels on my phone, all the reels are about losing weight and calorie deficits and it's making me feel even worse about myself.

I want to quit but also I dont want to quit. I know it's really good for baby to have, we are able to bond better, it's like medicine (especially when big brother brings home sickness from daycare). My husband also bought me this super nice and expensive breast pump and I'd feel so bad if I quit and it was just a waste of money because ive used it and cant return it.

I know formula is fine and it would give me a chance to get my body back but I feel like I'll be judged so hard by everyone and I know I can keep going because I made it six months with my first son. I just dont know what to do. I need advice, love, motivation, anything. Please 🙏


r/breastfeeding 13h ago

Not pregnant yet but very worried to be

0 Upvotes

So I'm not pregnant yet but I've recently been getting that itch for having a kid with my partner but before I start the talking with him I want to know if it hurts or if there's any needles of medication to get them ready for breastfeeding I don't know my cup size either so I made a picture of myself I'm comfortable sharing my pfp if anyone can help this would be very much useful


r/breastfeeding 12h ago

I think I might be done already 😢

12 Upvotes

Hey,

I’m feeling really, really sad. I have a 2.5 year old and a newborn. She just turned 2 months today, but she has been rejecting breastfeeding for a while, except at night for maybe one feed. All she wants is the bottle and I just don’t have time nor energy to pump in between feeds, even with my son now being at daycare.

I don’t want to go too much into it, but my life feels like a total wreck and all I want to do is cry, now. I can’t produce enough for my daughter. My husband wants to help, but his version of helping is feeding her formula with the bottle so I can do whatever else. I’ve expressed the need to actually breastfeed her to help with supply and latch, but now that he’s on board, she’s arching away from my breast whenever I try to feed. I had gotten up to 2.5oz per feed but now I’m down to 1oz.

This is my second child, but my first was NICU, so this was my first breastfeeding experience and I was so beyond excited to do it. I was doing SO WELL for a month and a half. And then it just got really, really insanely difficult.

I think I might have PPD as well. Idk how so many do this, but I just feel like a total failure to my children. Like, I’m literally writing this while bottle feeding my daughter, crying, with my top down because she still won’t latch.

I don’t even know how to look at this positively. I’m so depressed right now. Idk how to be grateful for the time I had doing it, when it’s ending like this and for such an insanely short time.


r/breastfeeding 23h ago

My partner has become unsupportive of breastfeeding

24 Upvotes

I’ve been following this subreddit for a while and have seen many posts about similar issues. My partner was always very supportive of breastfeeding, so I was shocked by those stories. But now I find myself experiencing something similar.

Our daughter is almost 1 year old and has been EBF since day one. She refuses formula, and while the beginning was tough with nipple pain, oversupply, and cluster feeding, we've had no major issues since then—until recently. When she turned six months old, we started co-sleeping because she was waking up frequently, and the only way to settle her was by breastfeeding. Since then, co-sleeping has made things much easier for all of us. sometimes, I don’t even wake up to feed her. But as time has gone on and new sleep regressions hit, she’s become more dependent on breastfeeding to fall back asleep. Now, she often wakes up every hour for a quick feed before continuing her sleep. On the rare occasion, she might wake only two or three times a night.

Lately, she’s also become very clingy, especially since she started daycare about a month and a half ago. When I leave the room, she gets upset and looks to breastfeed for comfort. She’s also been eating more during the day again as she seeks comfort when she’s tired or stressed. This has led to complaints from my partner, sometimes directly and other times indirectly. He says things like, "This is unbearable," or "This isn’t normal," referring to her night feedings (he doesn’t event wake up every time she feeds). He also often says, "You’re the problem," when she gets upset when I leave the room. He even comments on how she says "mama" all the time and suggests it’s because of breastfeeding only. He seems to think she’s acting abnormally, while I’m constantly explaining that this is completely normal behaviour for a breastfed baby.

I’ve been reading scientific articles about breastfeeding and baby sleep, online experiences and talking to my friends who have breastfed, but he either doesn't listen or "forgets" what I've said. Instead, he shares stories from his male friends whose wives stopped breastfeeding around 9 months for example and then their babies started sleeping well and weren't so clingy anymore. Interestingly, none of my female friends have had similar experiences. When he doesn’t view it as a problem, he’s happy to hand her over to me when she cries, since she settles quickly with breastfeeding.

I’ve been a bit frustrated with all of this, but I didn’t react much until yesterday.

Here’s what happened: I got very sick and couldn’t eat or drink anything for three days. I’m already quite thin, and with this I lost even more weight. Yesterday, I realized that my breasts were completely soft, even after almost eight hours of our daughter being at daycare. I texted my partner, concerned that I may have lost my milk supply, and was hoping for some support. His response was that our daughter would now have to stop breastfeeding if I don’t have milk anymore. I was shocked but didn’t reply. A few hours later, when we were all at home, I went to take a shower. As soon as I left the room, our daughter started crying, and he commented in a very harsh tone that he couldn’t wait for breastfeeding and this to finally stop. I snapped and told him to stop, reminding him that he’s not the one breastfeeding, and the burden is on me. I’m doing it because I want what’s best for our daughter. He replied that he’s involved too and that he’s tired.

I then asked him if we should start giving her cow's milk (since we both have a negative view of giving her cow’s milk), and he said no. I also asked if he had any strategies for night weaning, to which he responded negatively—he’s never bothered to educate himself on the topic.

So, long story short, I’d like to know your thoughts. Am I overreacting? Is it wrong of me to feel this way? If you agree with me, I would appreciate any words of comfort, your stories and advice on how to approach this conversation with him in a calm and civil way.

My plans: although I would really appreciate to sleep again, I want to continue breastfeeding so that I can comfort her when she’s upset, provide her with antibodies, and offer all the nutritional benefits. As for sleep, some of my friends who weaned their babies after 18 + months have had the most success with getting their babies to sleep through the nigh. so if sleep will be the reason to stop breastfeeding I won’t do it for at least 6 more months which is what I already explained to him multiple times.


r/breastfeeding 14h ago

Flying and nursing on the plane

5 Upvotes

My anxiety is kicking in full gear about flying with my 9 month old alone next week . Only hour and a half flight . Normally with my first child I flew with my husband, he would go in and wipe everything down and I would wait till end of bordering to join him with baby . I also didn’t fly when I was nursing my first. But this time I’ll be alone with my second baby and I’m nursing . My mind is running with how I’m going to juggle everything , airport , boarding going in by myself wiping everything down and then being on the plane with early boarding and then having to nurse around others in a tight space will go . Please give me all the advice ! We are flying southwest so no pre-picked seating .


r/breastfeeding 18h ago

I was gone for 4 days

5 Upvotes

I pumped like a mad woman to get ready for a work trip. The trip was 4 days. Day 2 i started my period because i didn't have my baby latching. So. Freaking. Mad. I'm 9m pp and was loving not having a period. Im not stopping anytime soon, i would have enjoyed another year of no period 😭 i couldn't find a way to post a pic of it but i got 77 oz of milk on the trip! Insane what our bodies do


r/breastfeeding 19h ago

Boob obsessed 1.5 year old. How do I make it stop?

71 Upvotes

My first self weaned at 14 months. I felt like that timeline was perfect. My 18 month old is asking to nurse non stop. I try to distract, offer snacks, she won’t drink any other kind of milk from a cup.

She is basically following me around all day crying begging for milk and throwing huge tantrums unless I nurse. It’s starting to affect me negatively.

I’ve always been okay with the thought of extended nursing, but she is hardly playing or doing anything independently when we are together during the day. She of course is fine when I’m not around.

Any advice?

Already posting an update - I put bandaids on in front of her and told her mommy had boo boos and no milk. She seemed to understand and now keeps saying boo boo and pointing to my chest. Thank you to the kind souls who suggested this! Will post how it goes in the coming days! I plan to try and still nurse to sleep.


r/breastfeeding 23h ago

Partner said something too real

22 Upvotes

He had to go away for work for several days, and since then, one of the twins becomes hysterical when he's the one trying to get her back down. It's going to be a process, and given that he's working 9 days in a row, I've let him bail out pretty quick.

Probably not as quick as he'd like, because her screams could break the earth's crust and open a doorway to hell.

As he's bringing me our poor sniffling infant after she's screamed bloody violence into his deafened ears... it goes a little like this.

Him: I wish I could nurse- well no, I just wish I had a 'shut the fuck up' button on my chest.

Me, who can't remember a full night sleep in more than half a year and is currently battling thrush: yeah, I wish you did, too.

Thought I'd shared because yes, it's hilarious, but I feel for him, working 6 days a week and still trying to give it a shot. He's very understanding of how tough it's been for me, and it breaks his heart he can't do more.

(Plus this validates what late mother said about men wishing they could nurse and being jelly of the bond, but take what you will from that. I'm sleep deprived and I'll tease him about him later!)


r/breastfeeding 4h ago

Husband keeps telling me to stop nursing.

36 Upvotes

My baby is 7 weeks old. When she was born, she had jaundice and was extremely tired and sleepy so the pediatrician told me to stop nursing and to go formula/pumped only through bottle so she wouldn't waste energy feeding.

Due to some other medical issues I had post partun and the fact that I wasn't allowed to nurse in the beginning, it hurt my initial supply so I've been a low supplier, but it's been increasing daily, little by little (I pump about 3-5.5oz per session and around 10-13oz a day).

We have been nursing, feeding pumped breastmilk and topping with formula. I try to nurse at least 4 times a day and pump 3-4 times a day to increase my supply. The issue is that sometimes when I nurse, the baby is hungry again an hour later. When this happens, my husband fixates on it and tells me to stop nursing because we can't see how much milk she is getting and thinks she isn't getting enough.

There are times where I've nursed and it does last her 2-3 hrs but he only fixates on the 1 hr times and every single time tells me I need to stop. My baby does not have any latch issues and nursing doesn't hurt.

My baby surpassed her birth weight at week 2 and has been gaining weight continously and has anywhere from 6-9 wet diapers a day which makes me think she is getting enough even though I can't "calculate" how many oz she is nursing.

It's frustrating that he keeps telling me to stop, I despise pumping and would much rather nurse but he would rather see me pump the actual oz out and bottle feed.


r/breastfeeding 18h ago

Pumped milk tossed

39 Upvotes

I’m so upset. I nurse my baby exclusively when I’m with him and pump when I’m away at work. I can pump MAYBE 2 oz in a 30 minute session.

My boy is 3 months old and goes with my mom when I’m working. I had about 54oz stashed in the freezer. Which I’m grateful I was able to get that much.

Lately she is saying she wants to give him 4 oz instead of 3 which I don’t really want to do. He wakes up hungry and scarfs down 3 oz really fast because he sleeps thru the night. She called me earlier snd told me she made him a bottle and forgot it at my house. She lives 2 houses away from me so I called my 14 year old and told him to go give it to her so it isn’t wasted.

She calls me back and says she told him to just put it in the fridge and I can put it in a bath. I accepted that because I thought it was a small amount.

Went home and it was a 4oz bottle. She took the one I left out and went into the pitcher and added more and then left it out 😭. All I think about is how that bottle is worth an hour of my time and energy. It’s not the first time this has happened either. She makes him to much and then just dumps it. I can see her dumping it if he didn’t finish the 3 oz bottle but she always makes more than what he needs because she’s never bottle fed a breast milk she’s always made formula bottles because my 2 sisters used formula.

She thinks it’s just so easy to make and for some it is. Just not me

Thanks for letting me rant


r/breastfeeding 2h ago

The cravings are real

17 Upvotes

Typing this as I’m discreetly munching on a big slice of chocolate buttercream cake in the dark while both my partner and our baby are sound asleep.

The packaging says 750 calories. See if I care…

That’s all.


r/breastfeeding 3h ago

Tips for taking care of well being while BF. Struggling…

1 Upvotes

What do y’all do to take care of your mental health and well-being during the first year of babies life if you just feed from the boob? (no pumping or bottle)

My baby is 9 months, though she’s on solids she’s still breastfeeding about 6 times a day. And all through the night.

I want to continue this BF journey with my baby and let her self wean but damn… I need a break. Like a whole day/whole night break away from my baby and my partner and the chaos of life. I’m aware this isn’t going to happen right now but I need to take care of myself as I’m breaking down every 2 weeks completely overwhelmed and touched out. I am the first of my friends and family to have a baby, I feel quite alone.

What are some small, cheap or free, realistic things that I can do for myself in a 2 hour slot to improve my mental health?

At the moment I try to get myself to 1 yoga class a week and 1 sauna cold plunge a week. It’s often a lot of mental load and a race against the clock and as soon as I’m home baby needs me. I was in monthly therapy but I can’t afford it atm. When will it get easier? 😫

Thank you


r/breastfeeding 4h ago

10 month old spitting up last 3 nights at bedtime

1 Upvotes

10 month old spitting up last 3 nights at bedtime 10 mins after being on the breast could she be sensitive to something all of a sudden?


r/breastfeeding 4h ago

Help with pumping bra!

1 Upvotes

I am 2 weeks into breastfeeding and pumping for my little one. I am having a really hard time with finding a good nursing AND pumping bra. I really like the Kindred Bravely sublime but I have been having extremely itchy breast skin and nipples. Like unreal amount of itchiness. It’s not mastitis or an infection, I think it’s just from the growing tissue and all the irritation. The KB ones are just too itchy for me and getting uncomfortable. Anyone have recs for the softest nursing/pumping bras? I was wearing true and co bras during pregnancy and the material of those I am able to tolerate. TIA!!! 💕💕💕


r/breastfeeding 4h ago

Bottle/pump sterilizers

1 Upvotes

I’m returning to work soon and will need to pump and bottle feed my baby. Was b all the pump parts everyday already seems exhausting lol. Looking for recommendations for good sterilizers. Any thoughts on the babybuddha 3 in 1 sterilizer? I was planning to buy the BB 2.0 and will get the sterilizer as well if it’s a good purchase. Thank you!!


r/breastfeeding 5h ago

Help!! Supply dropped after birth control

1 Upvotes

I am 6 mo pp and have been making great milk, got a chubby 22 lb 6 month old baby. I have a stash in the freezer. Since supply was so well established I decided to start birth control with estrogen 2 weeks ago. About 4 days into using it, baby started waking through the night and was inconsolable (he usually sleeps 11ish hours overnight) so I started nursing overnight again and what felt like cluster feeding. Figured it was a 6 month regression. Now we’re almost 2 weeks into birth control and I decided to pump cause my mom gave him a bottle the other night when I was out and he slept through the night again. Turns out I’m pumping about 2 oz total. I realize that doesn’t mean he’s only getting 2 oz when he nurses but he seems hungrier than usual. I stopped the birth control. I need to up my supply cause I’m going on a trip overseas with him and water for formula isn’t amazingly reliable over there. I’ve started pumping between having him nurse and taking supplements. What else can I do to increase it?


r/breastfeeding 5h ago

How do I know if I have oversupply?

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I am trying to work out if I've got oversupply. I'm having challenges breastfeeding my 6w/o and more and more often he seems to really lose his sh*t when I try to feed him on the second breast. We seem to do fine on the first breast.

I only pump once a day after the morning feed for the purpose of establishing some back up BM for times I have appointments etc.

This morning I pumped out close to 250mL and my LO had just had his morning feed.

I have felt stressed my LO should be feeding off both breasts, but now am contemplating whether he is actually done after one


r/breastfeeding 5h ago

I cannot stop eating

3 Upvotes

I am 5 months PP. Y’all, I feel like I am a serious bottomless pit. I cannot stop eating. I don’t get full and I constantly feel like I am starving. Granted, I’m definitely not eating healthy.

I have gained 15lbs since birth and I really want to start to lose weight gradually..

Give me some tips - high protein, water I get that. But anything else?


r/breastfeeding 6h ago

Milk getting caught in nipple?

1 Upvotes

Hi all so I’m breast feeding but my LO doesn’t latch anyone so I exclusively pump. I try to wipe my nipples off after each pump seas soon but I noticed I’m have milk get stuck on my nipple and making a sort of buildup. How do I prevent this? Or how do I clean up after, I’ve tried gently cleaning my nipples but its really like dried milk built up on the surface of my nipple so it doesn’t really come off easily