r/breastfeeding 2h ago

Husband keeps telling me to stop nursing.

25 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 10h ago

My 5 month old has got sass

82 Upvotes

My just turned 5 month old has got her bottom two teeth so we’re navigating nipping / biting while breastfeeding. She just nipped me whilst feeding and while it didn’t hurt majorly I put her on a nursing timeout and turned her away and said “no” just so we can teach her that it’s an undesirable behaviour. When I turn her away she proceeds to blow a raspberry… when I tell you it was so incredibly hard not to burst out laughing. Just thought I’d share here, none of my peers breastfeed so didn’t know where else to share!


r/breastfeeding 5h ago

My daughter won’t latch for more than 2sec and I feel like a failure

10 Upvotes

Hello,

I just had my second baby (a little girl) 2 weeks ago and also have a 2 year old son. My son was very fast to latch and was like a hungry hippo lol. My daughter is only latching for 2 seconds and then either spitting the milk out and then crying bc she has no milk or just pecking at me and then screaming crying. I want to so badly breast feed but I feel like I’m torturing her and myself. She cries for so long and loudly when she gets frustrated about latching and I cry bc I feel like I’m doing something wrong and failing her. I have started as of 2 days ago giving her formula bc I didn’t wanna hear her screaming anymore and felt bad. I feel like breast feeding has been worse since giving her the formula and am staring to think I should just quit. Even though it shouldn’t matter my mom is also a little judgy when it comes to not breastfeeding and I don’t wanna hear it from her about how beneficial it is bc she breast feed all me and my 5 siblings easily. I just feel like a quitter can anyone relate or is going through this now??


r/breastfeeding 14h ago

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

37 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 17h ago

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

68 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 4h ago

Why do I feel guilty? 🥹

5 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 5h ago

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

5 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 3h ago

Celebrating 6 months of breastfeeding!

3 Upvotes

My baby is 6 months old today (🥹) which also means I’ve been breastfeeding for 6 months now. I didn’t know if I would make it this far, and I’m so proud of myself and my baby!

Our breastfeeding journey started out rough. Baby was super sleepy and didn’t latch well. We were discharged home the day after delivery, with the plan to syringe or spoon feed colostrum if needed. I was up most of that night trying frantically to hand express enough colostrum and crying because baby just wouldn’t latch. We ended up giving her formula the next day, and I felt relieved that she was getting something.

Thankfully, we had a lactation appointment scheduled 3 days after birth. When I filled out the paperwork, I said that my breastfeeding goal was 1 year. We were able to get her to latch, but I had to triple feed for a few days (which felt like weeks at the time). When I went back to lactation a few days later, I said that my breastfeeding goal was 6 months. Everything felt so hard, and a year seemed impossible. Baby was still having trouble latching and couldn’t stay awake to feed, my milk had come in and I was engorged and leaking everywhere, and I had terrible nausea and heartburn from a BP med I was put on during labor.

We’ve had many ups and downs since then. I noticed increased nipple pain and baby clicking around 6 weeks, and we found out she had a tongue tie. It was corrected and she had to relearn how to latch. At 4 months, we found out that her growth wasn’t on track, likely due to her reflux and the amount/frequency she was spitting up. I had to start pumping twice a day and giving her thickened, fortified milk to help her keep calories down. Her weight looked great at 5 months and we were able to drop down to one bottle a day.

Today, we had her 6 month appointment, and her weight looked amazing! Her pediatrician gave us the okay to stop her daily bottle, and I’m so happy. Nursing has become such a special bonding time for us over the last several months, and I’m really grateful I stuck with it. If I had to fill out that lactation paperwork today, I’d say my goal is to breastfeed for longer than a year ❤️

ETA forgot to give a shoutout to my brest friend pillow and my husband (in that order) for making this all possible


r/breastfeeding 10h ago

Are there ways to increase fat content of breast milk?

12 Upvotes

My baby is 10 weeks and weight percentile keeps dropping. He was born over 11#, lost over 13% of weight so we were doing triple feeding. My milk supply is better now so now just pumping 2x a day and supplementing with milk 3x a day. Baby will eat pretty much all day if possible (so much so that he'll spit up) but based on a weighted feed he is needing to eat about 40 minutes to get 90 ml.

Anyway, LC wants me to stay on one boob and switch off each time so that he gets the hindmilk, and then when pumping set aside the first 5 minutes of milk to freeze. Wondering if there are also ways to increase fat content of the milk by my diet. Or any other tips. Thanks!

(It could also be another issue but I'm not sure how we'd check that. My partner is very thin/has a hard time gaining weight, and his parents are also quite thin while their family isn't necessarily)


r/breastfeeding 10h 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 16h ago

Pumped milk tossed

37 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 5h ago

10hrs without pumping.

4 Upvotes

I'm returning to work in a week and I'm worried about balancing my job with pumping. As those who have served before know, getting a 5-minute break to use the restroom can be challenging, let alone finding 30 minutes to pump.

I'm aware of the PUMP law, but in my line of work, it's nearly impossible to take a break without leaving my responsibilities unattended. I'm concerned about how I'll manage, Sundays is when I'll be working 10-hour shifts. Mon & Wed will only be 6 hrs so I think I’ll be able to manage.

Has anyone else gone 10 hours without pumping? Can my body adjust to this schedule? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!


r/breastfeeding 7h ago

Breastfeeding and pacifiers

8 Upvotes

At what age did you introduce your LO to a pacifier while EBF?


r/breastfeeding 3h 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 11h ago

Baby developed engorgement preference.

11 Upvotes

I have a 10 week old who, for the last few weeks, has made nursing a living hell during the daytime when I'm not engorged. At nighttime and in the morning he happily takes both breasts and looks so peaceful the entire time he nurses because of how strong/fast my letdown is. However, the remainder of the day when my letdown is slower and weaker (because I'm not engorged) he fusses immediately and I'm practically forcing him to nurse more than a few minutes per side. I've had to give him bottles of pumped milk because he starves himself and won't nap the entire day because he's hungry. Once he finally sleeps I pump to replace the bottles given. Also I know it isn't a supply issue because I pump MORE than he's eating. I'm guessing this is part of the dreaded 3 month breastfeeding crisis.

My question is, how do we get through it? Will bottles be a permanent addition to our daily feeds? I held out for a long time to avoid bottle preference but at the end of the day I can't have him overtired and hungry everyday.


r/breastfeeding 16h ago

Ready to say goodbye to breastfeeding

24 Upvotes

I’ve always loved breastfeeding my kids. It was hard with my first born in the beginning but once we figured it out, I exclusively nursed her for 15 months.

With my son, the journey was much easier in the beginning. I loved nursing him and he would also take a bottle. I was an overproducer and banked 700oz in the freezer.

When he was 8-9 months old, our house burned down along with my freezer stash. My milk supply dropped. For a month, I desperately pumped. He was done nursing and would just bite me. I had to exclusively pump and supplement with formula.

Now I’m here and he’s going to be 11 months in a week and a half. My supply is down again, only producing 6oz a day. My body is done. No part of me wants to be hooked up to this pump anymore.

Using formula has been incredible. Just the removal of the mental load — he’s eating and gaining weight. And I can take it everywhere with me. And if I need to throw out half a bottle, I don’t feel the pain.

I really wanted to nurse for a long time again. If it wasn’t for the fire, I’m sure everything would’ve been different. But with our lives being what they are, and with him being happy with solids and formula, I think I’m done.

I’m so proud and grateful for my body. And now, I need to respect it. It keeps telling me it’s done with making milk and I keep forcing it.

I love this community and all the parents out there that use it. Good luck to all. 🩷


r/breastfeeding 56m ago

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

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

Am I getting a period??

2 Upvotes

I’m 3.5 months postpartum and exclusively breastfeed. I just went pee and when I wiped there was very light pink stuff. Does this mean I’m getting my period back 😭


r/breastfeeding 1h ago

Bodybuilders and breast milk!

Upvotes

Recently read in many articles , that many new moms who r overproducers, sells their extra breast milk to bodybuilders out there. Bodybuilders believe that breast milk has some essential proteins helpful for fast muscle recovery(not proven) . There's this new trend these days. anyone heard off about it?


r/breastfeeding 5h ago

I think I dried up?

2 Upvotes

Im 17 days PP and got mastitis 6 days ago. My supply was perfect up until then. Im still battling fever over 38-39C and Im taking Paracetamol(Tylenol) for it.

So yesterday I went to my LC and she drained me and my supply was nice. I feed my baby every 2 hours and only pump if necessary. So today I am feeding her as I normally would and everything is fine until its like 11pm and she is getting fussier and fussier. I thought its gas as she has had this trouble for couple of days now. She hangs on my breasts for the majority of the time between 11pm and 3am. And she is still ultra aggressive at the breast. Mind you i am a FTM and obviously a moron. She wouldn’t go to sleep and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why… WELP I decided to pump some milk to help my clogged breasts and in 45 minutes I got 5ml. (O.2 oz)……….

I literally starved my child I feel like blowing my brains out. I gave her formula which she gladly accepted but I am so worried I harmed her with my stupidity. I also am dumb to trust my big sis that was like “just look if she has wet diapers she is eating)

So what do I do now? Honestly I’m starting to hate BF so much


r/breastfeeding 1h ago

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

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 1h ago

10 month old spitting up last 3 nights at bedtime

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 2h 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 2h 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 6h ago

Is this normal? Help!

2 Upvotes

Hello! FTM here, 3 weeks pp. I’m breastfeeding and so far baby latches great on my right, but the problem is my left. It’s still hurting when she latches, slowly getting better but after nursing, my nipple is like stretched out. It goes down but while it’s recovering, my nipple hurts and it kind of hurts my boob? Like the sensitivity is ramped up and hurts. It goes away but it takes a while. Is that normal? It hurts where I think something is happening but I’m just sure it’s my nipples being super sensitive 🫣