u/vixissitude

I’m grateful that despite everything that went on, my baby is happy and healthy. I’m also grateful for my husband.

5 and a half months pp. My body is changing. Already low supply milk is dipping further. I don’t want to use the pump at all, it’s actually making me so upset that I get nauseous. I’ve been hand expressing but that isn’t enough to keep supply. I don’t know if baby needs my milk anymore especially because I can clearly see and feel guilty about pumping for the 100 ml a day instead of spending that time with him.

I have unresolved issues with my own mom and I had to prove I’m different than her by not giving up breastmilk at 4 months. Which I did! I didn’t give up! Pumped for 6-8 hours a day! But the supply dips within days. If I don’t want to eat as much that day, if I forget to drink water or take my supplements etc immediately there’s a significant drop.

I have to force myself to empty my breasts. I wanted to get to 12 months, then 8 months - but my mental health is suffering from it. I want to spend less time and mental energy on milk supply and more on moving, exercising, spending time with my baby and my husband and my cats.

I will be weaning very soon. I just have to stop feeling guilty about this perceived “giving up”

I had to leave for a whole day like a week ago and now i cant fall asleep without cosleeping (we coslept until a month ago where baby transitioned to the crib). I just have to feel him beside me to fall asleep and sleep comfortably

Hi! My 5 month old boyo has been preferring to play on his own with his toys (which is mostly just biting them). When I get in to talk or play he tends to turn his back to me 😂😂😂 I have to engage in active movement and play to keep his attention. Is this just a regular thing that happens or should I be doing something else? Everything else is fine, no other problems. We do spend a lot of social time in a day, both with mom and dad. Thanks!

I know y’all aren’t having problems with your milk or your baby because if you did, you would be too busy to worry about weight.

The first year of baby’s life ESPECIALLY if EBF, your body will hold onto the fat and give nutrients to your baby.

Even if your supply doesn’t tank because of calorie deficit, which it probably will, you will give yourself anemia and bone density decrease. Your body’s priority is your baby so you will get things like tooth decay, problems in your internal organs, bone density decrease causing growing shorter and easier bone breaking.

Please for the love of everything, put your baby first. And be nice to yourselves. Be fiercely nice to yourselves. You’re a mother now, these days are fleeting. You will lose and gain and lose weight later in life again, but your baby will only be a baby now.

Edit: I am unfollowing r/breastfeeding and this post. The amount of people obsessed with losing weight and also cheering on other people losing weight is triggering me. It is my opinion that pushing people towards possibly self harming behavior because you’d like to gloat about bouncing back yourself is *toxic* ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

original post

Two weeks ago I made this post and it had taken me 18 hours and 6 sessions to make 75 ml of milk.

I’m proud to say two weeks later and I make 80 ml in 8 hours 3 sessions!

It’s still not enough to fully feed a 4 month old, but it’s so much more than what I had a month ago.

I had to decrease the number of sessions to 4-5 a day but I think the break helped my body, plus I get to have uninterrupted sleep. My sessions are still 40 minutes to an hour long. Before going to sleep or when i feel full breasts but don’t have an entire hour, I hand express into the bottle I collect the milk in.

I can see there’s a small and steady increase day by day. I’m proud of myself! I’m proud of my baby!

Increase in supply is possible but I keep my goals realistic. I add a little bit of breastmilk to baby’s formula through the day. So far it seems like it’s working in giving him the necessary hormones and nutrients. I don’t lose my head over how I can’t feed my baby like other people can (usually), but settle with the fact I do feed my baby, just in a more modern way than the past. He’s thriving and my body is doing its best.

Wishing good luck to everyone else on this tiring but rewarding journey!

I’ve been incredibly busy (new mom!) and I’ve been forgetting the German I learned. I would love to listen to those old audio CD stuff that would have you listen and repeat sentences, while doing chores. Does anyone know any podcast that’s in that style? Thanks!

My MIL is mentally ill, not using her medications, and I and my baby are no contact. My husband talks to her daily and takes her to places by car when needed. To me this is okay. These all happened before I went no contact during pregnancy.

For years now MIL had this weird obsession with either getting the same things as mine or trying to make me buy outfits that she likes to wear, even though we’re not the same shape or size and I know and have told her those outfits wouldn’t suit me.

I regularly dress from a brand that only makes seasonal outfits, so every few months something gets discontinued. She refused to buy a coat made by the same brand because apparently nothing they made was the same length as the one I had. I had grown a few sizes so gave my raincoat and winter coat to her, and I got new ones myself. This is one of the many examples. I made clay magnets, she wanted the same ones. She bought a set of underwear for herself and forcibly gave me two out of the set. Shit’s weird.

When she buys something that is similar to what I have but then compares it to mine, finds something is not the same, she gets disheartened and leaves the item of clothing in my apartment or throws it away if it weren’t bought while staying in our place.

What’s worse is this: I have two cats. She loved one of them (because it was a kitten tbh). At first she asked for that kitten. We obviously said no. She asked like twenty more times, asked for “at least” the elderly cat, asked for the kitten again etc. Then she decided she would get a cat herself. I warned both her and my husband that she’s barely able to take care of herself and she would cause harm to the cat. Regardless, she got a female kitten.

Apparently now she wants to throw it out on the streets because “it never comes out of heat”. No spaying, no nothing. Just throw it out. I just know based on this pattern that it’s because it’s not the same cat. I hope she at least rehomes it but who knows what she will do. It’s really sad.

Anyone with similar stories to share?

Today im grateful for the internet because through there i have access to so much art and beauty that I wouldn’t have if it didn’t exist in my time

Just wondering because I have a 3 to 1 ratio 😂