r/breastfeedingsupport

I feel awful admitting this, but feeding my baby has become the most stressful part of my day.

Every session feels like constant repositioning. Adjusting pillows, fixing the latch, switching sides, sitting in weird positions trying not to hurt my neck or shoulders.

And even when things seem okay, I’m still anxious wondering if he’s swallowing correctly or getting too much milk too fast.

I thought breastfeeding would eventually feel natural but honestly I still feel tense every single time.

Does anyone else struggle like this or is it just me?

When i ask Amazon Alexa to play ocean waves for my child, why the f*ck does it need to announce everything. Shut the F up and play the song, i don't need some random voice regurgitating what i just asked. Its just a dog shit experience.

Trying to play zen music and it goes “PLAYING OCEAN WAVES BUT CANT PLAY FOR MORE THAN 10 HOURS”. Excuse me shut the f*ck up. Every night for 3 years it played same disclaimer. Whoever is programming Alexss is a complete retard.

Baby can latch, but not deeply. The latch looks good and has been checked by multiple midwives and LCs (lips flanged, nipple at roof of mouth, bottom lip at bottom of areola, tongue over lower gum, good suction, chin and cheeks into breast, rhythmic sucking, low pain, swallowing). BUT nipple is in shape of lipstick afterwards, cracks and bleeding after repeated latching, and if there isn’t pain during latching then there is definitely afterwards. The midwives and LCs have helped latch but not necessarily stayed to see the aftermath so have discharged us.

I have tried reclined, football, koala and cross cradle. I have seen an osteo for jaw tension. LCs have ruled out lip and tongue ties. I have tried a nipple shields but baby still latches shallowly and then gets frustrated at slow milk flow.

Would love any advice, or hope - maybe baby will just grow out of it?

My daughter is 9 months, she stopped taking a bottle around 5 months and we never figured out why. I’m starting to have a really hard time with exclusively nursing her and it’s negatively impacting my relationship with her. We would like to work on getting her to take a bottle again. Has anyone had success with this? Any tips/methods? Is it a bad idea?

I’ve briefly tried a sippy cup with a plastic spout but she had no clue what to do and just gnawed on it a bit then moved on to another toy.

Yes, we are also working on using a straw cup. She will drink water but for some reason struggles with milk in the same cup. Working on that too. But she gets distracted easily by wanting to play with the straw so for bedtime milk we’d like to use a bottle for now.

With my first I exclusively pumped and my supply dipped just around the time she was turning 5 months old. Started to supplement with formula and eventually fully switched her over, she's now 2yo and thriving. Now my 2nd baby is just over 3 months old and despite trying to exclusively breastfeed/pump when given the chance, my supply has dipped again. Called the WIC office this morning and had them add formula to my food package. My freezer stash consists of six 5oz bags when I used to have over 200oz about a month ago. I know there's nothing wrong with how a baby is fed, as long as they are. I really just wanted to exclusively breastfeed longer this time around considering this is my last baby. With all that being said, I gave him two bottles today where both had 2oz of formula & between 2-2.5oz of my milk combined. He didn't even notice the difference which is something I was worried about because he had never had formula before, just my milk up until this point. With my 1st, she at least had some of those premade liquid formula bottles until my milk supply had come in. I guess I just needed to voice my situation and get some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing and have some support from other mom's.. My children's father has been supportive of my decision but he doesn't understand the mental/physical tole that something like this causes. Like I know that it's okay but I can't help to beat myself up over it a tiny bit.

Hey y'all, I had my second son two months ago and he's been so gassy. I have beta thal minor and it wouldn't surprise me if he's a carrier too, just like my older son is, my question is has anyone had any experience with ebf and the child being super gassy because of it? My older son was the same way, but I had him on formula a lot sooner than my second.

Edited to add more details.

I developed mastitis six days ago with all the classic symptoms (extreme chills, muscle/joint aches, accompanying headaches, breast tenderness where the lumps are), but no fever and no red streaking. I did have pink/light red splotching over where the lumps were, but I’m not sure if it was caused by my cold compress. I don’t have the red patches anymore. I took a lot of ibuprofen throughout the first 2.5 days and felt back to normal by day 3.

It’s now day 6 and I have a huge lump in my breast that will not go away. It’s about 1/3 of my breast. I have been pumping as usual and nothing seems to help. Strangely enough, it feels much less tender and less painful now than before.

Any advice? I am continuing ice compresses.

We're hosting an AMA with our very own u/TabFromCimilre, and she's ready to answer your questions!

Hi, I'm Tab! A Certified Lactation Counselor, Marketing Manager at Cimilre, and mom of three.

I know firsthand that every parent's feeding journey looks different. Whether you're exclusively pumping, breastfeeding, combination feeding, or still figuring out what works, I'm here for all of it. I believe that the right support and reliable information make all the difference, and no question should ever feel too small or too overwhelming to ask.

Starting: Thursday, May 28 at 10:00 AM EST

Open for 48 hours, drop in whenever works for you

Where: r/CimilreBreastPumps

Ask me anything about:

- Flange fit and pump setup

- Exclusive pumping, breastfeeding, or combo feeding

- Output and supply concerns

- When your insurance pump just isn't cutting it (we'll also be chatting about our Second Chance Pump Program)

- Honestly, whatever's on your mind, no question is off limits

Drop your questions in the AMA, and I'll tackle them once we go live. No one should have to navigate their feeding journey alone. 🤍

I’m new to Reddit and not sure if this is allowed in this group but I’ve been happily breastfeeding for 10 months. However, I am now absolutely desperate to stop and finding it so hard. My baby has been taking the odd bottle for a few months and will happily have it so theres no issue there. I have had mastitis twice, most recently last week after returning to work and forgetting to express during the day. My baby now has two teeth and during almost every feed she will bite down clamping on my nipple and pulling, it is agony and happening so frequently sometimes at the start of a feed and sometimes just randomly part way through. I spent a day this week giving her bottles and hand expressed a few times to relieve the pressure but then still by the evening my breasts were so tender and sore im terrified I’ll just keep getting mastitis. I keep being told just to slowly drop feeds or to pump and give her a bottle but I really am so done now I just need to stop asap. Im quite honestly scared to feed her now as the pain of her biting immense. Ive reached out to local lactation support and again just told to cut down. For 3/4 months my baby was feeding hourly day and night and im wondering if that is why im struggling with stopping as maybe im
Now producing loads of milk? I know while breastfeeding I was told not to take decongestants as they can impact on your supply but now I’m wondering if actually that will help me stop quicker or if there’s anything else I can do to ease the stopping process?

Baby is 8 months now and still wakes very frequently at night feed, I'm talking every 1.5-2 hours. I can hear milk transfer but compared to when he was younger, he doesn't wet his nappy every single time? But when he wake up properly, he will pee a tonne. In 24 hours he's still having 8-12 wet nappies but it has me panicking that overnight I used to change 3 nappies and now it's more likely 1 atm. Am I panicking unnecessarily or am I losing my supply?!

TL DR: how to lose weight pp without affecting milk supply

I would love to hear some guidance and your stories about weight loss PP while breastfeeding!

I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy (almost 50lb), lost 22 lb when gave birth, another 6-7 lb since then (I’m 5 months PP). I also had about 20 lb extra before I got pregnant from my “ideal” weight for most of my adult life. I feel like that subtle progression of weight loss stopped now and it’s plateaued.

Since LO’s birth even if it was winter I have been walking with a stroller (and now with a stroller in one hand and LO in another) for 6miles+ per day or so. I have an smartwatch that track calories, so my daily goal is about 1100 kcal burned, 70 min active minimum. Swimming season is starting here so I would add that as exercise.

I am very hungry and eat a lot, I think I’m hungry even after I eat. I used to be a heavy smoker, so I would just drink coffee and smoke cigarettes, but because I used to smoke I feel like I have no skills of moderation or trust in how my body is feeling and following that when it comes to food. So I think I need an external guidance system, like tracking calories or such, so I have a bit of a deficit?

LO is exclusively breastfed and is a very big baby now. I think I might even have an oversupply (I have occasional overflow issues and there is always more milk when LO is done eating) ?

How do you know if you have oversupply/ undersupply/ enough milk?

What is the normal calorie intake for a breastfeeding?

How did you eat and lose weight while breastfeeding without affecting your milk production?

Thank you!

Can we talk about pumping at work for a second? Because I am genuinely losing it.

The Slack scheduling wars over the wellness room. The paranoia about leaking on a client call. Washing a million tiny parts at midnight when you're already running on four hours of sleep. I spent most of my return-to-work transition hiding in supply closets and obsessing over my output, and honestly? It broke me a little.

So I did what any sleep-deprived, slightly unhinged new mom does — I bought three different wearables trying to fix the anxiety. Here's what actually happened.

The "I need to look like a normal human at work" option — Elvie 2 Sleekest, most discreet, genuinely disappears under a fitted top. If your office is formal or you're in client-facing meetings all day, this is your best shot at invisibility. The downside: it never fully emptied me, and the boiling-to-sanitize situation is a hard no when you're already functioning at 40% capacity.

The "I cannot spend more money on this" option — Momcozy M9 Easiest to clean of the three, which matters more than I expected. The problem was consistency — some sessions were great, others were a total mystery, and that unpredictability sent my supply anxiety through the roof. If your supply is solid and you're not a worrier, this is probably fine. If you're already anxious about output, maybe not.

The "I have back-to-back meetings and no margin for error" option — eufy S1 Pro Bulkier, more parts, definitely needs a loose blazer to hide. But it was the most reliable for output — even during long, stressful calls. The warming feature genuinely helped my letdown in meetings, and it saved me during a clogged duct situation I don't want to relive. Adjusting settings from the app under the table without anyone noticing felt like a small superpower.

None of them are perfect. They're all trade-offs depending on what that particular day demands. I'm still not fully convinced any of this is a game changer vs. just a different thing to stress about.

For those of you navigating this — what are your actual hacks for the scheduling and logistics side? Would love to know what's actually working for people. 💀

I’m just interested to find out what other parents have googled when it comes to having a newborn? I know for me I googled everything from “is the poo a normal colour to how do I get a loose hair out of my babies eye” 😅. The early days of parenting can be so hard so would love to hear some funny things you guys have googled.

This will be my second baby, and I’m honestly feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty about it. With my first baby, I exclusively breastfed and never used a pump. Back then I was a stay-at-home mom, so I had the time and flexibility to nurse on demand, but things are very different this time. I’ll be going back to work after maternity leave, and I already know I also won’t have the same energy I had before, so I’m planning to switch to bottle feeding with a breast pump. In a work environment, breast pumping feels like it would avoid a lot of awkward situations.

I have asked many friends who are experienced in breast pumping. A lot recommended the Eufy S1, and it does sound like a very solid option in terms of performance, but I keep feeling like it might be a bit bulky for what I need this time around. Recently I also came across the Mom cozy Air 1, because it looks slimmer, and the idea of wireless charging and not dealing with a mess of cables feels incredibly convenient, especially for pumping at work and on the go.

So now I’m kind of stuck. I’d really love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation or has experience with either of these pumps.

10 days pp. Because of bad latch my nipples we’re very damaged by day 3 and I couldn’t breastfeed. My milk supply also did not come in. Due to concerns about jaundice, started formula. On day 6 started using nipple shield but baby would sleep on breast and not get full so continued supplementation. Since day 7 I have been trying to give breast first and then formula. Problem is that baby falls asleep on breast and no amount of stimulation or alternating between breasts or feeding her in just diapers is helping. I give up and have to give her the bottle. I would love to EBF and need help if someone has similar journey. Not sure if it’s my milk supply or her milk transfer.

Other things that I am trying - using SS nipple bottle, pace feeding, pumping after some feeds( nothing or droplets come out).

Pumping - not sure when to do this, when I pump after feeds, nothing comes out, I have been told to try flange size 17 or 19. Tried massage mode l1 for 5 mins and switch to 54 l1. Not sure how to do this correctly.

Any help is appreciated

10 days pp. Because of bad latch my nipples we’re very damaged by day 3 and I couldn’t breastfeed. My milk supply also did not come in. Due to concerns about jaundice, started formula. On day 6 started using nipple shield but baby would sleep on breast and not get full so continued supplementation. Since day 7 I have been trying to give breast first and then formula. Problem is that baby falls asleep on breast and no amount of stimulation or alternating between breasts or feeding her in just diapers is helping. I give up and have to give her the bottle. I would love to EBF and need help if someone has similar journey. Not sure if it’s my milk supply or her milk transfer.

Other things that I am trying - using SS nipple bottle, pace feeding, pumping after some feeds( nothing or droplets come out).

Pumping - not sure when to do this, when I pump after feeds, nothing comes out, I have been told to try flange size 17 or 19. Tried massage mode l1 for 5 mins and switch to 54 l1. Not sure how to do this correctly.

Any help is appreciated

I am utterly traumatised so far by my journey and need some input / insight to see if the issue is me or the methods suggested by my LC.

Sorry for the long post and information dump but trying to get as much info down so there is a clear picture.

The birth was a precipitous labour - very fast - 10 minute push with kiwi assisted. Hadn’t realised I was having contractions till an hour before. Manual removal of placenta. Bleeding has stopped and we’re locha is fine.

LO latched on golden hour for the entire hour. But BF advice in hospital was incredibly contradictory and I struggled through doing the wrong things for the first five days.

He was just aundiced and sleepy, difficult to feed for first few days but passed the initial glucose test. On day of discharge failed last glucose test and forced to supplement.

Was seen by hospital LC as BF was blamed for low glucose and following plan given:

Triple feed on 3 hr cycle with top ups (now at four weeks we’re at 45ml top up with more if LO still hungry). He almost always needs more. Incredibly hungry baby.

Triple feed is set out at:
- BF 20
- top up
- Pump 20.

Brith weight met @ 2 weeks.

Told I can go 4 hourly at night with one full formula feed for mental health. I don’t do this every night I see how I’m coping.

LO still a sleepy baby and needs to be stripped, changed and constantly kept awake when feeding.

Have slept through 5/6 hours feed cycle by mistake multiple nights this week due to exhaustion. I know this won’t help. I have set every alarm and set Alexa to go off and it doesn’t wake me. His cries will.

Average triple feeds 7/8 only. Try to increase but OH is working 12 hr shifts. But I am latching him in between whenever he wants to or needs comfort as well. So probably closer to 12 plus for latches.

I want to add more triple feeds but I find it difficult to get the cycle finished in less than 1.5hrs.
Using Medela symphony with amazon flange inserts. 17mm.

Baby checked for tongue tie/lip tie. I’m told no but I query the lip tie still and might get second opinion.

Week 3/4 - Average output is 10-25mls after a feed. No consistency. If skipped feed (formula only feed) I still only max out at 30-35ml). No increase from week 2 but did less 5mls. Occasionally I’ll try hand pump and get 25ml.

Weighted feed showed intake of 35ml over 20 mins.

Medication: labetalol for gestational hypertension. No preeclampsia. 200 x 4 times daily.

Started Motillium last week - no real results. 10mg x 3 times daily. Increased to 30mg x 3 times as last ditch try and been on that 4 days so far - no results.

Supplements: have bought morgina and fenugreek which should arrive shortly. Taking breastfeeding multivitamin.

Never felt engorged until I slept the 5/6 hours. Even then just full - not painful.
Only started leaking when feeding opposite breast when I started taking Motillium.

Breasts: Feel a dragging pain under armpit when pumping.
Now suffering from vasospasms.

Have booked a private LC for this week for my own mental health, in the meantime…

HELP!
What am I doing wrong??
Am I torturing myself for 30/35ml….

Edit: to add he will settle and use breast to soothe to sleep so he’s not completely developed a bottle preference but he does get frustrated once flow stops. We are pace feeding with bottle.

I’m a first time breastfeeding mom of a 4 week old. I also have a 3 year old who never latched so I exclusively pumped with him for 6 months which was miserable. Due to the pumping trauma i was super excited my newest LO had a good drive to latch and nurse. After many moments of fear and reassurance from my Pediatrician that she’s latching and gaining weight recently (since week 3) she’s gotten very fussy and gassy at night (around 7pm-6am). We do the normal movements to help her fart but I feel like over the past few days she’s gotten worse. Her belly looks bloated and she has more sharts and gas then poops. She’s making wet diapers like normal but when we nurse I’m not sure she’s emptying my breast. They also seem to have milk in them when I express them even after nursing in different positions for 20-30 minutes. I actively massage my breast while nursing which makes them feel soft and I hear her drinking but idk if my supply is too much and she just can’t keep nursing all the milk in there? I have elasticy breasts so they’re very stretchy and fleshy which can make latching slightly difficult after she’s nursed too long.

My question is how do I know she’s getting hindmilk and does anyone have tricks to help your milk come down? I’ve read foremilk can cause gas if that’s all they’re getting and when I do a little pump to empty my breast milk still comes out so should I be pumping before I nurse her to get the foremilk out or just save the pumped hindmilk and feed her that. I really want to keep breastfeeding but I feel bad for her with the gas.

Update:// Should I stop pumping and just feed on demand?
The pediatrician originally recommended I pump to empty my breast to increase my supply but now I think I’ve created an oversupply so should I stop pumping entirely?

Thank you!