r/breastfeedingsupport

Had an angel baby up until his 2-month vaccines. Ever since then, he’s been so fussy—stomach pains, irregular stools, multiple nursing strikes, and crying what feels like most of the day. His stool still hasn’t returned to what it was before the vaccines (thankfully, no blood). Our saving grace is that he still sleeps pretty well at night (usually a 5–7 hour first stretch, then waking every 2–3 hours).

He’s 11 weeks old now, and for the last two days he has absolutely refused to breastfeed. He’ll take a bottle, but even that is a fight. We’ve only given him about 1 bottle/day since 4 weeks old, using a slow-flow, breastfeeding-friendly nipple and paced feeding, so I don’t think this is bottle preference. It seems like he’s in pain when trying to breastfeed because he immediately arches his back and cries when I bring him into position, regardless of the hold. I’m terrified I’m going to lose my supply.

He also hasn’t latched without a nipple shield since a few days after birth. We’ve continued trying positive nipple exposure and were really hoping to wean off it by now. Our LC keeps saying there’s no rush, which I know, but now that he won’t nurse at all, it feels so much more stressful.

He’s been incredibly colicky these last couple of days. No fever, constantly giving gas drops, and today I tried gripe water because I’m desperate for something to help. I can’t help but wonder if the rotavirus vaccine somehow messed up his gut. Every time we think we’re finally doing better, we take two steps backward. The pediatrician's office says everything sounds normal and not to worry unless he starts vomiting, but it’s so hard to watch him be miserable.

My partner is back at work and worked 14 hours yesterday and then another 8 hours today. I’m completely exhausted and defeated. I’ve had to put him safely in his crib and walk away for a few minutes multiple times because I just needed to breathe.

I know this won’t last forever, but right now it honestly feels like it never ends.

Has anyone else experienced something similar around 2–3 months, especially after the rotavirus vaccine? Did the nursing strikes eventually resolve? And how did you protect your supply? I know I need to pump, but it’s so hard to remember when you’re spending all day trying to get your baby to stop crying and still hoping they’ll breastfeed at the next feed.

FTM with a EBF 6 week old. We give him about 1-2 bottles of pumped milk a day and the rest is via breast.

My baby has severe reflux and we have consulted a couple different IBCLCs, who thought that he may have a tongue tie or some other oral tension. Per their recommendations, we took him to a pediatric dentist, who said he does not have a tongue tie and has a strong latch. The pediatrician believes that he will simply grow out of his reflux and suggested we could put him on Pepcid. We would like to avoid medication, if possible, but every specialist we have seen has referred us to some other specialist. We have referrals to GI, chiropractors, body workers, SLPs, and OTs.

He tends to snack all day/night and frequently comfort nurses and falls asleep quickly. He isn’t completely emptying sometimes and I did get mastitis. He is gaining weight appropriately, but the reflux causes him a lot of pain and me a lot of extra sleep deprivation.

Has anyone experienced this? I am not sure how to get to the root of the reflux and whether feeding is contributing.

Not sure where to post this. Im an engineering student. I have a passion for designing products that are easy to use to help someone when they really dont want a hassle. Are there any problems you come across, or even just 'it would be so great if i had this' kind of thought. One thing I'm looking into designing are portable and discrete breast pumps (with things in the design that others dont have). Im used to designing prosthetics but this has honestly been on my mind for years, i want to make life with a baby as easy as possible for you guys (who knows how far ill get🤷🏽‍♀️ but i want to try)

Anything, even just a small thing that might help, id love to make it easier in any way i can. Doesn't have to be pumps, just anything really. Lid types? Volume? Shape? Something completely different? Something for prams/strollers? Something for meals, changing tables, something i havent even considered youd need (im not a parent)

Im not a mother, just a student, so if im way off and this all sounds a bit stupid and a bit too much, I'll take the hint👍🏽 this is not limited to just breastfeeding, anything, go for it, id love to hear

Has anyone successfully gotten a hospital grade pump covered under Tricare? I know it is on a rental basis. Baby is in the NICU and I’ve been trying to get my doctor to put in a Tricare referral, but it came back as ”incomplete info”

Hi all!

I'm 7w pp and I need a bit of guidance on pumping please - my goal is to increase my milk supply because baby is inefficient at removing it (doesn't swallow actively for as long as he should). He had weight issues and now we're topping him up with formula or breast milk if available after every feed. My ideal goal would be to EBF.

I met with a IBCLC who told me I should pump 4-5 times a day, one of which is a power pump at night. It took me a while to get the hang of pumping as small amounts would come out, now I can pump maybe 1.5 or 2 oz on one side, and 1 on the other (that's after breastfeeding).

I struggle so much with the plan because it feels that very often when baby "is done" and settled, I give him to my husband, wait for 20 ish mins (as per consultant's advice) and pump for 20, only for baby to wake up and demand food, which I don't have because I've just pumped it. So I find myself in the cycle of having him super frustrated at the breast for slow milk flow and me having to give him the same milk I just expressed via sns (I prefer it over the bottle). So when am I supposed to pump, then? And should I prioritise having baby at the breast or pumping? After we realised his weight was not great, we now assume that whenever he cries, it's because of hunger, so I pop him on the breast and he 99% of time latches and stays there, either comfort sucking, or eating a bit.

Another question I have is: I struggle SO MUCH with waking up at night to pump. It's like I'm a totally different person with 0 willpower whatsoever. How important is it that I power pump at nighttime specifically?

My baby will be 4 weeks old on Friday. She basically didn’t latch at birth, and then a few hours later was under billi lights 24/7 for severe jaundice. We immediately put her on formula for the fluid, and she ended up in the nicu for 2 weeks. Starting probably day 5 I began pumping and she’s been on ~95% breastmilk since then.

I haaaate hate hate pumping and dream of just nursing her with maybe a 1-2 pump sessions a day. I really didn’t start attempting to get her to latch until this week, and while she definitely could have a deeper latch, once she’s on she does okay.

The issue is that trying to get her on is a nightmare. I’ve been doing cross cradle and will just scream and fight me until she gets on, which is only half the time. She’s a little better on the left than the right which makes me wonder if maybe she’s tighter on that side and uncomfortable? Originally I thought maybe I was waiting until she was too hungry but today I tried when she wasn’t hungry yet and seemingly in a good mood and it was the same thing.

I have the my breast friend pillow but she doesn’t seem to like it, and I think she feels insecure/unsafe when using a regular pillow or none at all - just a guess.

It’s really disheartening because it makes me upset too and I know it’s just new for both of us but it’s sooo difficult.

Anyway, just curious if there’s any advice to help her not be so angry when I try :(

Hi mamas! My baby is slowly sleeping for longer stretches (4 hours now; he is 6 weeks old), and my husband does the first feeding at midnight/1 am so I can sleep longer. Most nights, I breastfeed my baby at 9 pm, then again at 3/4 am. I’ve been waking up with my breast sooo full, and in the past 2 days, leaking on my PJs and sheet.

My question is: should I wake up and pump or use a manual milk collector during my husband’s shift? I'm so afraid of messing with my milk supply, but I need to sleep for my mental health.

I’d appreciate any tips from mamas who went through the same. Thank you!!

I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding my 9 week old. I have a couple of appointments coming up and I can’t take baby with me. She feeds often, every 60-90 minutes. She needs to be fed while I’m away from her.

I’ve decided to pump only when I miss a feed! I don’t want to regularly pump. My goal is to be primarily breastfeed.

Are there any other moms out there that do this? Do you have any tips? Suggestions? Anything that can make this easy for me and for baby?

Hello everyone and thank you so very much for taking the time to read/respond to my post. My LO is about 5 weeks old and I've been pumping but only about 2-3x a day and I've only tried to breastfeed my LO 3 times since I've had them. My question is:

- Lately when I pump, I notice my milk supply is getting lower (I used to get 3-4oz per pump, now I get about 1-2.5oz)- am I drying up?

- Is it too late to do breastfeeding?

FTM and I pump for my 4 month old while she’s at daycare and breastfeeding at night/first thing in the morning. I’m having and upper endoscopy done on Friday and am worried the anesthesia will effect my supply. Google says it shouldn’t affect anything but I want to hear from real people. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Hi everyone. So today I went to my local med spa to get a facial. I wrote in the notes when I booked the appointment that I am breastfeeding, and I also mentioned it a ton at my actual appointment. The esthetician reassured me that the products used are breastfeeding friendly. She sold me the Zo Skin Health Kit for redness relief and when I got home, I decided to check the kit to make sure it really is safe. Upon researching, I found out 2 of the products are not breastfeeding friendly. And I honestly don’t know every product she used on my skin today. I want to trust that my facial was safe for breastfeeding, but I’m truly panicking.

3 weeks PP FTM and I am running on fuuumes. I cant remember the last time I had a full meal, apparently holding my baby and a fork at the same time is a skill I don't have yet.

I know I need to keep myself fed and hydrated ( especially for breastfeeding ) but everything feels like too much effort. What are we eating and drinking to get through this phase? I just wanna feel satisfied and not like I need to drink the ocean. why is it so dryy? Like damn have mercy lol. Looking for anything I can grab one handed at 3am

My baby is six month old and kind of started sleeping a little bit longer during the night/waking up less, I feel like my supply is dropping, and I don’t know what to do. I really want my breast-feeding journey to be a long one, can I get away with not pumping?

I was told early on in my pregnancy about ordering a pump through my insurance and saw Babylist offered that service and that they took my insurance so I started the process right away and was approved and received my free pump and 400 free bags.. my understanding was everything was approved and I never heard anything from them again.. until now in AUGUST 3 weeks before I give birth they send me an email saying that my insurance was actually denied me and that I owe them $800 now… if that was the case why did they send me everything already? I would have never ordered it in the first place. I feel scammed and now extremely stressed considering how close I am to giving birth now. Babylist is claiming that my insurance was denied because there was another claim made through another service (NOT TRUE)and my insurance is claiming that the pump was purchased out of network even though my insurance is listed as an insurance they take. I am hoping that I can send everything back to them because I have yet to open or use it but I just feel as though the whole process through them feels scammy with initially being approved and sent the pump then denied 6 months later.

So my 4 month old (18 weeks) all of the sudden will be sucking sucking sucking but not effectively removing milk. No letdowns are happening except for maybe the initial one and she isnt actively swallowing most of the time. It doesnt really matter how long shes on the breast, her sucking just isn't doing it. Her latch looks okay to me and we've never had this issue before so Im not sure why this would be happening.

For more context:

She gets bottles at daycare but until this past week was fine going between bottles and nursing when at home.

She just got her first cold, Friday afternoon.

When i hand express milk sprays out, and when I pump milk comes out too.

Its different from a nursing strike where she would suck and pop off frequently. She isnt refusing the breast; shes just sucking and nothing is coming out 😢

Has anyone ever had this happen before? Any tips on how to help her get milk out? Ive been supplementing with bottles of breast milk, but really would love for her to get full feeds from nursing like she used to. If I need to switch to EP I will but I've been breastfeeding her since she was born and never had this happen

My baby is 16 weeks old and we had a rough start. In the hospital they gave me nipple shields to help open up her latch. The following week she wasn’t gaining weight, so we went to a lactation consultant and we realized that she wasn’t transferring any milk. My supply tanked, that’s when I started pumping and now I have been exclusively pumping for the last 4months.

I am really proud of myself for being able to feed her myself, but I am still tearing up whenever I think about my nursing journey. I have tried four different lactation consultant, trying to get her comfortable on my breast again, nipple shields, getting in the tub together, skin on skin…you name it, I tried it. She won’t latch at all.

The last time and one of the only times she latched was at 4weeks and my husband broke his pinky toe and I had to unlatch and help him. I am still mad at him about that.

I woke up and felt like my throat was getting sore so I decided to take a serving of wellness formula which is six pills (and potent - has a ton of ingredients). I have a three week old (FTM) and am new to all of this, so I stupidly didn’t even think about the fact that this might not be safe for baby. Well, then I read the label and it said not to use while breastfeeding.

I’m thinking I should pump and dump – how long until we think the herbs and vitamins are out of my system? 24 hours?

I know a lot of people say low supply is rare. Maybe that’s the case and I’m one of the few. From my baby’s birth to post partum everything was not how I expected which I guess is part of the transition into motherhood, having to accept things that are out of our control. It’s incredibly humbling.

I had to have an emergency c section after baby’s heart rate was lowering too much, pushed with the vacuum as I was fully dilated but everything was so fast.

I’m not sure if that’s where things went wrong or if I simply was never going to be able to make enough.

Maybe I didn’t do enough skin to skin or latch enough at first?

I didn’t feel particularly supported in the hospital post birth for breast feeding but I tried my best and kept going… until the pediatrician was concerned about his weight and said I had to supplement. This totally broke my heart.

I saw one LC who said it was fine and don’t supplement but then we saw another who raised the alarm that baby wasn’t gaining weight and said we had to triple feed. That was so stressful for me as I am alone with the baby the majority of the time and he won’t let me pump without fussing and crying the whole time plus, more washing stuff on top of all the bottles I never wanted to use was too much.

So I got a third opinion who evaluated my son a lot better, said he had a great latch and was a good pump, I just wasn’t making enough. At first they said to take torbangun (lactivist) and two weeks later I went back and barely produced anymore than I had at the first appointment (we know this from a weighted feed). They ran my labs and said my prolactin seemed low and while my A1C was normal it was in the higher range so they said to start taking moringa and I had the option of taking goats rue or getting on metformin. I chose to see how goats rue would treat me, but since it causes some gi issues I went with 1 pill 4x a day until I felt like I could handle it and then started taking 2 pills 4x a day (the bottle gives this option). Finally after 3 weeks I started noticing that my baby was feeding longer at the breast was more satisfied and taking less of their supplement bottle. The middle of the night feed and early morning he didn’t even need a bottle after either!

Then all of a sudden my supply totally started crashing. I have a follow up appointment that I made when it seemed like my supply was finally going up but it might just take me up being to face the music that I can’t make enough. Aside from all the supplements I am doing my best to drink tons of water, electrolyte drinks, eat tons of protein etc. Every single morning I have oatmeal with chia seeds, flax and brewers yeast. I buy body armor in bulk. Nothing seems to matter.

Now around the time my supply seemed to lessen I got some signs I might have ovulated (mucus discharge, light spotting, cramping) I thought I might get my period but haven’t yet. I have also taken a ton of pregnancy tests and they have all been negative so I don’t know what is happening. What a cruel fake out to start making more and then totally have a drop with no explanation.

If you’re still reading thanks for commiserating and those of you who have gone on metformin for milk supply did it help? I think that’s my only other option aside from just giving up on trying to exclusively breastfeed. It stinks because combo feeding turns it into a whole production and makes doing anything else besides being at home feeding him so difficult. I also feel so much shame and embarrassment.

I don’t think I have PCOS because I have never had any of the signs, my periods were regular, no problem getting pregnant, no mysterious weight gain, no extra hair growth or hair loss.

The only thing I had was really painful periods.

Alright that’s a lot… if anyone has anything they can share to ease my absolutely broken heart I’d appreciate it.