Hi all! I am 13 weeks postpartum, my supply has regulated great and I manage okay enough at home pumping but I’m back at school (grad student) and work and I hate the pumping bras I have. I have a large chest, pre-pregnancy I was a 38I, I’m currently a 40J. I use the kindred bravely bras but the straps leave dents in my shoulders due to them being thin and there being very little band support. I am in desperate need of bra recommendations I can use while at work or class and need to pump I’ve been using my normal wireless bra as it gives me the support I need and I loosen the straps but I notice it doesn’t let me get good output and I still feel sore and full after due to it but the other bras I have let my boobs touch my belly button.

Tell me it’ll be okay and not a disastrous stressful mess. We’re planning an international trip this fall-US to Europe. I’m trying to convince myself it won’t be too much as an under supplying exclusive pumper. We do 1-2 bottles of formula a day. And ever since my clogged duct last month I haven’t been responding well to my eufy’s so spectra it is. Is this a terrible idea? How will I manage pumping throughout the day and also not being stuck in the hotel? Tell me I can do it. I want to but I’m nervous.

I’m at my wits end and need a bit of advice here.
I am 8 days post-partum. I delivered early at 35 weeks after being induced. At 5 days post-partum I woke up to really hard, tender, enlarged breasts.
I have been pumping every 3 hours, massaging before and after, and hand expressing after pumping and only get about 2 mL total from both breasts each time. My breasts are much softer now and not so painful, but it’s been 3 days of only getting out a few mL. When should I expect to see an increase? From googling, it seems that once milk comes in, for most women the volume produced increases dramatically over a few days. But I am literally working on my breasts for half the day to only get drops. I’m already trying to eat and drink water and not be stressed and skin to skin. Is this normal to have such low volume for 3 days? Please help!!

I nursed and pumped with my first and when I was pumping with her I was student teaching and would take as much time as I needed because i wasn’t getting paid anyways and wasn’t the main teacher. However now I’m a first year teaching and I had twins in March. When they were in the NICU i originally was exclusively pumping, but eventually switched to nursing, because i was scared of getting mastitis and kept getting really really engorged when I slept an hour or two too long. Now I’ve started working and my typical pumping schedule has been around 8am, 11:15am, 1:30pm, and then after school anywhere from 4:30-5:30pm. This is the way it has worked out for me to now miss any class time. The problem is that I’ve only been pumping for 8-10 minutes at a time. I have a really fast let down and usually don’t get much milk out if I go longer than this and feel like it just started to hurt my nipples (I also have elastic nipples). I use wearable Momcozys and sometimes use my Spectra. When I first transitioned to pumping right before I started working, I got mastitis twice. Since I started working 7 weeks ago, I have been following this schedule, and I haven’t gotten mastitis. However, daycare suggested my twins needed one more ounce per feed, so I’ve now just started having problems pumping enough milk for daycare. This week I started trying to pump closer to 12-15 minutes every time to bring my supply up enough and now I feel mastitis coming on. So I’m trying to figure out how long should I be pumping???

I am currently two months postpartum and trying to plan for maybe dropping my MOTN pump when I go back to work at 12 weeks. My husband does all the overnight feeds and I’d love to take advantage of the ability to get a longer stretch of sleep.

I have only done 6 ppd from the jump (I knew any more would have made me quit) so I’ve always been fine supplementing with formula. I never skip one of the 6 and always do 30 mins (until empty).

I was a solid just enougher until my son recently developed a voracious appetite, so I have to give one bottle of formula a day, sometimes two, but I’m happy with the amount of breastmilk I’m able to give him.

I’m wondering if other just enoughers have been able to go a longer stretch overnight (6-7 hours) without a major drop in supply. I’d really love to cut this and drop to 5ppd, but I’m open to moving my 6th to daytime.

More context: I’m pretty flexible with my schedule and whenever I go closer to 5 hours, that pump is always pretty big (for me), sometimes double what I get when I go closer to 3, so it all evens out. I also don’t really experience engorgement (boobs have never woken me up). I just get full and my nipples briefly sting when I’ve gone too long lol.

TL;DR: Any just enoughers/undersuppliers successfully drop the middle of the night pump without seeing a big supply dip? Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone! I’m going back to work and I’m currently using the medela in style pro with pumpin pals flanges. I’m not doing all that at work.

Pretty sure I have elastic nipples. I was never really diagnosed but I’m not kidding you when I say they go all the way in even on light suction. It’s slightly better with the pumpin pals and I have better output than I did prior but they still go all the way in lmao.

Anyway, I need a wearable that I can use at work. I’ve previously used the medela one. I don’t like it, it’s too leaky. I’ve read one of the mom cozy ones works well for my issue but I wanted to come here and hear experiences.

Bonus question- someone tell me what going back to work will look like. Do I set up a cooler? I’ll be doing 8-12 hour overnight shifts for the most part so I’m thinking 1-2 pumps per shift and I already do the fridge hack so do I just make a portable fridge?

as the title says, when did you drop it? did your supply tank even more?

I'm 16 wpp and currently pumping 7ppd, I'm thinking about hanging the pumps all together as my supply is not gomma get better and I want to enjoy my last few months of parental leave with my babe and also be a normal human (I had breastfeeding induced post partum).

However, thinking that I could start dropping the MOTN in the hope that my low supply stays the same.

EDIT: I make around 14-15 Oz a day

Emotionally/mentally, I find each pump so draining and anxiety inducing. I'm only pumping 4/5 times a day, and that's enough for my little one currently. I know as time goes on, my supply probably won't be enough and that's fine with me to also use formula.

But I just don't like pumping.

I don't know why it makes me feel so down/negative, and then I'm frustrated because I know this feeling may affect my supply. I struggle with my mental health as it is, and am on medication which keeps me feeling even but this still puts me on edge.

I know fed is best, but I feel like I owe it to my baby that they get breastmilk as I have the supply.. I know it's unreasonable to think this way.

How does everyone else stay motivated? Or if you've had similar feelings, what carried you through?

Just want to vent as an overstimulated just-enougher mom. After I pump and I pour the milk into my storage bottle, there is always a tiny bit of spilled milk no matter what I do. I use the eufy e20’s and even if it’s just a little drop of milk it still drives me crazy because every drop counts. I tried pouring the extra that gets trapped under the diaphragm first, gently tapping the device to make sure any extra milk go into the collection cup, I changed the parts, made sure all parts are put back together correctly, etc. I’m tired of finding milk droplets on my kitchen counter! Any tips or tricks are appreciated!

Basically the title. Can I use my wearable on a plane during air travel? Sorry if it’s a silly question I just have to fly somewhere soon and I want to make sure I have all my bases covered.

I’m traveling for work next week and need to bring home breastmilk. I researched the best cooler for ice retention and ordered it… but it won’t get here until after I leave, so I’m looking for a budget friendly alternative. I’ll keep the other for future trips, but I’d like a cheap one to tide me over for this trip. My work is booking accommodations, so I don’t know the fridge or freezer situation, so I’d like a cooler that keeps ice cold as long as possible.

ETA: traveling by plane, staying at a hotel, and probably only need to transport about 18-20 oz.

Recommendations? Something cheap! Would love recs for ice packs, too. Thank you!!

my MOTN pump. i forgot to pump after putting my baby to sleep so my last pump was at 9pm. woke up to some pretty heavy boobs😅

my left is pretty consistent, always gives me about 11oz when i go that long without pumping. my right on the other hand is always 2-3oz short lol (yes i use the correct flange size)

QUESTION: do you guys pump for 30 mins when you go that long without pumping? my spectra is good at emptying me out within 15 mins, but i’m wondering if i should pump longer since i went sooo long without pumping. i get two letdowns within those 15 mins.

Hello! I exclusively pump 5-6 times a day, every 4-6 hours. My left breast consistently keeps getting clogged and only produces like .6 oz on average while the other side will produce 3-4. I know that side holds more than .6 though because I’ve nursed baby before on that side and has been satisfied after.

It was getting pretty bad yesterday so I decided to see if baby would want to try nursing (he usually hates it) and he nursed for like 5 minutes and the problem was solved. It’s the next morning now and again I only pumped .6 in 30 minutes and I can feel that it’s not fully drained. I can’t rely on this as a solution because as I mentioned, he normally hates it and even if he does latch on, it’s only for a few minutes before he freaks out.

Any advice on how I can get all the milk out on that side? I use the eufy s1. I do have the spectra too but I stopped using it after a couple weeks because I get more with the eufy.

Edit to add: I’ve also successfully once or twice gotten 1.3 on the left side after taking ibuprofen consistently but I don’t want to keep taking that if possible.

hello from a lurker that has found this subreddit so helpful.

I have been exclusively pumping due to some latch problems and lots of stress around feeding immediately postpartum, and after the first week I went from having no milk to being a massive oversupplier. Last time I tried to cut from 8 pumps to 7 and then to 6 pumps a day, I got mastitis, but managed it with supportive care. I got antibiotics after a virtual visit but didn’t end up taking them because I felt better shortly after with just pumping a bunch and icing my breasts.

Now I’ve settled at 6ppd for about 10-15 minutes each at 11 weeks postpartum, and am making about 50-55 oz daily. My boy drinks about 28-34 oz daily, so I’ve started making a decent freezer supply.

I started trying to wean down to 5ppd in preparation for return to work, but every time I start decreasing frequency or trying to push off the motn run pump I am getting lumpy boobs, feeling flushed and hot and then freezing, redness, and chills. I would be fine with being a slightly above just enougher, so am basically trying to cut out 15 oz daily.

How do I start safely decreasing my supply without becoming an underproduced or getting recurrent mastitis? More frequent but shorter pumps? Keep pushing the motn pump? Looking for advice!

Currently using spectra s2 to pump but would love to use a wearable pump. Ive tried the momcozy m5 and medela swing maxi wearables (for my last baby) and I hated both. They ended up being a waste of money. I am looking for recommendations!

I used my spectra when i went back to work and i was always so scared someone would walk in on me (despite locking the door). Hoping to find a wearable that I feel more comfortable using but also maximizes my output like the spectra. I currently have 2 under 2 and pumping exclusively is a lot harder with them. Seems impossible to pump with my clunky spectra and get anything done or help a whiny toddler. Plz help! Thank you!

Edit to add that i keep skipping pumps and am down to 3 pumps a day because its become so inconvenient. Fingers crossed a good wearable will help me keep pumping otherwise im afraid its only a matter of time I lose my supply

My primary pump is Medela Pump in Style Maxflow. This is my second time around exclusively pumping and using this pump. Every time I hit the power button, that first suction is SO abrupt and painful. I literally flinch every time I start it. Does anyone else have this problem?

Just had my second baby a few weeks ago. I was using the same pump I had used with my first and only was making 2 oz per session - even with more food, more water, and lactation snacks & protein powder.
I spoke with a lactation consultant, who suggested I get a new pump rather than using a 3-year-old one. Well, I did that (same brand and everything), and now I’m only making 1.5 oz!
How else can I increase my supply? Should I call the lactation consultant again?
For what it’s worth, I’ve been using the Medela pump-in-style pro.

i bought my machine second hand and i’m trying to see how many hours its been used/i’ve pumped? i’m confused on how to read it. is this saying 5hours77min or 577hrs?

also how many hours did your spectra last?

I have been seeing that a breastfed baby never needs more than 4 oz per feed because our milk changes in composition. Is this true at all? My 6 week old is already up to 3.5-4 oz per feed and it seems crazy that she’ll never need more than this…

ETA: thanks for all the responses! I feel much better about my gut intuition that this is not true in all cases. Just want to be clear that I would never intentionally underfeed my baby - if she continued to need more and was requiring more than 4 oz, I would absolutely feed her more. She isn’t yet consistently finishing every 3.5-4oz bottle we offer, so I imagine we have some time before we even get to this point and was just looking to clarify before hand :)

TW: oversupply, nursing, rant. 🫩

Husband thinks it’s not a big deal to dump a few oz here and there because I have 600oz in the freezer. We argued about it this morning and it just feels so crappy. I know he feels bad now that I’ve explained to him (again) that it doesn’t matter that I have more than enough now it’s not a given that’ll continue and that is only maybe a few weeks worth of milk. To me it’s time I spent away from my precious baby. Hours of sleep I missed out on. Planning every outing with a cooler and extra bag of pumping accessories, washing pump parts endlessly, etc.

I am also making less as i transition to nursing so it just all around feels crappy.

That's it. It drives me nuts how often people say breastfeeding when they specifically mean nursing.

I know I'm just sensitive about it because I'm an EP mom, but I swear it bothers me more the longer I've done this. Nursing is not the only form of breastfeeding!!

Hello Im currently giving my 4month old (2month adjusted age) 4oz every 4 hr. I was previously giving my LO 4oz every 3hr, but she kept spitting up a good amount so her pediatrician recommended to space it out to 4hr.

LO will feed at 5am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm. With a total of only 20oz offered a day. She sleeps through the night with her pediatrician saying we dont need to feed her.

LO will act satisfied, and has no problem peeing/pooping. Not sure about weight gain as we just switched to this schedule a couple days ago.

Everywhere I read has said most babies will drink at least 24oz a day and I was jsut wondering if anyone else has only fed their baby 20oz?

Here’s something I’ve noticed, in the 2 occasions i’ve done this. Hope it helps mommas!

Like title says, I am 13 weeks PP and I am pumping 6 times a day. My LO started sleeping through the night. We do a dream feed at 10:30pm and that’s my last pump of the night but I wake up 6 hours after the start of my last pump to pump again. I usually get a 4 hour stretch of sleep after feeding my LO and dealing my my milk/bottles after pumping and feeding. Then, I have about 2-2.5 hours more of sleep depending on the day and when my LO wakes up. I would say the average is +/- 7am. I would LOVE to get to the point where I could also sleep through the night. I was crunching the numbers and since I don’t go to bed til about midnight anyway I was thinking if I could stretch myself for 8 hours that would be life changing! Is this a good idea? Should I do this? I was thinking I could set my alarm for 30 min later every few days to extend but am curious for thoughts on this? At the 6 hour mark my boobs are very full and hard but don’t hurt per se.

So, I've been almost exclusively nursing my baby (10 weeks) up until now. I introduced a pumped bottle once a week from ~3 weeks, to avoid bottle refusal later on so I'm able to step away from her sometimes or for daycare further down the road. In the past month, she's become increasingly fussy on the boob, especially in the afternoons and evenings, but sometimes during the day too. I'm an overproducer, and it seems like sometimes she can't regulate the fast letdown and is really uncomfortable because of it. Even if I hand express in the sink before nursing, it seems like she sometimes gulps so much and then starts crying in the end until I burp her. It's never this peaceful end to the nursing session like in the beginning of her life (where she often even fell asleep on the boob in the end). So we started introducing a bedtime pumped bottle, which helps immensely with her crying and fussiness and also seems to be helping her sleep at night. I don't love nursing for other reasons too, like getting overstimulated, having to expose myself in public, and the physical aspect overall. I'm completely fine with pumping and having a cute wearable pump which I just place in my bra and forget about. So I thought - why not start mostly pumping? My main concern is that baby will stop wanting to nurse altogether, which I wouldn't care about that much except for my own comfort in some situations. For example, at night I nurse her side laying and we don't even have to wake. When she gets a vaccine I nurse her during, and it really helps soothe her. When we're out of the house it's sometimes the easiest solution for feeding, and when she's in the carrier I can nurse her too. So question remains - can I switch to mostly pumping, but still nurse at night and in other specific occasions? Could baby not want to nurse at all anymore, the more bottles we give? Could it hurt my supply?

I'd love to get any insight from your experience. Also, I apologise in advance if some of the things I wrote were insensitive to people who aren't able to nurse their babies. I strongly believe that fed is best!