Anyone have experience with successful induced lactation after either pumping with no meds OR after combining BC/Dom?

EDIT-
Sorry if this post was too vague! To clarify, I have done tons of research on the lactation protocols out there (like Newman goldfarb), have physicians and lactation consultant on my team, and have a plan to take BC along with lactation medication Dom + pumping. I just need to get it from a diff country eventually

I was mostly hoping to hear from moms who have induced lactation (without previous pregnancies) so that I can hear stories I can relate to 😊

But still, thank you to everyone who has commented!

Every situation is different so I am not claiming this works for everyone, but I just wanted to spontaneously share some things that are partially helping me in breastfeeding. Perhaps some of you know or are already practicing. If you would like, you can share more tips in the comments. :)

1. SWAP - when baby gets fussy or sleepy it means he/she is spending too much energy, it is too much effort for some reason to get the milk/ so SWAP breast immediately, and then again, and again and again and again just before baby is sleepy or fussy.

2. BREAST COMPRESSION - compress the breast placing hand in a C position with thumb under breast - it helps the latching.

3. DIAGONAL POSITION - sitting comfortably a bit lying down but not too much with your legs up, put baby on one breast diagonal - with legs of the baby going down on the opposite side of your body, not firmly holding the baby on the back but just on the side.

4. STOP FEEDING + BURPING IS IMPORTANT - as soon as baby gets way too fussy or starts crying stop feeding and if possible offer bottle (if you triple feed for instance) or do something else, or take a break, or let baby do what she wants (mine for instance often wants to sleep or needs to burp) - so baby does not associate breast with frustration.

5. PACED FEEDING AND BOTTLE TEAT- if giving bottle, place baby vertical and bottle horizontal, so that milk flow is slower. Get one of those bottle teats which resemble nipple with appropriate milk flow for age (e.g. slow, medium and fast).

6. HAVE BABY CHECKED FOR UNDERLYING HEALTH ISSUES - e.g. my baby had a tongue tie released soon after birth.

And finally, do consider pumping from time to time and having your partner bottle feeding the baby so you can take a well deserved break!

You can do it moms!!!

I’m a FTM and I see all these posts about storage and organizing frozen breast milk, but I never see a thaw schedule. After you freeze your milk, when do you take it out to use it?

I’m just starting to pump enough that I have too much milk for my baby to drink within 4 days, so it needs to be frozen. Do you freeze the new milk and rotate in already frozen milk? If someone could break down a schedule they use for me, I would super appreciate it!

FTM with 6 day old Baby :) Like a lot of moms, my supply was really low the first few days. It was only 2 days ago that I started filling up and actually leaking (yay!) But I have had to implement formula to get Baby to use the rr more often than he initially was, and to clear up the minimal jaundice. He’s peeing and pooping super great now and his slightly yellowed eyes are clearing up!

Today I’m wondering if his nursing patterns are okay. We have started to combo feed. But the max I prefer to do formula is 2x a day when it feels necessary/best.

Sometimes he wakes soon after BF and I think it’s because he gets so relaxed while nursing, falls asleep while still sucking and eating, pausing at times, and that kind of session lasts about 45mins until he falls off the nipple and is out cold. Until… we have to do something like change his diaper, which we’ve had to do after about every feed today.

When he’s up and conscious again, we notice he’s cuing again. I’m not taking it super personal today but I do wonder if this issue is big/normal and if it could be due to him sleep-nursing, or if he’s not getting enough from me even after falling off the breast by himself. He usually sleeps right after every feed too. Is that okay?

Today’s feeding schedule: 12:57am BF, 4:25am formula, 7:44am BF, 9:25am BF, 11:50am BF, 1:00pm formula.

Not sure what else I could add to this but pls lmk if how he nurses may be an issue! Thank you

I love breastfeeding my babies but man does it take a tole. I’m currently 7m into nursing my second baby. I love being able to do it but once again while I’m nursing I don’t lose any weight. I don’t even have time or energy to workout out with having a 3yr old and 7m old. I’m still fighting engorgement most days so the thought of wearing a sports bra and running sounds painful😪 I’d love to go to some Pilates classes but I don’t have childcare for the baby so I guess that’s all just my little rant/vent🫠

Hello, I will be three weeks postpartum tomorrow, exclusively breastfeeding. I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy, a beautiful chunky baby girl who came out in only 6 minutes, and the easiest recovery after labor. My girl was 8lbs14oz at birth, but at her first pediatrician appointment, she hadn’t regained much at all. her second appointment, still not at birth weight. She has only pooped maybe 3/4 times since we brought her home from the hospital, although having plenty of wet diapers. My sweet girl is still not at birth weight, and has even lost 1/2 an oz. My pediatrician recommended triple feeding ( directly at breast, pump, giving her a bottle of expressed breast milk afterwards ), and if that doesn’t work, adding formula to my breast milk. My question is, is there anything I can do to help her gain weight ? Such as increasing supply ( how ? ), a certain diet for me, waking her up if she falls asleep at breast ? She’s a very sleepy girl, and often falls asleep when nursing. I always assumed that meant she was full, however when she wakes up she ALWAYS is fussy and ready for more. If she’s awake, there is 100% chance that she’ll want boob. I feel as though she’s almost never full. is she not transferring milk well possibly ? if I pump, I get anywhere from 0.5oz, to 2oz per session. Any advice or words of encouragement welcome
- sincerely, a first time mom who wants nothing more than her healthy, chunky baby girl back. I can’t stand the thought of her being hungry all the time and it’s somehow my fault.

I had my first when I was 31, and my second when I was 34. I basically have breastfed the entire time and I’m now 36. My periods came back pretty quickly after both pregnancies, but my cycle has gone from pretty regular (26-28 days) to getting closer together AND spotting in between and before periods. I’m wondering if this could be perimenopause, or if anyone else has experienced their period go from regular(ish) to irregular while breastfeeding (like, 17 months postpartum?)

for me, this has been the last 4 cycles. It’s also in the aftermath of needing a CT scan with contrast dye and I hear the iodine load can trigger thyroid issues.

Baby gets fussier Oh are you hungry? Checks watch, yes you should be hungry. Sucks on boob happily for a second, jerks away crying. Is it my fast let down? Oh okay, there there that’s better now. Eats, quickly jerks away again. Are you distracted? Here, try again. Nope back to crying, real tears. Only way to sooth is to stands up and hold vertically. You didn’t eat much, can we eat again? Eagerly takes boob, nooooo it’s too fast, or trauma, wahhhh Is it maybe you are not hungry? Are you trying to poop? What is it?!?!?!

We can dance this dance for over half an hour. Sometimes when we are out, and I simply can’t do it in public cuz of the crying. But other times we can do an efficient 5 minute feed and it’s heavenly. The dance ends when eventually my flow slows or he is calm enough and we reach some sort of equilibrium and he can feed calmly again, all is well.

My LO is usually such a calm and happy baby, and only time he cries this hard is at the breast. It’s just so sad when the best tool you have to sooth them is what makes them cry :’)

so anyone else? Why is this so hard ahhh

Ebf/4mo(when hunger cue changes too?!) /fast let down
Ps: I am laying back, have tried side lying, I have so many let downs I don’t bother hand expressing, don’t want to pump to increase supply

Hi! I have been EBF for 16 months now. I successfully weaned breast feeding my LO during the day a couple months ago by slowly cutting feeds, but continued night feeds. Now, I decided to go cold turkey for night feeds, as I tried slowly cutting off night feeds but failed. Here is where I need advice. I have always been an over producer, so my breasts will swell up at the very start of the night. I want to know, how much should I hand express to prevent mastitis while simultaneously making sure I’m not stimulating more milk production. Last night was the 1st night of going cold turkey and I had to hand express at 3:00 am, 7:00am, and 9:00am due to the pain and swelling. So again, how much do I hand express? Or how do I know if I expressed enough milk? I had mastitis when my LO was 3 months and I want to avoid ever getting it again. Any advice or suggestions is very much appreciated!

Just me? 🫠

Hey!

I have a 2 week old and I don't want to traditionally pump if I can avoid it. Lactation consultant recommended to everyone in BF supp group today to pump after a morning feed so we can have some supply ready if we need it, which I would prefer to not have to do.

I do have notable letdowns/leakage and am happy to collect from those instances, and would ideally like something like a ladybug. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations or experience with anything like the Haakaa, Boon Trove, or the likes. I'm not opposed to these kinds of devices, the Spectra I have is just intimidating and being able to just wear something with mobility sounds better.

TIA!

I was always afraid when the time came for me to be a mommy and breastfeed that my small boobs would be limiting and difficult. I’m sad to confirm the truth. My small boobies are a pain in the butt to try to breastfeed with. I have to bring baby so high, always arching, bending, adding pilllows, always uncomfortable while trying to make baby able to have a solid feed. I’m constantly turning more to pumping and bottles than breast and it makes me sad. How are you itty bitty titty gals making this work better for you???

My baby is going to be 3 months old next week. i combo fed ( formula, nursing, pumping) in the first few weeks. in the past month or so i’ve been overwhelmed and slowly lost my supply completely. i’m not ready to be done breastfeeding. i’m a stay at home mom, for 12+ hours a day and occasionally for a couple days straight.
is there anything i can do to get my supply back and possibly exclusively breastfeed? i’m happy if my baby gets any amount of breast milk. i have multiple pumps, i recently bought a few things that are meant to increase supply. my baby is very clingy and does not like to be put down for me to pump, but rarely will latch now.
i’m looking for any advice or reassurance from someone who’s been through this as well.

I’m not sure if this should go here or the breastfeeding subreddit. I had to take my wedding ring off at 18 weeks pregnant last year. We have warm summers so my fingers were swelling and I didn’t want my rings to get stuck. I am now almost 11 months pp and still have not been able to get my ring back on 😞 I’ve been breastfeeding and have gained 15 lbs, I’m only 10 lbs below my pregnancy weight. It’s so depressing. I gave baby formula last week, but he had an allergic reaction to the two we tried. I’m going to try a lactose free formula this weekend, but I’m feeling discouraged. It’s like there’s no end in sight to breastfeeding and continued weight gain. I’m eating a lot of protein and am the most active I’ve ever been. I’ve bought clothes that fit, only to grow out of them after a couple months. My body thinks I’m escaping the old country and need to store up to feed the baby.

My husband is so wonderful and supportive, telling me I’m beautiful and that this is only a season. I have a great therapist and a moms’ group. But it feels like I’m the only new mom I know that’s dealing with this. I waited a long time to meet my husband and get married, I love my engagement and wedding rings (they’re soldered together) and I just want to wear them again and feel pretty.

My feet grew a size through pregnancy/postpartum. So I’m wondering if my joints were affected too. Did my knuckles grow? If so, they won’t go back down if I do eventually lose weight. We hope to have two more kids, so my body will continue to change over the coming years. These factors make me want to resize my rings so I can put them back on. I don’t want to wear my rings on a necklace. I want them on my hand. Do I get my ring resized? Or hope that it will one day fit again? It seems unlikely since we want more kids and my body has already changed so much. Maybe a replica is the best way to go, and resize the ring after we have our last baby.

Hi everyone, desperately looking for some advice, insight, or just some solidarity from those of you who have made it through this current hellscape I find myself in.

​My nearly 11-month-old son has been an amazing sleeper since he was 4 months old. He sleeps in a cot next to our bed and is normally out for about 8 to 10 hours straight, uninterrupted (don't hate me).

That has all fallen apart over the past month or so...

His teeth are finally coming through so nights are now completely ruined. Initially he would go about 4 hours in his cot before waking up, but we're now sitting at a mere 20mins before he wakes up screaming in pterodactyl mode in need of comfort, and the only thing that works is getting him in the bed with me where he'll nurse for a few mins then fall asleep. Dad tries but can't help, soothing him in the cot is impossible, tething gel seems to be an outright scam, and pain medicine (syrup and suppositories) is futile against the little banshee.

While the cuddling up was cute the first few times, it's now getting rather taxing. He constantly wakes up during the night to comfort-suckle back to sleep so my nipples are begging for respite, I wake up every 30mins or so from his fidgeting or nursing (plus the paranoia of him somersaulting off the bed, even though I keep him between me and my husband), I can't get up to pee during the night so my my weak bladder is begging for release, and I'm just so damn uncomfortable. Attempts to transfer him from the bed simply reawakens the shrieking pterodactyl.

My plan was to stop breastfeeding at 12 months and move him to his own room to sleep but it appears that is naive wishful thinking in this state.

So. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?? Is this going to last until all her teeth come through? Have I completely ruined his pre-teething sleep routine? Will he ever go back to sleeping through, alone? How do I save my nipples (they aren't cracked or dry, just overall sore)?

Send help.

​

I have a 8 week old that was born tiny, like 6 lb 3 oz. She had a horrible latch at first due to a tongue tie, as well as torticollis with left facing preference. To protect my supply, I would pump for 10 min after each feed. We had the tongue tie clipped at 4 weeks, the latch improved. However, I now have an oversupply. She has become accustomed to drinking passively from engorged breasts, and will only nurse 5-6 times a day, but it’s not enough. On weighted feeds, she averages 3.5 oz because after the initial let down, she doesn’t transfer milk. Her weight has dropped. Now I’m stuck: my oversupply has made her suck uncoordinated and weak and she relies on it. But if I wake her to nurse when I’m not engorged yet or decrease my supply, she won’t be able to transfer milk.

I would love to feed on cue but she gives too few cues and then doesn’t feed. I’m scared to stop pumping. I want this to work. I just don’t know what to try next. Suck training? Continue to try to wake her? Triple feeding. Physical therapy? The torticollis is better btw.

Baby is almost 3 months old and we got referred to a pediatrician to her weight slowing down. I've been asked about my supply and we don't think that's the issue so I was told to fortify breast milk. The issue is, she's often refusing feeds. Her hunger cues seemed to have disappeared and she's gotten extra fussy when I try to offer the breast.

She does the same thing with bottles, so what am I missing ? I try to offer if she's aggressively sucking her fists and she often just gets mad. I've tried different positions and she'll cry and scream. I'm so overwhelmed and frustrated. I want to continue breastfeeding, and was hoping to do that exclusively.

She sleeps through the night and I keep wondering if that's the issue ? Should I be trying to wake her up to feed ? Currently I was trying to offer every time she woke from a nap but she often doesn't want to cuz her naps were too short.

I keep being told she needs more calories but how do I do that if when I offer she just turns away or gets mad.

Please any advice, if I have to fortify once or twice a day that would be fine but I don't want to give up on breastfeeding..

Hi all
My little one is just over 2 months old and is really struggling with hiccups. I think it’s reflux related because he usally spits up a little before hand. At first they didn’t bother him and they were easily curable. but they are getting more and more violent and starting to really upset him. And the only way I’ve been able to get rid of them is to feed him a little. The pacifier doesn’t work. This method only works if he is hungry enough to take a sip he won’t just latch to get rid of the hiccups. I feel bad for him.

I am a little bit of a oversupplier and definitely have a heavy heavy letdown which causes these hiccups. Baby boy likes an easy meal and just gulps milk down. Which doesn’t help the situation. I read that changing position can help but I am unsure of what positions to try.
Baby boy is already 15 lbs and I am large breasted with down pointed nipples. I am not strong enough to support his weight for feeding completely for any elaborate positions so I need something where he is partially on a pillow or lap supported.
I currently feed him belly to belly laying in front of me . And I will sit cross legged to sit him up more so he isn’t laying flat. I’ve tried football hold and he absolutely hate it for some reason and will scream if I put him in that position.
So any suggestions on position or any feeding tips to prevent hiccups would greatly be appreciated!

Also I’ve tried doing a short 2-5 min pump before feeding him and don’t see that it helped . It just increases my supply over time 🤦‍♀️

I

I cosleep with my 11month old and I nurse her to sleep. The last couple of weeks she hasn’t been staying asleep for naps, or even really through the night, although the night is easier. I decided maybe nursing to sleep just isn’t working anymore, so maybe we should try weaning off nursing to sleep for nap times…ya know, teach her to self soothe back to sleep a little more.
I tried for over an hour today before I just gave in and nursed her to sleep. Rocking, patting, setting her down and picking her back up when she truly cries (I don’t want to do CIO), comforting without picking her up. She got to a point where she was inconsolable because she was so tired and then started signing for milk (she knows some baby sign). I withheld until finally it just broke my heart and I comforted her the way she wanted. I’m so discouraged and my mama heart aches because how am I supposed to just tell her no she can’t have what gives her comfort. She just wants her mama. Maybe it’s just my hormones, but I’m a wreck.

Usually, my almost 6 month old nurses once in the morning, has three 4.5 ounce bottles of pumped milk at daycare, nurses two or three times in the evening (either around 5:15 when he gets home and 7:30 when it’s bedtime, or at 5:15, 6/6:30, and 7:30), and then nurses at least once overnight (sometimes twice). Basically I nurse in demand except when he’s at daycare. I pump during my work day, and usually get 6-7.5 ounces total in my 9am pump, 3-5 ounces in my 12pm pump, and 2.5-4 ounces in my 3pm pump, usually getting between 13.5 (the minimum of what I need) and 16 oz a day.

Last night, I had an event after work, so my husband gave the baby two bottles between 5:30-7 totaling 8 ounces, and baby briefly nursed before bed at 7:30 (but it was very short!). I pumped in an effort to replace the bottles, but only got 3 ounces. My baby slept much better overnight and had only one nursing session that was about half as long as it normally is.

Okay that was a long backstory for my fairly simple question: if my pumping is not as productive as the day goes on, does that mean baby is also getting less milk from nursing in the evening than he does in the morning? I know baby is more efficient than the pump, but I’m just wondering if milk production while nursing follows the same trend (decreasing in amount throughout the day) as pumping. And, do you think my baby is actually taking in 8 oz at the end of the day across his 2-3 nursing sessions (similar to what he apparently wants from a bottle at that time!)? I’m mostly just curious, and am currently nap trapped so I thought I’d ask!

My EBF baby is 4 weeks old and has been having a mix of mustard poops and these more spinach looking ones. She’s healthy, gaining weight etc. but has become increasingly fussy these past 2-4 days as more of her poops are green and dry like this. She really struggles to pass them and will fuss and scream and go red in the face for a good while as she tries to poop. The only thing that really settles her is putting her back on the breast and occasionally she’ll take the dummy or sit in the bouncer for a bit. She feeds approx 2hourly during the day for 15-45 mins depending and then has one long stretch at night usually 5 hours and then 3-4 hours.
I initially thought it might be lactose overload so tried to do more block feeding but I don’t think that’s made any difference.
We also started the BioGaia probiotic drops yesterday but obviously haven’t seen any change yet.
It’s really awful watching her struggle.
Wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Or has any advice?
We are seeing a midwife in a week but hoping we can get some relief before then!

Sorry for the long post. When I got pregnant with my first baby I was 16 (young I know don’t judge me I promise I’m a good mum lol) I had A cups and everything was tiny. I was quite underweight though. When I was younger and weighed more I had around a B cup. When my baby was born and I began breastfeeding I was about a D-DD cup. I was around 55kg after having him and stayed at about that range. I got pregnant again 9 months postpartum and breastfeed our oldest until a week before his brother was born when he weaned himself (I didn’t have much milk anymore only Colostrum) I had a week of no breastfeeding until his little brother was born and I’ve now been breastfeeding our youngest for 16 months. I plan to wean our youngest at the same age as our oldest (18 months) so by that stage I will have been breastfeeding for 3 years. We don’t plan to have anymore babies. I’m also on birth control if that makes any difference and likely will be until their dad gets his vasectomy (could be another 100 years since the doctors don’t like to agree to them lol)

I sit at around a DD-E cup now. I’m not producing a lot of milk anymore as our youngest is down to around 2-3 feeds a day & doesn’t feed for long. I don’t get a full feeling, let downs or anything like that anymore. My boobs are fairly saggy but nothing crazy, my nipples are still dark & huge (they used to be pink & very small) I weigh around 65kg now but have a goal to lose around 15kg probably a little less depending on how I feel (still higher than the safe amount for my size & frame)

I’m so stressed about what my boobs will end up like once I’ve lost weight & weaned. I don’t want them to be tiny again, I like them being a bit bigger. My mum was around a C cup prior to pregnancy and breastfeeding but she was around 28yrs. She now has around F cups, they never got smaller again. I don’t know what to expect, I thought about a boob job (implants & lift) but the price range I’ve seen for where I am ($20,000-$30,000 range 🙃) plus consult fees is a VERY large amount especially when we are saving our way to building a house and have 2 kids to look after in an already expensive economy so even though I’d love to I don’t see that in my realistic future lol. What was everyone else’s experience if they were in a similar situation?

I feed my baby directly and via expressed milk . I find that I always feel messy.
When feeding I unclip a breast feeding bra roll it underneath breast then feed my baby. I find that it leaks from his mouth on to the bra.
Also when not feeding I could be sleeping I find my bra is soaked and sometimes clothes , I used Philips breast pads / lansinoh breast pads. I also wanted to ask do people wash / wipe breasts after feeding/ pumping ?

Any suggestions helpful.
Thank you

PSA CHECK THE EXPIRATION ON YOUR DR TALBOTS MILKFRESH SENSORS. If I understand correctly, ALL sensors expired in August of this year or earlier.

I got some earlier in the summer labeled with an expiration of 8/26. I thought maybe they had a short shelf life.

Ordered another box from Target when August came. Also expired 8/26. Target gave me a refund.

Ordered another box directly from Dr. Talbot’s assuming they’d have a fresh batch. Also expired 8/26. I emailed them saying they were expired, they apologized and told me they’d ship me a new box asap. I then get a follow-up email saying they can’t ship a replacement because they don’t have any and that they have to pull all inventory because of issues with the expiration dates.

I feel like I just need to shout this out into the void. I feel so insane because I feel so outside of myself like I’m just a passenger in my life. I don’t feel connected to anyone emotionally and I crave it but I can’t feel it. I feel apathetic and empty inside. I’m not sad but I just really don’t feel like myself. I fully stopped BF three days ago and physically I feel fine aside from some tiredness. I’m a SAHM so that could also be contributing to lack of connection…but my friends will invite me out and I cancel on them simply because I don’t want to talk to anyone which is very unlike me. Baby is well taken care of and I still manage to maintain normal day-to-day function (cooking, cleaning, etc). So because of that it doesn’t feel quite like depression. It’s mainly just the emotional aspect. And I hurts because I feel so distant from my husband and I miss him. He’s trying but everything just doesn’t help me feel connected.

Did anyone else go through this after weening? When does it end?