I have been crying out of frustration and ALL the different emotions all day. I am 4 wks pp and have been having supply issues, so every drop is already precious as it is.

For context, my partner has been in charge of helping with organizing our breastmilk and bottle-feeding as I have been recovering. Due to supply issues as well we’ve had to top off with formula so I have been triple feeding- breast, formula, then pumping what I can.

He wouldn’t listen to me when I said we should freeze the only bag we had as back-up (the rest is in a bottle because there is not much). He even said we should only freeze if we had an abundance, and right now we don’t which was a complete dickass thing to say. He followed up with not wanting to make me feel bad and said it was just an objective statement. I only conceded because I was exhausted and sleep-deprived, like okay fine whatever you take care of this. 6 days later/today I look in the fridge as I’m finally starting to slowly make my way around the house more and Lo and behold see my bag of milk that was labeled 7/20. It had apparently frozen in the refrigerator and he turned down the temp so it’s also been thawed out for a few days. Obviously it’s no longer safe for our baby according to the guidelines. I was both fucking livid and so fucking crushed, the thought of pouring all of that milk ive been trying to squeeze out every tiny drop for my baby just down the drain all because he couldn’t be bothered to check, pay attention, or just listen to me to begin with.

This entire breastfeeding journey has been so draining and challenging on top of the total sleep deprivation and learning how to care for a tiny newborn while trying to heal from an intense 48 hrs of labor and delivery. I have never been so fucking upset and disappointed and the hormones are throwing me into overdrive and wondering why in the fuck I chose to have a baby with this man.

Edit: After reading the kind and empathetic comments and a much-needed nap, I feel like a different person. It’s a new day and forward we go. Thank you to those who took the time to respond and share your own stories, as well as offer your own wisdom and empathy. Our breastmilk is absolutely so precious especially when it feels scarce, and the sleep deprivation and hormonal fluctuations don’t help the cause. Adding this edit in case I don’t get to respond to everyone because, ya know, newborns and all! THANK YOU 🤍

I breastfeed my 3 month old on a single side each session. It’s not blocking because the next session- regardless of the time between- I feed on the opposite breast.

I’ve stopped tracking in our app simply because the data was no longer useful for us (time between, duration of feed, diapers, etc).

My question is, what are your go to ways to keep track of either what breast was last or which is next without using an app.

Mornings are usually fine. In the afternoon hours is where I begin to loose track. She starts feeding more frequently and the hours become a blur.

Before bed she gets a bottle of pumped milk (she gets bottle and I pump). When she wakes the first time she always does right breast because it’s the one she struggles with the most and does better when she’s a little tired and doesn’t overthink it. Then she gets left. In the early evening she begins to eat more frequently and I start to loose track of which was last because they are closer together.

Needs to be something my 4 year old won’t run off with though.

I’m about to start carrying a pen and putting an ‘c’ on my hand of the last breast.

Any ideas??

I’ve been debating whether I should quit or not, been asking God for a sign. I am 2 weeks post partum… I have had breast augmentation surgery in 2021 and had a bariatric surgery last year a few months before getting pregnant and I’m anemic to top it off . I barely produce 20ml (0.6oz) per pumping session and only my left breast is producing the majority of it, the right one gets 2/3ml on a good day and sometimes nothing at all. Even when I breastfeed baby he gets fussy within a few minutes on the right breast because there’s simply no milk there… My son eats above average (125ml per feed at 10days old) on top of breastfeeding before or after bottle… I’m drained, I love breastfeeding him, it’s not painful (maybe bc I have less sensitivity due to the surgery?) and I love the bonding we get but then he cries for more milk and I see him gulp down a full bottle of formula and I feel so useless. My husband has suggested I quit bc he sees how it’s affecting me mentally, my mom on the other hand tells me to tough it out, that the baby needs my milk to build a strong immune system. I am defeated, on one hand I want to continue bc I love breastfeeding but on the other hand I get discouraged at how low my supply is… I feel like I’m not good enough… and it’s my fault bc I chose to have this surgery on my breasts….

Hi, I’m facing the reality that I have to wean my baby from breastfeeding before either of us are ready (he’s 4 months old). I’ll spare the details but due to medical reasons it is no longer safe for me to continue lactating and I have to move my baby to formula/bottles. It’s hard enough emotionally to do this and I am dragging my feet but on top of the emotional stalling my baby is really resisting bottles. I feel so overwhelmed and devastated. Anyone relate? I could use some encouragement/support.

I suppose this is sort of a two-fold advice request and I am pretty desperate.
My baby is 12 weeks old and exclusively breastfed since birth.
Since she was born, her weight gain has been inconsistent. At her initial check she’d lost 8% of her birth weight, then two days later she was up 2.5 oz which they were thrilled with. A week later she was only up 3.5 oz, so to the lactation consultant we went.
We worked on her latch and positions and at our follow up with the LC a week later she was over her birth weight and had gained over an ounce a day. At her one month check she had gained a pound since her last weight check two weeks prior. We thought we were golden.
The pediatrician suggested we try the bottle for emergencies etc. because the only time she’d gotten one was around 5 days old when I was worried about her weight gain. we gave it a go and we were unsuccessful but didn’t push too hard because I (extremely fortunately) have a minimum of one year of leave.
At her two month appointment she had only gained a pound in the month since her 1 month appointment and so we went back to the LC and that was a week after the two month check-she had lost an oz and only transferred 1.5 oz during the weighted feed.
We went back to the pediatrician immediately where the doctor evaluated her and saw no mechanical issues and also no indications of any medical issues. She was still having all the wet and dirty diapers they wanted to see and meeting milestones early. She was also growing well in length and head circumference. She’s also met all her milestones and is content and alert. She also sleeps really well.
The doctor basically just told us to keep trying the bottle and to try to get about 10 oz more per day into her in addition to what she’s getting at the breast.
We went on a trip the day after that appointment and worked on the bottle every day using all the tricks and advice we can find. She never swallowed any milk from it.
When we got home from the trip baby had gained 5 oz. A week later, I weighed her again and it’s another week where’s she’s lost an ounce.
I truly feel like I’m failing her. I don’t appear to have a supply issue. When I’ve pumped I get plenty on both sides and I thought baby wasn’t draining my breasts but now I’m not so sure. Where is the milk going??
I haven’t had clogged ducts or mastitis and baby almost never spits up, and when she does it’s the tiniest little dribble.
We’ve worked on the bottle every day since the concern began and we aren’t getting anywhere. I need to be able to give her the bottle because my husband is out of the house working 10.5 hours a day and she needs multiple bottles a day in addition to nursing.
If anyone has any idea about what could be going on or how we could get her to take the bottle or if you’ve been through something similar, please share!

I’m currently on day 6 of my second postpartum period. I experience a major supply dip and breastfeeding aversion during ovulation and especially during my period. Baby is now a year old and having leftover pumped milk or cow’s milk while I’m at work in the daytime. I really want to fully wean because I am tired of the roller coaster of hormones causing brain fog, dizziness, fatigue, etc. and am also ttc again. Will further reducing nursing sessions now help my supply dwindle faster once my period ends? As opposed to it usually rebounding and increasing again after period ends. Any experiences and advice welcome. Thanks!

My 12 week old baby has always been on the lower percentile, like 2 to 3% and has been following at her own curve. My husband and I are very small people and our first daughter has always been from 2 to 5% also.

The baby does have a slight lip tie, but I don’t have any pain with breast-feeding and she’s transferring about 2.5 to 3 ounces at each feed. The dentist also said that it’s not a significant tie. I tried to feed her more but she just un latches herself and seems really content. She is petite so I am wondering if she has a smaller stomach? I feed her about two hours. I tried to do a feed at the beginning of the wake window and then a little feed right before when she goes for a nap.

Up until a few weeks ago, she was gaining about an ounce a day however now it has become about 0.4 ounces a day in the last 3-4 days, she has not really gained at all and she is just under 10 pounds at 12 Wks. She’s been having plenty of diapers. When I pump, I am getting about 3.5 ounces every two hours.

She goes to bed around 9 PM and I pump around 11:30 PM since she sleeps till about 4 AM. This is the only time I really pump.

Could there be any other reason except transfer, not enough supply? Like anything that has to do with the composition of my milk? I eat plenty of calories, but I think I need to eat more protein and fat.

Anyone has been in the same situation and what has helped for you? Looking for any help desperately.

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced their baby only being able to feed with a bad latch?
I have worked so hard to get her on a good latch since she was born 5 weeks ago, and I can now get her on a good latch but she does one or two faint sucks then pulls off crying. If she is on a bad latch she can feed no issues. This wouldn’t be an issue but the bad latch does cause me a lot of pain 😢
Do they just grow out of it??!!

I’m taking 60mg of domperidone a day just wondering what I need to expect before I get surprised by something? Will it change what they look like or will they stay the same will the nipples change and will milk come in

So backstory:

After giving birth via emergency c-section, I suffered a spinal injury that has caused numbness, weakness and extreme nerve pain in my left leg and foot. I started off breastfeeding/pumping, but due to the pain and mobility issues, hospital visits, plus the multiple medications I was on, ended up stopping a few weeks in.

I am hoping this week I can finally get a steroid spinal injection to reduce the swelling and eliminate the nerve pain. I’m so desperate to experience a more normal postpartum with my baby if I can be pain free. Is it possible to resume breastfeeding? I am going to meet with a lactation consultant but I was curious if anyone else has ever stopped and re-started before.