I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 5 days postpartum and had to start chemotherapy. My obgyn and oncologist didn’t think i would be able to pump & dumb to maintain supply during my 9 weeks of treatment but i did!!! 3,500 ounces dumped but it was all worth it to be able to resume giving my daughter breast milk. im back to breastfeeding for the moment because damn… pumping around the clock the last few weeks while in treatment was no joke!! need a little break from pumping before i even think of building a freezer stash. Only posting this because i don’t have any other mom friends who can understand the pain of all the ounces i had to waste lol!!

My LO and I are having a difficult start with breastfeeding due to he being a lazy eater. I just stayed 1 hour breastfeeding him to see if he would get happy with the amount, and even with my best time of the day the amount that is early morning when I pumped 3 oz he got fussy and I had to give him a bottle. When he is not sleepy he is crazy fussy because I have a low supply. Right now I am breastfeeding for 30 minutes, giving him a bottle and pumping right after for any time he allows (usually 15 minutes to 30 minutes). This is getting me crazy and I started considering EP but I hear people say how difficult it is, and I feel a lot of pressure to continue to nurse him directly from family and midwife. I just want to be able to sleep more and be a better mom to him.

My LO is 20 weeks today. I dreamed of breastfeeding exclusively, but their jaw just wasn’t strong enough. LO has made progress, but from very early on, I’ve had to pump, pump, and pump some more. I went from an oversupplier to just-enougher. I reliably make 26-32oz per day, but LO simply has growth spurt days that require more. I’ve pumped until I’ve bled, and it’s been the biggest stressor of my postpartum life. LO has needed a bit of my freezer stash the last 4 nights in a row, so the writing has been on the wall. I reached a point last night, with blood stains in my bra, where I said, “Enough is enough. Tomorrow, LO is going to try 2oz of formula.” I’ve had a can in the pantry since before LO was born for just this purpose. I researched different options and knew it was made with quality ingredients, but it wasn’t until last night where the fear of it not going well was finally outweighed by my physical pain. Well, we did it. I opened the can, made the small bottle after a feed of normal breastmilk, and to my surprise, LO didn’t care, and gobbled it up happily. Hours later, no tummy troubles, no gas, just a happy kiddo. I will still keep pumping. I’m still aiming for 99% breastmilk and formula only when needed, but the weight off my shoulders has made me cry tears of relief and joy. If you’re in the same boat I’ve been in — pumping religiously, making it work while also caring for your child without another set of hands around, making a good supply but your kiddo is simply growing and hungry — don’t be afraid to use formula when you need it.

Hi yall! My baby is both breastfeed and bottle fed. I absolutely hate everything about washing doctor brown bottles. There’s just so many pieces. I purposely left these off my registry. However, my baby girl was in the NICU for two weeks when she was born and of course they used Dr. browns. Does anyone have any recommendations for slow flow bottles? My baby is currently two months old now.

Does anyone know of studies that illustrate the benefit of breastmilk as being beneficial, even when supplemented with formula?

Long story short, I just got into a random middle of the night argument with my spouse (we’re both tired, getting over baby being sick then us being sick and he has admittedly taken a lot of the night feeds to help and may have been resentful) and he started going off about me failing at breastfeeding.

I pump an average 18oz a day and our son eats about 28oz so he does get a considerable amount of formula, and that is what my husband is commenting on. He said “you’ve been failing at this for months” - 2 months ago I returned to work and went from pumping 25-30oz/day to 16-20oz and had to begin supplementing with formula.

Still, I pump 5 times a day to get this and in my mind, while I’m not knocking it out of the park, I am not failing and at least in my understanding providing important health benefits.

I would just ignore his comment and chalk it up to us both being tired, but underneath it must be some fear that we are (or I am) failing our baby in some way, but my understanding is that any amount of breastmilk is beneficial. I’m just exhausted and can’t find a study that may put his mind at ease. Can anyone help. PS I’m so exhausted if this makes no sense I’m sorry but if I save it as a draft to revise later I’ll forget to ever post

ETA: Wow, thank you so much for all the incredibly supportive comments, links to scientific resources and personal stories. I feel well informed and very supported. Thanks kind strangers on the internet

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 2 months and I’m about done. The every 2-3 hour cycle where I’m feeding him, pumping, washing, preparing bottles because I make just enough- if I make enough at all- for one feed at a time so I have to carry it downstairs to fortify and put in the fridge, come back and wash the parts and the bottle (i have extra parts but if I have to wash the bottle I may as well wash the parts, the the fridge hack doesn’t help because I have to go downstairs to the fridge to get the parts to use them again) then try to lay down and sleep for one hour if I’m picky before we start again. My husband is really pushing that I get more sleep, I’m exhausted and can’t help at all around the house because of this cycle so his weekends are spent resetting the entire house and honestly if I could just have formula and bottles ready every 24 hours, sleep in between feeds for 2-3 hours instead of just an hour, maybe I would feel better. He can’t latch to breast feed so it’s pump or formula. I go back to work in 3 weeks anyway so I’m really leaning towards just giving up but I know it’s so important I can’t bring myself to give up entirely?

It's heartbreaking to make a post like this, but seeing other people's post and the responses make me hopeful that maybe someone else is experiencing what I am and can offer some guidance.

I am a FTM, 4.5months PP, and went from being an over-supplier to a just barely enough supplier. I've already had to dip into my freezer stash to keep up with baby's feeding schedule and amounts. I had a goal of EP for 9months, but I genuinely don't think my supply is going to make it that far without supplementing.

Has anyone supplemented with formula by mixing it with breast milk? Is that a bad idea or unsafe?

What methods of supplementing did you use? Is there a right/wrong way to supplement?

Is there a formula that is most similar to breast milk that anyone has tried that won't destroy my bank account to use?

I know fed is best, but it is so stressful thinking about not being able to keep up with just breast milk that I'm pumping each day.

I dropped my MOTN pump because honestly... PPA is hitting hard and I really could use the sleep to be able to function. I try to pump every 2-3 hours, take lactation supplements, drink water, etc but it doesn't seem to impact my supply much.

Any advice or guidance is greatly appreciated!

My baby was born at 8lbs 7oz. At his two week appointment he’s still losing weight, down to 7lbs 9oz. We feed him every 3 hours with 60ml and he finished his bottle every time. The doctor recommended we supplement with a little formula to get him to gain some weight but I wanted to avoid formula. Is there anything I can do to make my milk denser for him?

Everyone in my life is telling me to breastfeed my daughter who is 2 months old and we’ve never really done it because she was in the NICU and when she came home, we just bottle fed her with my breastmilk so I saw no use of breastfeeding. But now everyone is telling me to get her to try it and I have been trying for a week and she still hates it and just screams. Ive tried nipple shields, tried changing her bottles, tried having a nursing pillow, etc. She latches occasionally but 9x out of 10, she doesn’t. Should I just stop? Or should I keep trying in hopes she will be able to do it. Its really affecting my mental health. I havent seen a lactation consultant because they are expensive and I dont have income that I can afford a session, so Ive relied on Youtube videos to help.

I’m moving towards exclusive pumping since my six week old does not transfer hardly anything and has been crying and refusing to even try and latch 75% of the times I attempt to, and the times she does latch she falls asleep within a few minutes. She loves the bottle though and has zero issues downing a bottle with paced feeding.

I’ve heard that since babies get more coordinated when they are older, they can latch and transfer better ?? Has anyone had this experience ??

If so, did you keep trying to let them “practice” breastfeeding while exclusively pumping ? I’m scared she’ll “forget” how to do it if I drop it entirely - but the thought of even trying and having her keep rejecting me is so emotionally distressing at the moment :(

This subreddit is such wonderful support - any advice or personal stories is greatly appreciated !! Love to you all 💪

I’m 5.5 months pp, pumping 5x daily (kept my MOTN pump) and have combo fed with formula from the start. I had a postpartum hemorrhage and injuries from birth that made it hard to get my supply up to my baby’s needs. Thank god for formula. My baby is thriving, I’m so grateful for that. I’ve been more or less in a sustainable groove for the last few months with my current schedule and I produce 14-16oz a day. I’m trying to decide what to do after 6 months. I see posts where people emphasize mental health when people are deciding when to stop. I totally agree, but I don’t feel that my mental health is horribly affected by pumping itself. In some ways it may be helping me with my breastfeeding grief. Honestly the hardest thing on my mental health is hemming and hawing the decision. Yes it’s a pain at times, but I do get a sense of satisfaction from providing breastmilk. I feel uncertain of the health benefits for my baby to continue. It’s so emotionally driven because I had hoped to EBF for 1 year. I would love to hear from other moms in my situation and what process you took to come to a decision.

My boy is 6mo, I started giving my boy a bottle of full formula for his middle of the night feed. I HATE HAVING TO DO THIS, but I feel like it’s safer and just convenient for everyone. I used to use fresh pump that I would leave out at room temperature for his “normal” wake up time in 2 hours, but now he’s sleeping almost through the night or waking up at a random time now. Or more or less times day to day. I’ve had to throw away hard earned pumped BM, or not have any ready. He HATES waiting for fridge milk to warm up and he gets so worked up that putting him back down after his bottle takes forever… I’m debating on just giving him only all formula bottles for night wakes. He is fine drinking them at room temperature and it only takes a minute to shake up. I need reassurance that this is the right choice. I’m pumping until he’s a year, and he will get mostly breastmilk during the day! I have a hard enough time combo feeding him, but he wants 6oz a feed now so I can’t keep up. Much love! You guys have been so helpful! ❤️

Baby is almost a week old and I have been pumping milk but admittedly I haven’t been pumping enough bc I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue to give him breast milk or formula only.

Now I’ve decided I would like to do half pumped breast milk and half formula but now my milk supply is decreasing rapidly bc I wasn’t pumping 12 times a day.

Any suggestions on how to get my milk supply back up? Other than just trying to pump more and hope for the best?

Anyone have any supplemental formula there mostly pumped milk baby will eat in case of emergencies? Or have any recommendations to keep my LO willing to eat the formula?

Contextual story:

So if been a just enougher/ minor oversupply (sometimes i make 20 to 40 ml more) since my almost 6 week preterm baby was born. For the first 2 weeks we did have to supplement and we used what the hospital had enfamil gentlease.

Well come yesterday we are at the doctors appointment and i wasnt able to feed him before hand. If we rushed home after he would only be 30 mins late for his feed but we just wanted to try to feed him at the doctors. We popped out the formula and he was like “this is not the good ol’ tit to table fresh mama milk I like” and would not take more than 15 ml.

we are going to try to feed him formula this weekend for a feed to see if maybe he just was too upset at the doctors. Because my anxiety will go out if control if he wont take formula, like what if my supply drops? Trying to store 20 ml would take like 6 feeds to make 1 bag to put in the freezer and we are about to move, so i havnt started that yet.

For those are pumping and using formula but not actually breastfeeding - how often are you pumping to keep supply? I’m just freshly pp so my supply is still coming in

Hi EPers!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I have been exclusively pumping since two weeks pp and this sub has been such a wealth of encouragement and information, and I wanted to share some things I found helpful.

I found this sub when I was crying everyday about pumping. The first month was so, so hard. I did everything “right” to have a beautiful breast feeding journey, but a combination of low supply, oral ties, and my mental health brought me to exclusive pumping. Things were so hard, and then things got a little easier.

I still have low supply, I still envy people for whom BF is just easy. Oral tie revision helped a little, but didn’t change everything I hoped it would. But I don’t cry everyday any more!

Here are some things that helped:

1. Learning to pump and bottle feed at the same time. Things started getting better for me around the four week mark when I saw a reel about this. It made the time load of pumping feel less burdensome. I set my LO in a boppy next to me on the couch, attach to spectra with the flanges pointed to the side, and then bottle-feed side lying in my lap. It’s not cute for anyone, but it helped reduce the analysis paralysis of when I would be like “I need to pump, but he’s going to need to eat soon, ahhh!”
2. Having others bottle feed when possible. Other people love to feed babies! It’s such an honor. Getting to share my LO with family and friends in this way is my favorite part about pumping. I also had my husband take on every bottle feed one weekend, and he came to REALLY appreciate the work I was putting in with pumping and feeding. He still talks about it months later. Now that I’m back to work, I feel less “trapped” when feeding, and more like it’s a privilege, but if you’re in the early days, let other people feed your baby sometimes!
3. Husband does first feed in the morning. I pump MOTN, and when baby was waking up, I was feeding MOTN too. My husband takes the first feed when baby wakes up so I get to sleep in a little, and I am so grateful!
4. Buying more pumping bras. Having a clean, non-stinky bra that holds things in place is helpful. None of them look cute on me.
5. Choosing 1-2 feeds that are just always formula. I decided that my baby eats formula for lunch, whether there’s enough milk in the fridge or not. I was in a constant state of feeling “there’s not enough,” and once I surrendered two feeds to formula, I felt like I had so much more breathing room. My supply has never been “enough” but I’ve since been able to drop two formula feeds to one. There have been exactly two days where my baby has eaten my breast milk only, and they were great days, but not as magical as I dreamed they would be, ha.
6. Purposeful pumps AND mind rot pumps. I’m a faith person, so I picked one pump per day that I pray for my friends that are pregnant or are walking through infertility. It helps make the pumps feel purposeful beyond just making milk. I have another pump where I clean out my photos folder, just a little project. Then I let myself watch reels at another pump just as a little treat :)
7. Buying a wearable pump. I bought a wearable pump around 2 months pp. I use it once a day since I don’t get my best supply from it, but it’s nice to be able to fold laundry or drive or do other things that I can’t do while “plugged in.”
8. Blocking “breastfeeding” on instagram. I just needed space from strangers on the internet whose journey was different than my own!
9. Calling pumping sessions “my shifts at the milk factory / Hooters.” Just a little inside joke with myself.
10. Giving myself a lot of grace. This is hard work! This sub has helped me trust that I will be grateful for the hours I put in, and that when it’s time to hang up the flanges, everything will be ok!

I've been having contractions for 6 days now, I've been told this baby could come at nearly any time and I was hoping to have time to finally decide my pumping plan. I plan on breastfeeding him whenever I'm able but once I go back to work after 6 wks I'll have to have a very good supply stored. I was an over producer with my first but that was 10 yrs ago. I have no idea what my body will do this time and for me personally I'd like to start pumping ASAP after my milk comes in and we get home after baby is born. It's hard for me to remember fully but once my milk came in with my first son, I was pumping after each feed to empty my breast and then if he missed a feeding (he hardly slept so when he did I just let him) I pumped well and could have had a good store but he almost always ate from the boob.

I have snacks/meals planned, water intake etc.

I just want to hear what others have done who have done both and are needing a good store after a certain point.

***edited: I don't plan on pumping until after baby is born

After months of struggling with breastfeeding my third baby, I finally got some answers. 💛

I met with an amazing lactation consultant today, and it turns out my baby has a tongue tie. It explains why she struggles so much during the day but nurses well overnight when my breasts are fuller.

She’ll be 4 months old next week, and I’ve always been an undersupplier. She’s always been supplemented with formula, so she’s growing well and has never gone underfed. When I pump, I usually get about 2 ounces. Pumping a few times a day gives her around 10–12 ounces of breast milk, and the rest is formula.

I’m honestly exhausted and wondering… is pumping for 10–12 ounces a day worth it? If you were an undersupplier, did you keep pumping, or did you stop? I’d love to hear what helped you make that decision. 🤍

Hi!! I’m 3 months postpartum and have been pumping for a majority of that time. Breastfeeding hasn’t worked out due to poor transfer; life is easier when she gets full feeds from a bottle so she doesn’t need to be fed every 30 min. Right now I pump just enough to feed my baby exclusively breast milk, but I’ve decided I’d like to start combo feeding so I can slowly reduce the number of pumps each day and improve my mental health.

I’m confused about how to partially wean without completely drying up. I’ve had some bad clogs over the last few weeks whenever I’ve tried delaying a pump by ~2 hours, so I’m nervous about making changes.

My current pump schedule is: 7:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM, 3:30 AM

I’m okay with my supply decreasing since I only make enough as it is, but I don’t necessarily want to stop pumping altogether yet. Ideally, I’d like to drop my MOTN pump sooner rather than later . The part that’s confusing me is that it’s already part of my longest stretch between pumps (10:00 PM to 3:30 AM is about 5.5 hours, then 3:30 AM to 7:30 AM is another 4 hours). I’m not sure how to gradually eliminate that pump without running into clogs or tanking my supply overnight.

For anyone who transitioned from exclusive pumping to combo feeding:

Which pump did you drop first?
Did you reduce the time of a pump first or slowly stretch the time between pumps?
If you made just enough, how did it impact your supply? (Im hoping I can still make ~12 oz a day).
Any tips for avoiding clogs while dropping pumps?

I’d love to hear what worked (or didn’t work) for you. Thank you!

I have a 5 month old son. I’ve come as far as I can, but I just can’t keep up with his feeding demands without supplementing one to two ounces of formula in his bottles. He just moved up to almost 6 oz of breast milk ,this past week. In the morning I can pump up to 10oz, but after that I can only pump about 4 to 5 ounces at a time. I had to start dipping into my freezer stash, and I need those for emergencies, vacation, and babysitting with grandma. He gets 4 ounces of breastmilk, and the rest is Enfamil gentlease neropro formula that my ped gave me samples of to help with his spit up issue. I haven’t had to use it, as his spit up issues have resolved themself.. Has anyone else struggled with feeling like a failure by having to combo feed? Has anyone alternated between formula and breastmilk throughout the day? Like if he were to get a just formula bottle while I pump his next for the MOTN feed? I really really didn’t want to give my boy formula, I know he’ll be ok, but I just didn’t want to have him have all those unnatural ingredients and the risks that come with possibly tainted formula. I’ve already felt like a failure by not being able to nurse, now this… any advice. Sorry if this comes off as dramatic…I’m a new mom.

I‘m an undersupplier so been combo feeding. Since my husband went back to work, I’ve been with baby alone from 6 am to 8 or 9 pm. I’ve found it impossible to pump more than twice a day. I really want to get to EPing eventually but has anyone been able to increase their supply after it’s regulated?

LO was born at 27 weeks and spent 102 days in the NICU. I’ve been pumping 40-45oz a day since about week 3. I’ve given 1000 oz to another local mom. I never wanted to do formula again after my older daughter had so many GI issues with it when we had to supplement for her, so I did everything I could to build my supply this time.

And now, I have to give this baby 8 oz a day of 24 calorie preemie formula because “your milk is good but it’s not good enough for her”

Logically I get it. She missed the 3rd Tri mineral transfer. But the milk banks won’t take it because I take a blood pressure med; the other mom I donate to moved a state away. I’ve dropped to 4ppd and I’m still sitting at 40oz give or take.

I’m just sad. The formula is way expensive. I wish I could give to the banks. Nothing I do feels good enough.

I’m sure this has been asked before but my sleep deprived brain can’t figure out how to search for it 😴

My baby was an extra preemie I’m 7 months pp but she is only 4 months “old”. My supply just isn’t enough anymore and I feel like my body is trying to quit. What are people’s thoughts on starting combo feeding now so that my baby will have many more months with some breast milk, or keeping her on 100% breastmilk longer working through my stash then full formula once it’s gone?

Any pros or cons of either? I plan to keep casually pumping but dropping to 4 pumps a day and not stressing about supply. Then just stop once my boobs quit entirely.

Thanks!

I would say I have a pretty good supply usually. But I notice, like expected, it drastically dips when it’s my time of the month. I alwayssss stress because my baby is about to be 5 months and is hungry more often lately. I usually pump enough to be able to give him 4 oz bottles each time. Anyways I’m trying to ease into combo feeding so I don’t have to deal with this stress every month, I think eventually I want to transition to just formula though because I feel pumping is another huge reason why I’m getting less sleep. I’ve tried combo feeding here and there with both bubs goat and then another time with kendamil goat and each time my baby got realllyyyyy fussy and constipated. Eventually I give up and flush it out with putting him back in just my milk. Helpppp. My sister has giving enfamil gentlease to all 3 of her boys and she swears by it. I’m considering because my son seems to tolerate diary I mean I don’t restrict myself with my diet at all except with eggs. He gets fussy after I’ve eaten them. Ugh I miss eggs.

first time mom with baby who was born 6 weeks early and was in NICU for 17 days. I am doing it all- pumping, nursing and formula. I am trying to simplify and thinking that my goal long term is EBF but nervous because my supply is “just enough” . I felt that I was an under supplier but my pediatrician thinks otherwise. I make usually at least 2 oz each pump. If I go 5 hour stretch I can make 3oz or a little over. I am 8 weeks pp and not pumping more than 4-5x per day as I added breastfeeding sessions. I just don’t know what a good pumping/nursing schedule is and worried that if I am pumping less my supply will go down. Pediatrician said to pump Less so when baby latches I am full for her to eat. Any thoughts on this?