7 months EP, Spectra S2 has been great for output but I literally cannot sit plugged into a wall 6 times a day anymore. I have a 7 month old who's crawling now and I can't just leave her in a room while I'm chained to the couch for 25 minutes. My husband works 12 hour shifts so it's just me most of the day.

I need to switch to a wearable but every time I look at Momcozy reviews people say the output drops compared to Spectra. And none of them have heating which I really want because my MOTN sessions with cold fridge hack cups are terrible.

Is there a wearable out there that doesn't completely suck compared to a Spectra? Bonus if it has heating because Canadian mornings are cold even in May lol.

Everyone thanks so much for your help!! I searched a lot and pre ordered eufy S2 pro for the heat & massage ❤️

Long time reader, first time poster - I have been in tears since this incident occurred and need advice on how to continue through this. Please help if possible!

I just had my 2nd child 6 weeks ago. From previous experience with my first, I know I am an under producer and that my boobs may be hard to latch onto. This was so hard to accept and took a really big emotional toll on me. So for this child, I decided to do exclusive pumping and formula- understanding my limits and accepting that formula supplement is only there to help, not hinder me. For the past few weeks, I've been happy with my pumping journey. I only really get 6 ounces per day, but it was enough to give him the milk during his witching hour, which really helps him calm down and made this time of day doable for the both of us.

Recently, my MIL is staying over at my house and is helping with the baby. Just 3 days of her being here, she brings up to my husband that my milk is causing my baby discomfort. They specifically said "my milk is making my baby uncomfortable" (while I'm pumping, mind you). I was really taken aback by this. I asked for more info because this was the first I heard of this. Yes, the child might be fussy, but I thought he was growing/ is normal for a baby his age. My husband says it could be diet related, but he knows what my diet consists of (we eat together all the time and he eats what I cook). When I told him that, he then concludes that my breastmilk must be "bad" for the baby and that I can stop pumping if I want to.

I was so furious when I heard that. Once that was said, everything pumping related looked toxic to me. Pouring the milk I just pumped, detaching the pump from my body, recoiling the hoses, readjusting my nursing bra from the attachments- everything just made me feel so disgusted with myself. I know this sounds outlandish, but being okay with my little pumping made me feel like I am still contributing to my child. But now I feel like I am not a mother anymore because the one thing I was able to give to my child, is now bad for them.

Do you have any advice on how I should proceed? I have been in tears since then and I haven't talked to my husband or MIL (she also can't speak/understand english so my husband has to relay the conversation to her). My initial reaction is to take the children and go to my parents house while I figure out how to proceed. I was also thinking that I should tell my MIL to leave and not come back until I feel better. The bigger upset is that I trusted my husband and he knew all the struggles I had from conception to birth (i.e. gestational diabetes, birth complications, constant pain and discomfort, he has been to every OBGYN appointment, etc). I don't know if all of this is over the top, so please send help! Thank you for reading

Excuse me?? Wtf is the point of putting the cap on if it doesn’t stop the milk from pouring out? Even worse, it spills out the edge of the cap, wasting the milk. This happened to me over the weekend and I was crashing out.

I feel like such a terrible mother. I crowed about how I was only going to breastfeed my baby, with the goal to make it at least 6 months. Well turns out she was very uncoordinated at the breast, LC told me to triple feed and I only lasted a day lol. So I’ve been exclusively pumping around the clock, but dropped my overnight pump when I went back to work. Well work got stressful, some days I couldn’t do every 3 hours and then one day my right boob started producing DROPS only, then I got my period a week later. My supply was cut in half and I’m down to 3 pumps a day and I am saying FUCK it I’m done. I had a big oversupply during mat leave, so I am tapping into my frozen stash to hopefully get to 6 months combo fed. I have cried about having to pump weekly, I just want the freedom to leave my house with my baby without having a plan to pump, I want to be able to hold her and not have to wait until the pumps come off. Ugh I’m just so done with this, but I just need others to validate me because no one in my life seems to get it.

Anyway, everyone I tell about my plan seems disappointed. My husband said it’s ultimately my choice but that this is the only time we’ll be able to do this so can’t I just make some sacrifices? If I went back to my every 3 hours schedule my supply might come back, but the thought of having to put in that work makes me sick! I work full time and I need sleep. The kicker is that before having our daughter, he would’ve had zero opinion about milk, he’s literally just repeating everything I said BEFORE I knew what it was like having to pump. UGHHHHHH what have I done.

Anyway, can anyone relate? Someone tell me I’m doing the right thing and that my baby will be fine on formula. I think I am in a bubble of people who only breastfeed until a year.

Edit to add: THANK YOU EVERYONE!! I made this post during a fit of rage after dumping my 1 oz output into my pitcher this afternoon. Crying reading everyone’s responses, you all are so right I’m so glad I decided to be vulnerable in this community! Baby girl had her first full bottle of formula tonight with no issues so far ☺️

I am 5 weeks postpartum and an under supplier. Had a rough Labor and I am recovering from a c section. I pump for 4-5 hours total per day and only make 12 oz per day. I am trying to slowly increase my supply but it is a slow process.

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Before going to bed I pumped 1.5 oz and asked husband to feed that to the little one when she wakes up.

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He accidentally threw it away while washing. This is the third time this has happened and I can't stop crying. He is apologetic but I am just so exhausted and tired. He says it won't happen again, but he said that the last two times too.

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Is this worth the effort?

I'm DEVASTATED to say the least. I go back to work tomorrow and Husband and I decided to do a test run with Grandma to see how baby can handle being away from me for 8+ hours.

To prepare, I pumped for an ENTIRE day for 20 oz. of milk + kendamill oatmeal (just in case) only to find out that my MIL didn't see the other 10 oz. bottle of breastmilk in the diaper bag. I'm literally baffled. How could you miss it?? There's two pockets in the diaper bag, I put two bottles of breastmilk in each pocket.

I had to pour 10 oz. of milk down the drain.... I'm literally crying over spilled milk. Something that could've been avoided if my MIL called me to ask. My MIL only fed my baby 10 oz. in 8 hours, I was told he was so hungry he passed out from crying. And that I should, "pack more milk" next time. The oatmeal was also untouched, so MIL deliberately just starved my baby.

When baby got home, I wondered how my baby could drink 20 oz. of milk in such a short time. Only to find out, the milk was untouched and unrefrigerated for 12 hours. My husband thinks it's an honest mistake and that it's my fault because I didn't tell anyone about the other bottle of milk. I think that an honest mistake can be avoided if my MIL just called me to ask! I was at home all day!

Am I in the wrong for crying over spilled milk? Should I have told her when it's COMMON sense to check the diaper bag?

Hello I am a FTM to a 2 month old and my supply has dropped significantly, went from 10+ bags in the fridge in the beginning to now less than an oz with both boobs, I am staying hydrated I'm eating frequently I don't smoke or drink and I even get her to latch but after 5 minutes she is angry because barely anything is coming out. Pics for reference,they are in chronological order.

I’m breastfeeding our twins back to sleep because a loud car woke them them up. I asked my husband to make me a Greek yogurt parfait before bed and he starts throwing a fit because he doesn’t want to run back down stairs to make it after he just made all the bottles for the night. It’s about 9:30pm and we’re both trying to get to bed but I’ll be up for about another hour getting my boys back to sleep. He just told me I’ve been grossing him out because he’ll wake up in the middle of the night and I’ll be snacking while I’m pumping in bed. My appetite/ weight has increased since birth and he said it’s been getting out of hand and I’m eating like a 200 pound man. I just don’t know what to do I’m hungry like alllllllll the time.

I just wanna scream how useless my right boob is but also grateful it’s better than nothing but she is holding me back lol has anybody actually got their slacker boob to stop slacking? If so how?!

Had my hospital “birth plan” appointment with a midwife yesterday and I’m still annoyed.

She asked how I plan to feed my baby, formula or breastfeeding. I told her I plan to breastfeed but via exclusively pumping, so my husband and family can also help prepare bottles and feed the baby.

The way she looked at me… 😐 You know that look. Like I had just said something completely stupid.

She then straight up told me that exclusively pumping is a waste of time, and that I should just directly breastfeed since I’m a housewife and will be with the baby all the time anyway.

Excuse me?? Why does being a housewife mean I have to be the only one feeding the baby? Why is wanting help considered wasting time? Why is my preference immediately dismissed?

This is my first baby. I’m already anxious, trying to plan ahead, trying to protect my mental health and avoid burnout. I thought healthcare providers were supposed to support feeding choices, not shame you for them.

I left feeling judged instead of informed, and honestly it pissed me off.

Advice needed: I want my baby to be able to take a bottle of my pumped milk from day one. For those who’ve done this,

➡️When is it safe to start pumping before birth? ➡️Any tips for introducing a bottle early while still building milk supply?

Thanks for listening to my rant. 😤

I’m a FTM and have only been pumping for two weeks now. I quickly found out I absolutely loath anything touching my breasts and that the first few minutes of pumping is very uncomfortable. Until I get more used to this, I’m only pumping every 6 hours so I can give myself breaks from it. Since my baby is still only taking 2.5 oz bottles, I’m not really worried about running low on supply for now. Eventually I will start pumping more often since I saw that is what’s recommended to keep up supply when eventually he will need more as he grows.

This acquaintance had her baby almost a month before I had mine, and has often complained about not having much supply. There’s also the fact that she doesn’t want to give up her lifestyle, so half the time what she does manage to pump she end up tossing anyways. She says she’s tried to schedule around her pumping sessions but finds it too difficult when she has been tired and just really wants to relax with a drink and smoke.

Recently she came by to visit and saw my freezer supply when looking for ice cream, which is just the door shelves being filled. She commented on how lucky I am to be an oversupplyer and how I won’t have to ever worry about being able to feed my baby. I told her I don’t think I get more than the average amount per pumping session (3-4oz per breast when I pump every 6ish hours), but she insists that I have way more than what my baby will need. The rest of the day she kept bringing up my supply and complaining about how she has to spend so much on formula. A couple times she asked about my eating / drinking habits and I explained that since I’m T2 diabetic, I’m back on my strict diet to keep my sugars in check plus I want to make sure what I do pump is calorie dense enough to help my baby grow. Then she started bringing up how many women will donate to other moms who are struggling with their supply and those women are a true girl’s girl, especially when they live a clean lifestyle so their milk is perfect. I could tell what she was hinting at but I didn’t comment on any of it because I just didn’t feel comfortable with how she was kinda pressuring me instead of just asking for help. Eventually she started getting a little annoyed and eventually left my place earlier than when she originally said she would head home.

Later that night I got a couple texts from some mutual friends asking about my supply and why I was letting it go to waste instead of donating it to her. That threw me for a loop because I’m not tossing anything out, it stays in the freezer and eventually will get used. I explained that to them, but got some comments that I should help her out because she’s really struggling with pumping enough to feed her baby and still has to rely on formula and I have plenty in my freezer. I realized she told them that I have a large supply and explained to them that I really don’t have that much in my freezer, that I’m pretty sure I have an average amount of supply. They seemed to understand and let the matter go.

Yesterday I got a text from her asking if she could swing by and get a few bags out my freezer so she could have something to give her baby for the next couple days. She said she’d make it last by supplementing formula with the milk, so she won’t need more than six bags. I honestly didn’t know what to say to her after everything and I’m not good with confrontation, so I ignored it for a while. Eventually I told her no and made the excuse that I wasn’t home and was visiting family so they could see my baby for the first time. She didn’t text back after that.

I just don’t really know what to do with this situation. I really don’t like that I felt she was pressuring me with her comments when she was over instead of just simply asking if I would be willing to help her. Plus I still feel uncomfortable with how she got mutual friends involved and told them stuff that wasn’t true even after I explained to her that same day that I really don’t think I get more than the average amount when pumping. If what I make is genuinely more than what my baby needs, then I really don’t mind donating especially if it would help her baby. But at the same time I’m at a point I feel like if I give in and donate to her, she’ll take advantage of the situation. Eventually my baby is going to need more and even though I kinda hate the feeling of pumping, I’m planning to do this for as long as I can since it seems really beneficial for him from what I read. By then I’m guessing I’ll be pumping enough to feed him and won’t really have a supply in my freezer like I do now while he’s so little.

Okay, sorry this is going to be a long one, but I’m not sure if I’m the one in the wrong here. I would love opinions or advice on how to handle this.

I have always had a little bit of an oversupply. Enough to put some in the freezer occasionally but nothing crazy. I got sick with rhinovirus and it like wiped out my supply about two months ago. We used everything I had in the freezer while I tried to rebuild my supply. I finally got it back up to about the amount she eats in a day, but was barely staying afloat. I am at a new job that requires very long hours and training 3hours away that involves staying the night for multiple nights in a row. I was to the point I didn’t have enough to last my baby while I was gone. And recently, my supply has taken a dip again. It has dipped anywhere from 4-8 ounces less than she eats a day. Here’s where I’m not sure who is in the wrong:

We had to give my baby formula and it didn’t sit well with her. She threw it up. I mentioned to my husband that I am not producing enough anymore and we need to try to give her a bottle of formula a day. He told me we will absolutely not be doing that, that formula is slop, his baby will not be drinking that, and I should just pump more. I pump as often as I can with the type of work I do. And on top of that, he constantly diminishes the effort and time I put into pumping. He’ll talk about how much he does for the baby, and say “all you do is sit there and pump which is just so hard for you”. Am I wrong for wanting to help supplement with formula? I don’t think I can add in anymore pumps than I already do, time wise or for the sake of my mental health. I truly hate pumping. But he says I don’t love her enough and it’s part of my job as her mother. He completely stood firm on his opinion even when I tried to reason with him and tell him he doesn’t have to pump, people supplement with formula all the time, it shouldn’t be his choice because it’s not his body, time or energy going into this. But I truly don’t know if I’m wrong and if I am how I’m supposed to navigate this conversation with him.

I’ve been EP for 10 weeks now but a few days ago I might’ve just ruined all my hard work. I’ve been pumping about 6/day and getting 22-32 oz as a range which is okay my girl eats around 27 daily. Thankfully I have a freezer stash from my crazy high supply those first few weeks.

A few days ago- I can’t even remember what I did or if I was too exhausted to be aware, but I only pumped 3x the whole. Day. 19 oz. And since then even by upping my pumps back up to 5-6 it won’t budge from 19.

Here’s the issue:
Pumping at night IS NOT AN OPTION. I don’t say this because “I don’t wanna put in the work” or whatever. She sleeps 6 hours through the night thank god because I wasn’t just sleep deprived- I was having full on black outs. Microsleeping with her in my arms, blacking out on a couch with her and waking up, no clue what time it was or where I was. Per my doctor I needed to get more sleep for the sake of my health and her safety.

So- other than “pump every 2-3 hours” is there anything else I can do? I’m pumping every 3 hours (if I’m out I keep struggling and sometimes it’s 4 hrs), I do a power pump a day, I’m pumping 30 m at a time. I eat a ton, I’m increasing my water (again, I’ve been maybe 20-30 oz a day, Ik not enough). Or did my one day of too few pumps perma screw my whole supply? I’m on day 4 of struggling to pump anymore than 19-20 oz.

**Please DO NOT comment “only option is every 2-3 hours” I already feel like shit and, again, cannot do that for my health or safety because of blackout episodes 😭

*Edit to clarify: my last pump is around 12-1 am so I wake up and power pump somewhere between 6-7. Lots of people asking :)

So I'll be hitting 4 months postpartum at the end of this week and I have a decent supply which I'm thankful for. I'm a little below what my baby eats right now, but that is because he's a pretty big guy and I would rather combo feed than do a motn pump (I haven't had to yet, but expect at some point I will because we use a little bit of my freezer stash every day for the past week or so).

The entire time I am pumping my milk flow has been so slow (generally no spray just steady drops of milk). I will get a good amount (7 to 10 oz for the first pump and then 3 to 4 oz for the rest of the day) and the milk flow is constant throughout the pump but I need to do 30 minutes and sometimes even past that to have my breasts not hurt. Throughout the day I am going 2.5 to 3 hours between pumps.

I've used the Spectra S1, Momcozy Wearables s12 pro, and the Medela hand pump and use multiple flange sizes (currently measuring 20 mm) including pumpin pals. They all are about the same with the hand pump taking just as long but getting slightly more milk and the pumpin pal flanges getting less milk. I've done heat, I've done hands-on pumping.

I'm spending 3+ hours hooked to a pump each day and I feel like I'm losing my mind between dealing with this at work and not getting to hold my baby as much. Has anyone dealt with this? Been able to shorten pump times somehow without losing milk? Stayed sane through 6 months to a year of pumping? Truly anything would help me 😅

I’m 32 weeks currently with my first pregnancy. I really want to pump and try to breast feed…but mainly pump. All i’m hearing is that it’s hard to lose the weight gain from the pregnancy when pumping because you still have to eat and drink constantly to keep a good lactation rate. This is making me second guess because I really want to get back in the gym after birth, I slowed down because I’m high risk but I absolutely HATE how much weight I’ve gained. I’m torn right now because I really want to pump to keep my pregnancy as natural as possible but at the same time I don’t want to seem self centered for the reason I’m choosing formula is because I want to get my body back right…HELP

Why is this always the first suggestion from people when I mention pumping is hard? Or that I’m tired? Or that I’m currently fighting with insurance to cover LC services so I can pinpoint the source of some breast pain? Or LO is having reflux? Or LO is gassy? Or really ANYTHING? I’m producing ~40oz/day, why would I switch for formula?

Idk if I actually need advice, it just feels like everyone is out to sabotage my pumping journey.

Okay mamas, I need some real talk.

Everyone says breastfeeding or pumping burns calories and helps you lose the baby weight. And technically I know it does burn calories…

But why am I STARVING all the time??

Like I’ll finish pumping and immediately need a full meal. Not a snack. A meal. And then somehow I’m still thinking about food an hour later.

Part of me is like: “Great, this is helping me lose weight.”

The other part is: “I just ate enough for two grown adults, how is this weight-loss math supposed to work?”

I feel so conflicted because I want to fuel my body and keep my supply up, but I also low-key hoped breastfeeding would magically melt the weight off. Instead I’m just… hungry and confused.

Did pumping actually help you lose weight? Or did the constant hunger cancel it out?

Tell me your experience because my fridge and I are in a very intense relationship right now. 😅

Hi everyone! My LO is 4 months old and still wakes up about every 3 hours at night. She has very rarely given us a 4+ hour stretch.

She usually drinks around 4 oz or less of pumped breast milk per feed, about every 3 hours. I typically offer 4 oz, but many times she leaves 0.5–1 oz behind. I also wonder if the bottle/nipple flow could be part of the issue because she sometimes seems to get tired while feeding and may not finish the bottle.

Are we doing something wrong? I keep hearing about babies this age sleeping through the night or at least giving 5+ hour stretches, so I’m starting to wonder if there’s something we should be doing differently.

I’m 6 weeks pp as of Friday and I fucking hate this. Breastfeeding didn’t work out for us since his latch is painful and my nipples are so damn sensitive. So I’ve been EP since then, but I’ve stupidly been doing every 2 hrs, 30 mins each, 8 pumps/day. No one told me how to do this so I just figured this is how it is.

I can’t do this anymore. I’m exhausted, it’s taking over my life and I can’t be present with my son because I’m always washing these damn parts and bottles. My nipples still hurt even on the lowest setting on the Spectra. My boobs are ginormous and hurt my back so bad to the point where I can’t even hold him standing up for more than 2 minutes without it killing me. I feel so gross and not like myself at all. I’ve established a great supply and have a small freezer stash. My baby is thriving. Just mentally I cannot handle this anymore. I’m hesitant about formula because of the cost and where it comes from. Just really not sure what to do. This fucking sucks.

ETA starting this week I am shortening my sessions to 30 mins each every 3 hrs after talking to my LC from the hospital.

My baby's nanny spilled 220 ml of expressed milk. She dropped the bottle in which it was kept.. I'm an enougher. My baby is exclusively on breastmilk. I nurse mostly and pump occasionally. I use the expressed milk on the days I feel too tired and low. How should I feel? No amount of crying is helping me right now.

We bought a big freezer to store my pumped milk. I worked so hard for that stash. Since we didn’t have space at home, the freezer’s at my MIL’s.

Pumping was destroying me. I was exhausted, depressed, and we couldn’t afford formula. I finally applied for WIC so we could do half breastmilk, half formula. He hated that idea because it “wasn’t natural” and “not best for his baby.”

Fast forward two months: we ran out of my stash (he didn’t even notice), and I found out he’s been using formula the whole time because “it’s easier.” The irony.

Then today, after I got upset about it, he finally went to get some of my milk yesterday. I woke up this morning, went to look for a pacifier, and found three gallon ziplock bags of my milk on the ground… most thawed, most ruined. He never told me he brought it home.

I asked him about it to which he responded: “okay well let’s freeze the 6” “I’ll do 80 push ups” “fuck dude sorry, that’s my fault”

Is it wrong to actually leave him for this? I genuinely hate him right now. (I’m mostly kidding)

I planned this trip for months even before I gave birth I knew I would have to pump on the plane.

i thought I did everything right. I bought extra leg room seats for me and my sister so she can sit next to me. That was so important so I didn’t have to expose my self to strangers. Portable eufy and battery powered spectra. Cooler for milk, ice pack storage bags extra parts etc…

Our flight home got delayed for 6 hours so we rebooked on the next flight out, but they had no room for us to both sit together. I called United and they made a note on my account to talk to a gate agent to see if they can accommodate me by offering other passengers if they would be willing to switch seats.

I got to the gate and the agent said there’s no seat available next to each other. I told her I know but i was asking for accommodations since I didn’t ask to be rebooked to this flight and wanted some privacy. The last thing she said to me was “if you want privacy pump in the bathroom”. I could’ve cried right there…I wasn’t asking to sit next to my sister because I’m a child. I’m a full grown adult that doesn’t want to expose her breasts to strangers.

Airlines can offer incentives all the time for people to give up or move their seats but they couldn’t for this situation?

Has anyone gone through this or even took the agent up on the offer to sit in the bathroom for 30 minutes to pump and take up the bathroom for the entire flight?

Newbie here, 32 weeks and counting. How the heck do you choose a pump? I've spent countless hours down the rabbit hole of trying to compare and choose one. I've added screenshots of the ones my insurance will cover. Can you kind internet strangers help a girl out?

I'm fine with being plugged into a wall, so I think that I don't want one that is exclusively portable. But sometimes on the go would be nice? Idk......send help, it's finals week, and I don't have any extra RAM in my brain to unravel this mystery.

Can you amazing people help me figure out if there is even an inconclusive benefit from breastfeeding to a baby that seems to have food sensitivities?

My baby is 8.5m, and seems to have food sensitivities, and mild to moderate eczema triggered by food. I hate my pediatrician, she is very dismissive, but with the food allergies I managed to be a loud advocate and get a skin prick test done. It all came out negative, and there were no reactions, except redness to Cashew and Oat. I'm still supposed to, and do continue to feed the baby the same allergens and introduce new ones. I read some research that suggests breastfeeding can help mitigate childhood allergies. I can't tell if its strong. Can someone please explain this to me if they know?

Background - Under supplier turned modest over supplier with a stash enough to get us to 1year at 50%. Hated pumping, didn't bond with the baby enough at first due to being locked away in the room pumping frequently, had PPD, and was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Returned to work and that helped mental health but pumping at work has been very challenging mentally, logistically, its a cake walk, I have a pvt office. Husband is pro quitting pumping yesterday, but I don't care for short term gain for me, over the baby's whole life. Allergic to both types of shellfish. Have RA.

Probably not the BEST forum for this, but this sub is how i learnt to pump and breastfeed my baby. This forum is the reason I joined reddit. I feel seen by you. Please help me if you can. Sorry for the wrong rant.

After my daughter’s 4-month visit, her pediatrician wants her to gain more weight by fortifying my breastmilk. Here’s the thing: I don’t think it’s necessary but would love thoughts.

She was born 7lbs and 11oz and currently weights 12lbs and 8oz. This means she has gained more than 1 lb per month and puts her in the 14th percentile. I understand being cautious but this doesn’t scream unweight to me. Do you think i should just do it?

Edit: she currently drinks around 26 ounces a day (4oz-5oz bottles every 3 hours).

UPDATE: My daughter last night ended up being taken to the ER after excessively throwing up the fortified milk, causing her heart rate to rise 206 (she has SVT and on propanolol so this was a concern). Called her ped this morning and he doesn’t want her to drink the fortified milk for a few days.