Breastfeeding Burns Through Calories and Sleep

“I hate breastfeeding 10 days in and I’m on the verge. Of giving up I can’t do this anymore running off no sleep o hold her she’s fussy cause all she wants is my boob then she spits up me and my man fight because he thinks it’s easy breastfeeding I just can’t do it anymore it’s depressing plus my 1 year old toddler coming down with a cold submitted by /u/Which-Enthusiasm-159 [link] [comments]”

“I need help with breastfeeding. Like, MAJOR help, because I genuinely feel like I have no idea what I’m doing :( I’m 10 weeks postpartum and have been primarily breastfeeding my baby, with occasional pumping and formula supplementation. I desperately want to exclusively breastfeed but I’m struggling with so many things right now. I feel like breastfeeding has completely taken over my life, and I’m starting to break mentally and physically. I have several issues, and I would really appreciate any”

“I just thought about this recently as I am about a month or two into my pregnancy and I am still breastfeeding my current 1 year old. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin everyday, and was also taking magnesium since it was helping with the nausea but I had to stop as it was clearly affecting my toddler while she was nursing. This made me wonder, does taking a prenatal vitamin while breastfeeding reduce the amount of vitamins that are going to the fetus, since some of the vitamins would also be inc”

“Even with the pediatricians help (taking max dose of Pepcid) we still have really bad nights of what sounds like painful crying with our nearly four month old. There’s some arching and he cries for a couple hours and truthfully, it doesn’t seem like fussy crying to me, it sounds like pain?? But how can I tell, I’m a FTM? He will easily both formula in a bottle, a milk bottle, and nurse, but I nurse him 98% of the time. I’ve limited large quantities of dairy but by no means have been able to full”

“Tonight made me want to give up breastfeeding so badly, I just keep sobbing into my baby's head as I rock him back to sleep I'm so tired and frustrated/overwhelmed with him fussing for ages, then when he finally goes on he only sucks for like 5 minutes and then falls back asleep and i can't wake him up again. So I put him down and he wakes up wanting to feed again *and repeat every hour. He must have fed 20 times in the last 24 hours I do have a strong letdown which can overwhelm him”

“I’m 3 months in exclusively breast fed. My cousin had a baby same time as me and her baby is formula fed. I just feel jealous that she can go out and get her nails done, get a massage and get her haircut. Or she can easily leave the house and feed the baby once or twice very quickly. Whereas I can’t do these long treatments as my baby needs a feeding and leaving the house is a whole chore as she need to feed multiple times. Using a cover is so stressful for me (I wear a hijab so not using one is”

“As of about a week ago, breastfeeding has become such a fight with my now 5 week old. My original problem was he was too sleepy, but now the problems have morphed into fussiness and a literal battle. He’s taking gulps of air still (I would have thought this might have resolved by now), he’s fussing at my breast and unlatching. It’s usually about 5 minutes of fighting through all of this before he sort of tires out and then will attempt to nurse…but then he’ll sort of fall asleep and I have to ke”

“My son just turned 13 months and we are weaning and hoping to be done by 14 months. We are down to 3 feeds a day (morning wake up, nap, bedtime) and I think I’m having a hormonal crash or something. I’ve had the lowest lows this last week. From crying and so much sadness to intense anger. At one point I screamed into my pillow. I don’t think I’ve ever done that? My son head butted me in bed at like 2am and I woke my husband by yelling at him to take the baby. I texted my husband this last week s”

“5 days postpartum, and triple feeding is making me feel like I’m losing my mind. 😭 Looking for advice, reassurance, or anyone who has been through something similar. We were discharged on day 4, and my milk hadn’t even come in yet. At his lowest, my LO had lost 13.7% of his birth weight. We weren’t admitted, but we were instructed to supplement and triple feed. he was also jaundiced and needed phototherapy for 28 hours between home and the hospital. His bilirubin is still elevated but trending”

“Hi ,I’m 4 months postpartum and I feel my body is the weakest it has ever been. My baby is exclusively breast fed (direct ). I feel defeated by my body even with a lot of help . I have someone to cook , clean , do the laundry . My partner is really hands on and takes care of the baby at night . I feed him and he burps and puts the baby to sleep . My baby has been a good sleeper since 2.5 months . Though every day is not the same with him. My sleep is not completely unbroken i will say that . But”

“I am weaning, last feed was Monday evening. It’s Friday evening currently. I have been engorged and uncomfortable, which is to be expected. Today however I am feeling so extremely exhausted I can’t keep my eyes open. The exhaustion has gotten worse as the day has gone on. I started Sudafed 12hr today, along with cabbage leaves in my tight sports bra. I can’t tell if I’m actually feeling like I’m starting to get feverish, or if it’s just exhaustion mixed with anxiety. My boobs are very very sore”

“Hi, I’m nearing the 4 week mark w baby and she’s been receiving my BM exclusively. The first week or so it was exclusive chest feeding, but complications from 2 severely Thrombosed hemmorhoids made sitting on my bum excruciating and never got used to side lying. I had to start pumping and I reckon she’s gotten 2-3 pumped BM bottles per day. Now, I’m feeling super burnt and touched out (we don’t have a village) and I find feeding her bottled BM more efficient. My girl is a sleepy eater and will n”

“My baby is 10.5 months and I’m counting my days until he’s 1. I’ve considered bfing until 1 year as my personal bare minimum. I don’t want to buy formula when I’ve come so far. I thought I’d go longer but I’m so so done with this 🥲 I hate pumping at work and I’m so overstimulated by breastfeeding lately. I wanted to keep it going until closer to 2 years. I feel so torn. Some days I love our quiet time together and others I want to crawl out of my body. The mental health effects of the hormones”

“My almost 12 week old has been crying so much recently. Everytime he wakes up, he won’t take long naps. Recently everytime I put him to nurse, he moves around so much and pushes his body away from me with his legs causing him to latch and unlatch. Then cries when I stop. This is everyday and I’m getting frustrated so bad. Pleas help submitted by /u/jjazralii [link] [comments]”

“I have been breastfeeding for 3mo and am starting to feel a little burnt out. It is very demanding and sometimes I just want a break… I want to continue for many months—what are things you do/tell yourself to keep doing on the days you feel completely burnt out submitted by /u/DogsandMedicine [link] [comments]”

“I’m currently 6 weeks pregnant with my second. My daughter is 13 m/o and still nursing exclusively. Granted she’s a great eater and sometimes doesn’t care to nurse throughout the day, she is still nursing overnight and I co-sleep so my sleep is often interrupted. I don’t remember feeling this rough when I was pregnant with her. The nausea is brutal and I feel like a zombie. I’m absolutely drained. I am taking Ritual Prenatal and Ritual Choline. I’m eating whatever looks appetizing when I can and”

“Can anyone give me the motivation to keep going (or maybe the sanity check to stop?) My baby boy and I have been at war over breastfeeding since the day he was born. He couldn’t latch well at first and lost way too much weight, so we had to go straight to formula supplementation. The only way I could latch him at all was with a nipple shield, so I struggled through a triple feeding pattern of trying without the shield, then with it, then giving him a formula bottle while pumping, every 2-3 hours”

“I am 7 days postpartum and have been really struggling with eating enough food. My baby is cluster feeding and I even pump at the same time to help with how much my boobs hurt if they get too full. I’m worried I’m not getting enough nutrients and I am exhausted. I know exhaustion is normal, but I was told I would be starving, especially with how much milk I’m producing and how little I can eat. When I try to eat I get nauseous and feel like ai could throw up. I push through it as much as I can b”

“I happily breastfed my oldest for 15 months until I got pregnant again with my second. He was EBF until 6 months when my supply tanked due to my severe illness and malnutrition. I’ve been through the wringer with multiple GI issues postpartum this time and a loving family member finally told me it was time to quit cold turkey for my health. My mental and physical health got so much better after stopping and thankfully LO took to formula after a period of transition. He loves his formula and soli”

“Basically, what the title is - I just wonder how you’re supposed to know if your supply is dropping. My baby is 10 weeks old and usually eats every three hours. He is exclusively nursed. He has been crying and wanting to eat every one hour and 45 minutes in the evenings. I wonder if my supply is dropping or if he is cluster feeding or something else. He has plenty of wet diapers and is content right after nursing. submitted by /u/starsforever33 [link] [comments]”

“I'm concerned about my let down, my baby is gulping and choking periodically on my milk. This morning I was completely full and I fed him for a little bit, he popped off the breast and started fussing. I know it's my let down, I have completely changed my diet and found what works for my baby's stomach. I eat essentially the same foods every day. It's definitely letdown. I also expressed some milk after he struggled, he fell asleep in his swing while I did that. He woke up and we”

“I’m 3.5 months postpartum and got my period a few weeks ago. Ever since then my supply has went down a lot. I also pump and nurse but my baby seems hungrier and I feel like I need to supplement with formula. My question is, my baby’s only been exclusively breastfed. I’m really really worried to introduce formula into his diet, what formula is the closest to breastmilk if any? I’m nervous about this. submitted by /u/SandwichDependent199 [link] [comments]”

“My baby is 2 months old and was a few weeks premature. It has been hard for him to put on weight but it is going ok and I am generally feeding him 70mls every two hours. He spits up a little after feeding but only really when he is on his back. The past few days, whenever I finish bottle feeding him he SCREAMS for up to an hour. Red face, tears, inconsolable and then suddenly passes out asleep. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it over tiredness, feeding too fast… he isn’t gassy during these”

“The anxiety has gotten so real about all things parenting but breastfeeding has become a space that I am really struggling. I am currently 4 days PP, and not producing enough to feed our LO so we are supplementing to help get her weight up, take care of her jaundice and I already feel like I am failing. Baby girl latches just fine, we are latching every 2-3 hours but I feel like my milk has not come in enough yet get anywhere close to what she needs. I’m currently BF each side for 15 mins each a”

“Poor wife. Less than 3 days ago our daughter would sleep at night and wake up one or two times to feed. Suddenly she just turned around and decided she does not want to leave her lap and breast at all. It is a full time job. The only way she is not crying is when she is on the breast and contact sleeping with the mother. After she is asleep, you try to put her on the bassinet and she wakes up and starts crying in less than three minutes. With me I discovered that she is at peace when I hold her”

“I’ve posted here before about my baby’s breast refusal and got some great advice, but unfortunately we’re still struggling. My daughter is 2.5 months old and can breastfeed really well, especially at night or when sleepy. But during the day she often twists, pulls at my nipple, repeatedly latches/unlatches, kicks, turns her head away and cries. I have a strong/fast letdown and she sometimes gulps, pants, coughs and pulls off. I’ve tried laid-back feeding, different positions, side-lying, letting”

“My son is 8 weeks old. For weeks he’s had multiple feedings a day that, often in the evening and overnight, are so frustrating. He is angry/grunting and unlatching every two seconds. When he does latch my letdown is so strong that he coughs and sputters and then unlatches and milk goes everywhere and it’s so exhausting and overstimulating for me. Im so sick of the feeling of everything being wet and sticky. Im so sick of getting hot and worked up and feeling frustrated. I also just feel so intim”

“Or anything that has helped you? It feels like I’m going crazy I’ve been struggling with such bad insomnia specifically my mind racing all night or I’ll go to sleep and wake up to use the bathroom or nurse and my mind will just be racing for hours. Besides having a horrible effect on my mental health it’s also making it even more impossible for me to lose weight. Any tips would be appreciated submitted by /u/spiceweasel33 [link] [comments]”

“I need to vent and need some honest advice. I hate breastfeeding. Everyone talks about weight melting off, but my metabolism has stopped, I’ve gained 15 lbs, and I am ravenously hungry 24/7. I am completely exhausted and just want my bodily autonomy back—and honestly, to be able to have a drink without overthinking it. The issue is my baby completely refuses formula. Every attempt ends in a meltdown, and I feel totally trapped. Am I selfish for wanting to quit? And if you had a baby who refused”

“Does anybody feel like they’re totally exhausted throughout the day and feeling extremely tired and hungry all the time that your hands are shaking? I’m exclusively pumping my three month old and I feel this throughout the day. I’m also 2 months post my gallbladder removal surgery so I am just confused if it’s breast-feeding postpartum recovery or my surgery itself. Didn’t experience this with my first. Please let me know if anybody experienced this. Thank you in advance. submitted by &#32”

“I’m 5 weeks postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. My baby is gaining weight and has an adequate number of wet and dirty diapers, so thankfully she seems to be getting enough milk. But feeding her is still a whole production every single time, and I’m starting to feel really worn out. Right now, per our LC, I’m offering the breast every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. My baby is so sleepy at the breast. To get through a feed, I usually have to undress her, change her diaper”

“Baby is 10 months old, he eats 2-3 solid meals a day, milk from breast and whole I’m at work he gets what I pump at work the day before. I’m wondering if anyone else is feeling an effect on their romantic relationship with significant other this far into breastfeeding. I have zero sexual desire just the same as I did when baby was first born. I expected that to even out by now… I’m welcoming any tips or just to know I’m not alone and how you’re dealing with it! Ps sorry if this isn’t the right t”

“I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up with this triple feeding. Both me and baby are frequently finishing feeds in tears. I was advised to triple feed due to very slow weight gain (but this was when using nipple shields which tanked supply- I’m getting lots our with pump so supply now good. Baby is 7 weeks old and Ive had multiple sessions with LC who say his feeding is now good. Latch over last couple of days has got deeper- less pain! But he still is v lazy. Mainly only sucking for let do”

“Why is it perfectly fine to say "Well, you're eating for two now!" during pregnancy while during breastfeeding, that needs a lot more energy, it's always "Wow you're eating again?". NOW is the time I'm actually eating for two. I'm burning almost 600 kcal+ just by feeding my child plus I also need to take care of him, carry him around, take him out on walks etc. When he sleeps I don't just chill around like before, I clean and tidy as much as I can befo”

“FTM to a 4 month old, he’s such a happy baby but today he’s had periods of crying that last for like 10 mins no matter what I do he’s not hungry doesn’t want to sleep, clean diaper, and doesn’t matter if I carry him or not. his poop has been looking different lately and I sent a picture of it to his pediatrician but I’m wondering if anyone has any input? Also it won’t let me post a picture but its a mucous consistency submitted by /u/Ok-Dragonfruit-3963 [link] [comments]”

“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 bo”

“I’m a FTM and my LO is 15 weeks old. We had a tough time nursing at the beginning so I’m cautious about her eating enough. She’s consistently gaining weight and is healthy. My question is: how do you know when a baby is done nursing? Right now, she’ll nurse for 30 minutes on each side and eventually will either fall asleep or look around. If I try to unlatch earlier when she begins to get drowsy, she’ll start trying to feed again. I don’t want her to fall behind on any milestones because so much”

“I'm currently 4 months postpartum and really struggling. I always knew I wanted to feed my baby breast milk and in the first 2 months things were going ok - I was pumping throughout the day and baby would take both the pumped milk and milk right at the source just fine. When I was tired I had help and someone could give LO the bottle Around 3 months I went back home to visit my family and stayed with them for a month and I didn't pump as much, instead I breastfed directly at the boob (I”

“I’m almost 7 months pp and I’m pregnant. I ebf my baby I’m so worried I’m going to lose my supply. I love breast feeding so much and he loves it too. I’m currently 7 weeks pregnant and it’s okay atm I feel like my supply went down a little bit but is okay now. I seen that some people dry up around 12-20 weeks when the milk changes to colostrum. I really don’t want to do formula it breaks my heart and makes me feel sick. (Nothing against formula) I just love breast feeding. I don’t know what to d”

“Hi all, I’m 10 weeks postpartum with my first. My daughter was born at 38 weeks and had some issues with feeding/weight gain for her first three weeks, so I’ve been really high strung about her feeding and gaining weight since. Over the last two months, we’ve been struggling with tongue/lip tie issues and torticollis. Over the last two weeks, my daughter has been so much more fussy and is inconsolable when I try to breastfeed her. We’ve been working with speech therapy, physical therapy, a lacta”

“I am insatiable like I was in the early days, my little one has just had a virus where he stopped wanting as much milk and then I got my period and I am so hungry it’s a bit ridiculous. He eats 3 meals a day with milk on demand throughout the day, as well as feeding through the night, is this a normal thing? Why am I so hungry. I feel like a bottomless pit right now! There are simply not enough carbs in the world for me 😅 submitted by /u/ephemeralparts [link] [comments]”

“I am making myself sick with sugar, yet I cant seem to control myself at all. I was blaming it all on breastfeeding, but now at 9 months PP we are only breastfeeding about 6 times a day. It isnt subsiding. I could literally eat nothing but cookies all day. I have zero desire for any "regular" food like I used to. Dud anyone find something that finally worked for them?? Ive gone to my Doctor and she put me on fish oil (my triglycerides were off the charts). I haven't noticed any dif”

“My daughter is just over 4 weeks old and for the last week or so she’s been SO angry at the world. If she’s awake, she’s crying. When she’s nursing, she’s fussing or even screaming. She is gaining weight beautifully and has plenty of dirty and wet diapers, so I’m confused what’s going on with the fussiness while feeding because it would seem she’s getting enough. She does have a lip and tongue tie per an IBCLC, and we’re visiting a pediatric dentist in a few hours to have it evaluated and potent”

“Or I failed at Breastfeeding. I tried so hard. I tried to exclusively breast feed. I latched him all day long. I neglected myself, my house and my older kid. I didn’t pump much because he was attached to the boob all day long. And to be fair I don’t enjoy pumping. Yesterday was my 6 weeks pp check. Baby has gained weight, but not as much as needed. So the pediatrician recommended two formula bottles per day. Baby is much happier. He sleeps well. He never slept well before. He doesn’t cry. He is”

“My EBF 4 month old wants to latch all the time…it seems like every 10 minutes at this point. And he’ll nurse for 30-45 minutes and be ready to go again in 20 minutes. I’m exhausted and feel like I’m glued to the couch all day. He’ll literally throw himself on my boob sometimes. To add- he’s been pulling, fussy and will break out into a screaming/crying fit mid-eating sometimes and will only settle down when I latch on the other side. I thought maybe it was a fast let down or he wasn’t getting en”

“My little girl turned 2 months old yesterday, and coincidentally since yesterday will only feed for max 5/6 mins at a time every 2 hours. She lets go because she needs to burp and will shriek and scream bloody muter if I try to latch her again. She usually falls asleep after. Our feeds before that would last anywhere between 15 to 30/40 mins (I know she wasn’t drinking the whole time but she was getting a lot more for sure). I’m worried that with this new pattern my supply will drop, which is ir”

“FTM and my baby is currently 10 weeks old. As of recently we’ve been having a really difficult time nursing, specifically during the day. He’ll latch and feed for about 5 minutes, and then he’ll start screaming his head off and refuses to latch again. Even if I burp him after this happens, he still won’t latch. I can tell he’s still hungry, so I top him up with either breast milk that I had pumped or formula. He’s great during the night time, but the day time is becoming so tricky. Has anyone el”

“I am 10 days postpartum, my baby is exclusively breast fed and I have a spectra pump that I have to use every 3 hours. ( portable hasn’t came in yet) I am on day two of antibiotics for mastitis. It will be 97 degrees in the day we’re planning to go out. She loves her car seat so far but hasn’t rid in the back by herself yet. She eats anywhere from every 2-3 hours. Car ride is 45 minutes away and we are wanting to go for a stroller walk outside. I feel like this will be impossible and a disaster.”

“At around 3-3.5 months my EBF son started being much more difficult to feed. At first I thought it's because I suck at feeding him while we're out (since I only do side lying at home) but then he also started refusing the boob at home. He fusses and cries when I put him down and he gets SO ANGRY. But the thing is that many of these times he will end up taking the boob anyway. I don't know when I should give us and when I should persist. I read online that at this age they get more ef”

“Abruptly had to stop my breastfeeding journey last week due to CMPA and a bit on the slower side of weight gain. We had a tough start, triple feeding to get going because she was 37 weeks and tiny. Finally had it figured out and then going back to work made my supply definitely start to dip as I’m not at a job where I can pump on a consistent schedule. I am truly gutted. I’ve cried once a day since last week and I miss the bonding experience so much. Baby is doing great, taking the formula and b”

My feeding journey thus far hasn’t been easy. From a sleepy baby at the breast, to a poor latch (no ties, just a bad latch), raynauds, clogs, constant weight checks, leading to…

“I thought I had the breasfeeding part down when my milk came in and baby was latching good and gaining weight. But the past few days it seems like my letdown is too fast for my 6 week old. He always has milk coming out of sides of his mouth,pushing the breast out of his mouth by moving his arms and legs or crying while he has the nipple in his mouth. It just sounds like he is struggling to swallow all of it. He does eventually calm down but the initial latching on has started getting so difficul”

“How do I make this work? It started last night and I basically have not been able to eat anything really due to the nausea. I’ve had some electrolytes and water but I’m freaking out on how to handle this. submitted by /u/greenishfroggy [link] [comments]”

“My baby is almost 6 weeks Friday and she gained 3 pounds from exclusively breastfeeding but I’ve been waking up between 9-11am and I have 0 appetite I was eating a lot 3-4 times a day with snacks but now I’m eating twice a day , coffee in the morning and small snack in between like banana and oatmeal cream pies and I don’t feel as if there a dip in my supply but I’m just worried it will, is there any recommendations to eat more ? What do you guys recommend to eat or drink? I feel like I need to”

“Venting about myself! Does anyone else feel the overwhelming anxiety as to whether your baby is getting enough each feed? When does it stop?! Despite the weight gain, wet nappies, happy temperament between feeds etc, I cannot shift this feeling that hes not getting enough from me every single day. Its like my brain just thinks of new reasons to believe it. Initially it was latching issues, then the time each feed took, fussiness when feeding, amount of time between each feed, reduced number of f”

“Hey all, The title really. But baby is almost 4 months and was becoming really fussy and we just put it down to teething/sleep regression. We got him weighed just ad a routine visit and he’s lost 2oz in 3 weeks. Now I’m convinced it’s because my supply has tanked and this is why he’s been so irritable and fussy. He is EBF except a bottle on a night but that’s been that way since he was 6 weeks old. My breasts never feel ‘full’ and are totally smaller than a week ago, my period had just come back”

“I don’t know what to do. She is 9 months old. Now it’s 5am, I am trying to latch her since I woke up uncomfortable at 4am (we bedshare) and as soon as the milk comes she unlatches and rolls away. She had a 60ml (1oz) bottle at daycare at 2pm. submitted by /u/Huge-Nectarine-8563 [link] [comments]”

“I've been triple feeding for five weeks now after a week long failed induction that resulted in a c-section. So things have been stressful for a while. No supply or latch issues, just a poor suck. Doctor's have assessed him, no physical issues other than a higher palate, but not so high that it should be concerning. A few feeds he manages to breastfeed 10-15 minutes straight, but others he just screams and cries until given the bottle or immediately falls asleep. His suck is decent for a”

“Hi parents, Our second baby is 3 weeks old, and has been doing a massive sick 5-10mins after feeding (EBF) 1-2 times during the daytime, of course often at the most inconvenient timings to do a full outfit change of me and her! Aside from this, she doesn’t bring up milk regularly after feeds, is not fussy or crying after feeds (in fact she couldn’t be less bothered as she is bringing up these huge volumes of milk!). So I don’t think it’s reflux - also she sleeps on her back happily overnight wit”