Breastfeeding mothers can't get enough milk to feed their babies

“Baby is almost 5 weeks & I have been pumping around the clock as he was learning to breastfeed after his oral ties release. We've been having good feedings at the breast but now I'm wondering if I should keep pumping & if so when & for how long. I got used to a schedule so breastfeeding on a whim is very new to me. I don't want to get clugged ducts as I don't think he's pulling as much as I was pumping, especially my power pump sessions. His breast milk b”

“I've been collecting colostrum since 36 weeks and was getting around 1ml per session. I went to collect today like I usually do and I only got 0.1 ml, barely anything came out, and then it just stopped. What could cause it to randomly stop? Could it mean labor is near? I'm not worried about my ability to breastfeed after baby is born as I know colostrum doesn't indicate whether your milk will come in or not just wondering if anyone knows what can cause it to randomly stop producing w”

“Hi guys, I am open to all advice and answers Is breastfeeding really that important? Is formula not enough if I simply choose to formula feed. Am I depriving baby of something grave? I just don't enjoy it and i don't plan on going past 3rd month. But now that the 3 months mark is near, everyone around me is pushing me to continue till 6 months. Should I do it? Is formula not an okay alternative if breastfeeding could be done? submitted by /u/newmum2507 [link] [comments]”

“How does everyone handle milk fluctuation throughout the day? I know it’s hormonal. I make so much milk in the morning and not very much in the evening. I can pump 8 oz in the morning but sometimes barely get 2-3 oz in the evening. But my baby is so hungry right before bed he often wants two feedings in short succession. I just can’t make enough milk for his demand at night so he needs a bottle in addition to nursing. How does everyone else manage the supply/demand mismatch? For context: baby is”

“Hey! I’m a 2nd time mom to a 6 week old and wanting to switch from exclusively pumping to breastfeeding. A little context in the hospital we had a very complicated birth and after many attempts to latch baby boy I could not get it to work. After the 2nd day of struggling I decided to use pumped colostrum and formula to top him off until I could pump. When my milk came in it was great! I was actually producing way more than he was eating and was able to store 200oz by the time he was 2 weeks old.”

“I’m currently 3 weeks postpartum and have been combo feeding due to low milk supply. Every feed is breastfeeding (or pumped milk) + a formula bottle top up. The whole process takes up to 1.5 hours and with the frequent feedings, it feels like its basically time to restart the process once I'm done. I’m finding it really exhausting. I’m leaning towards exclusively formula feeding, but I feel guilty about stopping breastfeeding and worry I’ll miss the bonding (although honestly, I don’t really”

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting here because I honestly don’t know who else to talk to about this. My breastfeeding journey has been rough and painful. I’ve been dealing…

“I apologise in advance as this may be slightly long winded; So my almost 16 week old baby has been EBF since birth. However, a couple of weeks ago I noticed my supply seemed to have dropped quite significantly and my boy was getting very agitated during feeds and was beginning to refuse the breast. Around this time he was weighed routinely by a health visitor and he had dropped percentiles. This worried me sick and after speaking with the baby feeding team I decided to start introducing formula”

“Baby will be 4 weeks Wednesday. I used to get 1-2 oz with my Hakka now I’m barely getting an oz….. what does it mean. I’m stressing because i need to build a stash but i don’t pump. submitted by /u/Old-Kitchen-5377 [link] [comments]”

“So I’m a just enougher I would say. In the early days of baby being born, I didnt know I had to nurse him all the time for my milk supply to establish. I had gone days with big gaps between feeding. Thinking my supply was low, I supplemented with formula, haphazardly latch him. Needless to say my supply sucked. Then I did the whole pumping 8 times a day and finally by week 6 I make enough for baby and stop using formula. Now I nurse him 6am to 8pm while dad is at work. And at night time I pump 3”

“1 week postpartum today with my third baby. Breastfeeding didn’t go well with my first, did go well with my second, and now it’s not going well with my third. I have always been an under supplier. I made just enough to keep up with my second baby for 10 months. This time I’m taking Vraylar for my mental health and it is helping my moods immensely but decreasing my milk supply like nobody’s business. I make about 20-30 ml every 2-3 hours. I’m just unsure if it’s worth it to keep pumping for such”

“I am a 3rd time mom to a sweet little 6 week old girl. I have been exclusively breastfeeding. About 2 weeks ago I found blood in her diaper which lead me to discover cows milk protein allergy. Around this time she broke out into her horrible eczema on her face and at times projectile spit ups. Since cutting dairy her face is slowly improving (though it still makes me sad to look at, often flares and then improves, repeat). We’ve had 2 more bloody diapers since. I thought things were getting bett”

“First time mom here with a 7 week old. Right now, my supply is SUPER low. I am lucky if I get 8-10 mL a day with pumping around 6 times a day. (Please don't guilt me on this part. I am trying my best. I know I should try to reach 8+ times/day, but I am trying to work while taking care of baby at home.) I have tried supplements (mostly Fennel and Moringa), power pumping, trying different pumps, skin to skin etc. Nothing seems to be improving my supply. Another problem is that I am still havin”

“Hi guys. I just want to share my bad experience with breastfeeding and maybe it will calm someone who is also struggling now with it. I had been breastfeeding my baby for just first two month. It was the most awful time in my whole life. All of these happy mothers’ stories about the magic of breastfeeding were so like a fake for me. Like a HUGE FRAUD AND SCAM. My boobs were hurting so much though my baby didn’t have any problems with her latching - we checked it several times at different places”

“Hello! I’m looking for some motivation and encouragement as I keep trying to get my baby to breastfeed. We’re about to hit 2 months on the 25th. She wasn’t able to latch naturally until about a week ago. Now she’ll occasionally latch without a shield, but it’s usually only once a day or sometimes not at all, and she’ll try for a maximum of about 2 minutes. She no longer wants to try with the nipple shield and actually puts more effort into latching without it. Our biggest issue right now is my l”

“LO lost ~7% but was on trend to gain birth weight back by day 11. on day 10, found out jaundice is really bad and was admitted for IV& phototherapy. had to supplement with formula to expedite healing. had to pump&bottle feed as docs advised to not take her out of the box even for feeds. was discharged the next day on the assumption that formula will be used and will followup with the ped for bili retest the next day. the doc at the hospital essentially said the cause was due to breastfee”

“Hey friends of Reddit. I'll try to keep this brief. Basically breastfeeding did not work out for us, despite me trying desperately to make it happen. Saw multiple lacation consultants, bought and tried every nursing aid known to man. Between my low supply, extreme breast refusal, a local fire that forced us to evacuate our home, I decided to hang up the pump around 4 months pp. Fast-forward to now, so many people told me the grief would get better after I stopped lactation or when my baby st”

“For those of you who plan to breastfeed and don’t know much about it, this is for you. I wish I had learned this sooner, and I may still be breastfeeding my baby who is 100% formula now. SOME WOMEN DO NOT PRODUCE MUCH WHEN PUMPING, BUT THEY DO WHEN BREASTFEEDING. I always assumed that because I didn’t pump much, the baby must not be getting very much. This is not always true, and NONE of the 4 lactation consultants I dealt with ever told me this. I was even told to stop breastfeeding and focus o”

“For those of you who plan to breastfeed and don’t know much about it, this is for you. I wish I had learned this sooner, and I may still be breastfeeding my baby who is 100% formula now. SOME WOMEN DO NOT PRODUCE MUCH WHEN PUMPING, BUT THEY DO WHEN BREASTFEEDING. I always assumed that because I didn’t pump much, the baby must not be getting very much. This is not always true, and NONE of the 4 lactation consultants I dealt with ever told me this. I was even told to stop breastfeeding and focus o”

“For those of you who plan to breastfeed and don’t know much about it, this is for you. I wish I had learned this sooner, and I may still be breastfeeding my baby who is 100% formula now. SOME WOMEN DO NOT PRODUCE MUCH WHEN PUMPING, BUT THEY DO WHEN BREASTFEEDING. I always assumed that because I didn’t pump much, the baby must not be getting very much. This is not always true, and NONE of the 4 lactation consultants I dealt with ever told me this. I was even told to stop breastfeeding and focus o”

“I have loved breast feeding my son for every minute since he was born. I had no plans of supplementing in any way and felt no matter what challenges arose id overcome them... Well.. I am facing a challenge I fear there is no way around. My little man is 4.5 months old and I found out today I am pregnant again .... at his four month visit he had dropped down a rung on the growth curve but I figured my supply was maybe just taking a dip as it had been a really stressful month. In the last month or”

“Hello everyone! This morning I was able to only pump about 1 ounce. I’m so sad! A couple of weeks ago it used to be 3-4 ounces every morning. I’ve become a bit lazy with pumping/breastfeeding 😥 I‘m 12 weeks PP now. Has any of you had similar experiences and is willing to share their stories / tips with me please? submitted by /u/EntryPretend6133 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice and maybe hear some success stories from other moms who have been in a similar situation. I had a really difficult start with breastfeeding and switched to formula quite quickly when my baby was just 4 days old. For a while, I was also pumping alongside formula feeding, mainly to give my nipples some time to recover. Then my mom came to stay with us for two months and was a huge help with the baby and around the house. During that time, my baby graduall”

“I’m a FTM, I have an almost 4 weeks old baby and so far I have been exclusively breastfeeding him on demand. It was going perfectly, he never stayed hungry afterwards so I didn’t even need to pump at all (I only did once or twice to save some milk for when I can’t nurse him). However, two or three days ago I started noticing that he remained hungry after feeds. He still had 6-8 wet diapers a day but I started giving him pumped milk to make sure he doesn’t stay hungry and that made it obvious tha”

“My supply has been up and down for the whole time since LO arrived. She's going to be 6 months this week. Breastfeeding has been a difficult journey for us. First exclusively pumping, then nipple shields and finally combo feeding. She's been happy with nursing what little milk she gets from me and tops up with a bottle afterwards. I don't believe in having her switching sides over and over to increase supply. The supply was never enough for that and she just got angry and frustrated.”

“I get like 1mL each pumping session (after all daytime feeds). Baby is losing weight. Will my milk come in more? I’m worried about amount I produce. submitted by /u/One_Bodybuilder_3889 [link] [comments]”

“I’m just distraught today. My milk came in at 4 days pp and by one week, I was able to pump about 24 oz a day. My baby has a shallow latch that was really destroying my nipples so I had been mostly pumping until we could meet with a lactation consultant. Unfortunately, my husband/toddler came down with COVID as soon as we were home from the hospital and to protect our newborn, I stayed on my parent’s couch. While I was there, I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to breastfeeding/pumping, but I”

“What signs would I look out for? How can I tell if I exclusively breastfeed if there does become a supply issue? I only made it a few months exclusively pumping with my first due to a low supply. Able to breastfeed my second with what seems a full supply (but she’s been very slow to gain weight and has all 6 months of life) so I just overthink and hyperfocus on supply randomly during my MOTN feeds. submitted by /u/Indecisive105 [link] [comments]”

“I have recently felt increasingly frustrated with breast-feeding these last couple days. I have an eight week old that I recently started to exclusively breast-feed because i was pumping 4-6oz before feeds. I have noticed in the last couple days that she has changed her latch and gets frustrated with breast-feeding, there is a squeak sound when she feeds. Today I gave her a bottle because she was becoming increasingly fussy after feeding for 1 hour. I pump after feeding her and get an average of”

“I recently realized that I wasn’t drinking nearly enough water while breast feeding my 19 month old. This whole time I think I wouldn’t even drink 1 liter a day, my body wouldn’t send me thirst signals, it would only send me “eat everything possible 24/7” signals. I obviously gained a lot of weight while breastfeeding. Since I upped the amount of water I drink(3 liters a day), my ravenous hunger completely went away. So I was wondering if this genetic thing that dictates whether you lose or gain”

“I’ve never had an issue with milk production so far- my baby is 4 months old. However, my breasts have felt lighter and softer. My baby seems to be emptying them more frequently, wants to nurse more often than before. He is still gaining weight and having wet diapers though. How do I know if it’s a dip in supply or simply milk regulation?! submitted by /u/karanicki1126 [link] [comments]”

“I keep finding threads on newborns or <3mo. My baby is 4mo old and my milk supply is down. Long story short— we were removing dairy from the diet, started a formula to supplement because he was went down a percentile. I pumped during those two days but then brought back at the breast exclusively. Since then, I’ve noticed he’s extremely frustrated. I can hand express but it’s like the letdown is slow and short-lived. He pulls the nipple until he pops off constantly. I will supplement with a bo”

“My girl is 4 weeks old and ever since having her, I’ve been a consistent under supplier. In the hospital she had low blood sugar and my milk hadn’t come in yet so we had to supplement with formula as I wasn’t able to express any colostrum before birth. Since we’ve been home I’ve been trying to breastfeed and it feels like I’ve made zero progress on my supply. Everytime I go to nurse, we start on one breast and when she’s done or begins to get frustrated and fussy, we move to the next, but even a”

“The guidance is typically to stop breastfeeding before IVF treatments, however, due to my age we are trying to overlap. Also worth noting that my delivery ended in an emergency hysterectomy so I'm unable to get pregnant :( We're doing a retrieval to see if surrogacy is an option for us. I plan to stop feeding him the milk during treatment, only pumping and using that milk for bath milk. Then hoping, if supply doens't dip too much, to pick up breast feeding after the retrieval. Baby i”

“Hey everyone, I’m a STM to an 8 week old, I’ve been exclusively breast feeding and she has been gaining weight, but it feels like my supply is a lot less than with my first child. I successfully breastfed my first from birth until he was 15 months old. I stopped September 2025 and was pregnant with my second by October 2025. My daughter was born end of July, my milk came in right away but my right breast has always felt pretty empty, my left seems to fill up and there is a noticeable size differ”

Hi! We’re basically still primarily breastfeeding over here - it’ll be a year in a couple of weeks!! I WFH so I RARELY ever pump. We have a wedding on Saturday that…

“I’ve been pumping between 2 and 4am for a couple months. Still hate it, but it no longer feels like punishment. Sharing what changed in case anyone is in the middle of it. Tuesday looked like this: woke at 2:47 already engorged, hunting for the flange I swore I left by my pillow. Phone fell on my face. Partner snored through all of it. Things that actually helped: Everything lives in one tray on the nightstand: pump, flanges, bottles, water, granola bar. No kitchen trips, back to sleep way faste”

“I am 8 weeks pp and have enough supply for my baby. We started with triple feeding and have come a long way with breast feed and pump and bottle. My goal is to exclusively breast feed but I have observed towards the evening my baby doesn't get full with breasts and often needs a bottle or is fussy. I am feeling disheartened that he isn't getting full at the breasts..I do not know why that it.. submitted by /u/One-Expression1706 [link] [comments]”

“I’m hanging it up at 8 months pp. My supply was always super low (~1oz) but I still gave my baby as much as I could for as long as I could. I was sad about it for a while but my supply dropped even more and I’m producing drops compared to what I was pumping before I went back to work. I just want to make this post in case anyone feels guilty about stopping or feels like they can’t decide. This was my difficult journey and I’m proud of all the many ounces I slowly made my baby. My last lactation”

“It's completely my fault. I already had a slight under supply and needed to supplement with formula. I got lazy and used the formula too often and didn't pump or nurse enough and now i have even less. I'm 11 weeks 4 days post partum. If I lock in do I still have a shot at a supply at all? I regret my choices. I was just so tired and kept putting it off a little longer until I realized I was barely nursing and pumping. I feel ashamed I did this to myself and my baby. She is happy and”

“Does anyone know of any chats or ways I can get some milk for my LO? My supply is tanking and I’m trying to make it until 1. I want to find someone more holistic that’s not on any medications. submitted by /u/StrawberryNo6710 [link] [comments]”

“10 weeks pp and I was still constantly engorged from oversupply even though I’d quit pumping almost entirely since about 7 weeks. My LC recommended mint tea to tamp down supply which helped a bit but I was still uncomfortably full 24/7. Then I visit my friend who is also postpartum, and freaking out because her supply is tanking. Turns out she’d been drinking Trader Joe’s Moroccan Mint Green Tea - I promptly took it off her hands, drank a couple cups, and my boobs finally felt soft. Her supply c”

“Hi all! I’m almost 10 months postpartum with my second baby. Breastfeeding has been one of those things that has been a greater mental challenge than physical, and I’m at the point where I am needing to take some things off my plate to feel okay again. So I’ve made the choice to not pump on in-office days when I return to work next week. I’m wondering what to expect in terms of supply dip. I will be nursing morning and evening only for 5/14 days. Monday, Tuesday and every other Friday. I will pu”

“I guess this post could have a few different flairs. I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for- support, advice, relatable anecdotes? My kiddo just turned 17 months and I’ve noticed over the last week or so my supply has basically disappeared. So I guess we’re weaning, but it’s not intentional. I wasn’t quite ready for this, and he still really relies on it so much for comfort at night (we co-sleep). It’s making things disruptive at night. What used to always soothe him is gone, and neither of”

“Hi everyone! I recently started using a SNS. My LC recommended it because my daughter latches well and is so content at the breast, I just don’t produce enough for a full feed. I’m finding it to be far easier than I had originally thought. She has no issues with the tube and I’m really enjoying the extra nursing time we’ve been getting thanks to the SNS. If you use a SNS, what does your schedule look like? Do you use the SNS on both sides or just one, do you still pump after a feed, did it help”

“Any mamas have been diagnosed with PPT, had a dip in milk supply and was able to get it back up on levothyroxine? For context, I already knew I had Hashimoto’s and everything was great throughout pregnancy and after. Skipping to 4mo postpartum, my thyroid has gone hey-wire. My milk dropped significantly. I don’t want to give up on breastfeeding, but want to see if there’s hope for it to come back up as treatment goes on. I’m on day 4 of levo. I wanna hear your stories! submitted by /”

“My baby is EBF and just shy of 12 weeks. For context, my baby had a tongue tie cut twice, I have a fast let down/oversupply, I cut dairy week 3 and we co sleep. I’ve also seen a lactation consultant. He’s had silent reflux since he was 2 weeks which I didn’t recognise, I noticed early on he kept choking in his sleep. Despite the reflux he was still doing long stretches at night then waking up at 4/5/6am but putting himself back to sleep. The last two weeks he wakes up more frequently screaming i”

“i haven’t been the best at eating healthy/snack during the day instead of big meals. i am 11 weeks pp and pumping 4x a day and get 30oz out. baby is eating 28-30oz of pumped breast milk a day but is gaining on slower side. is this my fault/is my milk bad? submitted by /u/Fit-Version-8076 [link] [comments]”

“Hello. I exclusively breast feed and am 7 weeks postpartum. I have a walking pad I got recently and over the pregnancy I've gained 60 pounds of none baby related weight. As in it's the weight on the scale now. Currently I have a good milk supply. Not a lot but not little, just enough for my baby. Previously I've become my weight loss journey further down postpartum (5 months) and have not had issues with it tanking my supply (worked with dietitian). This time around I wanted to start”

“This week has been a roller coaster ride for me. I’m an exclusive breastfeeding mom to a 3 month old baby. I pump at work and then nurse when home. The past month or so, my Baby was experiencing mucus in stool with colic which made me curious if it was related to dairy; hence, this week I cut down all dairy and soy products. I felt that my supply did not change much with dietary changes (not an oversupplier at all). Anyways, just yesterday I woke up with breast pain and fever, chills, the whole”

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

“Hi everyone. I wanted to share my story because I feel extremely sad about having to stop breastfeeding, and I’m looking to connect with anyone who has been in a similar situation. Two months ago, I felt a hard lump in my breast that didn't hurt at all. I’ve had clogged ducts before that I managed to pump through, but this time was different because it just wouldn't go away. After four days, the skin over the lump turned pink, and the area became painful. The next day, I suddenly develop”

“I am due with my second in late February, and really wanting to breastfeed. I had my daughter in 2024 and we had a horrible time breastfeeding I was pumping and getting next to nothing. I couldn’t even make 6oz in a day pumping every 2-3 hours. It was really horrible for me mentally. I’m hoping since I had some complications with my health postpartum (preeclampsia) that my doctor and I will be able to be more proactive in preventing it and that this will all work out. Just wondering if anyone ha”

“Hi all, 6 weeks PP today and breastfeeding has been quite the ride up until now. I had a scheduled section due to a breach baby and was told it could delay my supply, which seems to be the case. I didn't notice any sort of good letdown until about 2 weeks in, and was pumping every attempted feed before that. Up until now we've been combi-feeding. I pretty much had very little supply at the start and he had dropped to a worrying weight from his birth weight, so we had to start with the bo”

“Hi, I'm a STM and breastfeeding has never come easy for me. With my first we had all the troubles (screaming and fighting against latching, tongue tie, SNS, triple feeding, supply issues, nipple shields ...). We did end up successful around 3 months and breastfed for 1 year, but damn ... those 3 month cost me and my mental health suffered a lot. And now my second is 6 weeks old and while it hasn't been as bad with my first, despite all my knowledge and despite my at first great supply, w”

“Hi! I'm pregnant (35w) and I'm worried about breast feeding. And since there are a few issues I'm concerned about, I hope it's okay that tag. I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to do it. My mother couldn't do it for neither my two siblings or me (she smokes a LOT, that can have something to do with it), my sister couldn't do it (reverse nipple, but I have it too)... I hadn't had any calostrum yet, my nipples are friking dry. I know that doesn't mean anythin”

“I have a 2.5 week old. We have been EBF since we left the hospital, but at the day 10 weigh in, he has lost significant amount of weight, and we found out I wasn’t making enough milk for him, and the poor baby has been starving the whole time. Since then, we’ve started supplementing with formula as our main priority is for him to get his weight back. I began pumping when I can to bump up my supply, but I am drowning and I’m not sure when to throw in the towel (even when I don’t want to). I alway”

“I’ve booked an appointment with my doctor in a couple of days but want to know if I am right to be concerned. I’m 6 months postpartum. Lately I’ve been drinking 5+ litres of plain water and still feel thirsty. It’s not making me go to the bathroom more than every hour or 2 and I only wake up once during the night to pee. I’m not in any medications which may cause thirst. I’m not having frequent headaches. I only drink 1 coffee a day and sometimes have a glass of coke with dinner. I do have a big”

“This is more of a rant. I’m currently 7 weeks PP. I’m still ONLY producing 20-30mls total for both breast each feed/pump. I’ve been supplementing with formula. I feel like I just want to give up already. It’s been a very frustrating and disappointing journey. I cant understand why I never supplied enough milk for my LO. I saw 2 LC’s, following up in 2 days, and haven’t seen any changes. I’m very jealous of the women who have been able to EBF. That was my initial goal and it makes me sad that it”