Mothers feel overwhelmed by breastfeeding challenges

“I'm so sick of people asking or checking if I feel guilty about not exclusively breast feeding. I breast feed, pump for bottles and formula feed. Bottles and formula are beautiful creations because they help your baby be fed! Formula is fortified with vitamins, it saves a babies life if breastfeeding isn't working out, these are miracle tools! Without bottle feeding I wouldn't be able to sleep properly and that is dangerous! Let's stop people in their tracks when they try to crea”

“At the risk of sounding very “oh no, my steak is too juicy”, I need some advice! FTM to a 6 week old. I think we’ve been blessed with a champion sleeper. I say I think because since birth I’ve been waking her to feed, mainly in the night, but also in the day. For the first 4 weeks I woke her every 3 hours from beginning of last feed, then 4, now I’ll allow 5.5 max. She’s regained her birthweight (took her a few days longer than usual), is about 70th percentile and now 2lb up from birth. Tonight”

“At the risk of sounding very “oh no, my steak is too juicy”, I need some advice! FTM to a 6 week old. I think we’ve been blessed with a champion sleeper. I say I think because since birth I’ve been waking her to feed, mainly in the night, but also in the day. For the first 4 weeks I woke her every 3 hours from beginning of last feed, then 4, now I’ll allow 5.5 max. She’s regained her birthweight (took her a few days longer than usual), is about 70th percentile and now 2lb up from birth. Tonight”

“It's a piece of advice I receive constantly as I have an under supply I'm trying to increase and am combination feeding by force. Every feed starts with the breast and she takes as much as she can and then I top off with the bottle and when I can I pump after (I can't pump after every feed, I did for a while and went mad, instead I generally do two power pumps a day + one 20 minutes pump). Now at 11 weeks and a tongue tie snip there is some improvement but not a tonne. When my breast”

“My baby is 4 weeks old now and we've had a rough breastfeeding journey so far. We've been combo nursing and topping off with pumped bottles because we had issues with him falling asleep while nursing and not getting full, but now he is a little more alert and I have a new problem. Aside from the first morning feed when I'm very engorged, LO does not seem to be triggering my let downs well. I don't have issues with pumping, but when nursing, baby will only be able to feed on my fi”

“Back in the newborn days when I was struggling with feeding my baby who had a really shallow latch I promised myself that if we had a successful feeding journey I'd come back here and post this for the me's of the future. I scoured the internet and Reddit for stories of women who had successfully breastfed a baby with a shallow latch that they couldn't fix and the few examples I found helped me keep going. Baby had a shallow latch from birth and after a couple of days I was having a”

“Wanted to share my breastfeeding journey to encourage others! My LO was born naturally and in a baby friendly hospital that encouraged immediate skin-to-skin and latching. Baby’s latch was great, but what I wouldn’t find out until later was that they didn’t suckle well. They would latch, suckle four times, and then fall back asleep. They told me “the first night you’ll get some sleep, but the second night will be hard!” But my baby didn’t wake up to feed. They were jaundiced and sleepy and would”

What would it be? submitted by /u/Even_Kaleidoscope399 [link] [comments]

“Baby girl is 15 weeks on Monday and this is my first time breastfeeding successfully as it didn’t happen with my first… but I’m wondering if I can just feed on demand until I want to wean? She’s already sleeping through the night so it’s not like I’m losing sleep, and she seems happy with the schedule she’s making, and she’s happy to wait when we’re out or driving or something else comes up… she’s growing and happy and healthy… do we need a schedule? Is there something I’m missing? EDIT: holy co”

“I have made the difficult and emotional decision to wean my 8.5 month old. It has been a long and difficult breastfeeding journey and my mind and body are spent. I’ve been combo feeding for a while as I had a slight undersupply, but I have recently had to go on steroids for my autoimmune disorder and just found out that I am being evicted at the end of the year. The stress of all of this has caused me to go from producing about 15oz per day in 4 pump sessions to about 8-9oz in 5 sessions. Baby h”

“I have a 3 week old baby girl who I love to bits. Background Information: I originally planned on formula or combi feeding, but really feel bonded to her and see the difference in how calm she is whilst breastfeeding so I have now been exclusively breastfeeding for 2 weeks (the first week was little formula top ups whilst my milk came in) Question: Has anyone experienced a feeling of anxiety or irritability at feeling so relied on at times? I feel equal parts passionate about sticking to EBF and”

“I was search for latching tips in desperation this morning and stumbled across a Reddit comment that included a breakdown of the “thumbs up” latching technique. My baby has been struggling with a shallow latch ever since I had to be rehospitalized with postpartum complications and we were separated. This method worked instantly and now she gets a deep latch every time! If you’re struggling to get a deep latch, give this a try! submitted by /u/VeronicaNOTaHeather [link] [comment”

“My baby has started to smile, laugh, and try talking in the middle of feedings lately, and I don't know what to do. It's adorable and she gets enough to eat eventually, it just takes waayyyyy longer. Doesn't matter if my boob is spraying her in the face, she'll still continue her talking. I've tried putting the nipple back in her mouth while she's cooing, but she doesn't latch back on and sometimes she spits that milk out. Sometimes when I put the boobie away she gets”

“i’d like to thank this community for citing “fed is best” to mothers who are wrestling with feeding issues. i’ve been fortunate to have had a very good experience with breastfeeding from day one, but for the last 2 weeks my 6wo little girl has been FEELING the witching hour and has been getting so frustrated at the breast for no discernible reason. i read through this community and other first time parent subs leading up to delivery, and hearing “fed is best” so often and in relation to so many”

“Hi guys my breast feeding journey so far has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done tbh. From cracked nipples that made me sob during every feed to breast refusal during teething and more. It’s been truly hard and wonderful in many ways. My baby shifted to only needing to nurse 2.5 hours at around 3 months but I was still feeding every hour to 2 hours and it led to over feeding breast refusal and every feed was a fight screaming and crying and only eating if I rocked him in my arms. Eventually I”

“My sweet bean has hit 41 weeks and breastfeeding has been going well. I breastfeed when we're together and pump when she's with her dad or daycare. It hasn't been an issue producing enough milk for her so far, but lately she has been biting my nipple as well as trying to take the nipple off my boob (she apparently has been doing this with the bottle). It hurts...BAD. And I am trying my best not to react. She seems to do this towards the end of feeding when she's done, but could t”

“I am currently breastfeeding and have nearly done so for nearly 6 months. I am wanting to possibly go to the cinema or get my nails or hair done etc. how is this possible? I want to breastfeed 12 months or longer till my baby decides, I was thinking of expressing but I was worried about getting a bottle preference? I’m only planning on being away 1 or 2 hours if possible, but wouldn’t want him to go hungry. Would love advice if anyone’s had time to themselves and breast fed still? submitte”

“this page has really helped me and I am SO proud of my baby and I for overcoming a tongue tie and bad latch and being able switch from exclusively pumping to breastfeeding. I can’t thank you guys enough for the knowledge and support! submitted by /u/Acrobatic_Tone3003 [link] [comments]”

“A month ago I was at my wits end hating exclusively breastfeeding my girl, I couldn’t take it mentally and physically. She’s just turned 9 months old and is now only nursing at night and a couple of comfort feeds and I’m so much happier. By weaning her off me throughout the day I feel like I have more control of my body and I can enjoy the connection of bf with her instead of wishing for the feed to end/ not wanting to be pinched, pulled and bitten. Next step is to wean her off me altogether but”

“I cannot WAIT to be done breastfeeding! Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love nursing my baby. The fact that I’ve been able to nurse her at all and for so long, I am so so grateful. This year has come with a lot of major life changes (career, husbands health, family, etc) and I am feeling very ready to have my body back to myself. To not have to worry about whether I’m producing enough each day, wasted milk, pumping, washing my pumps, and being out touched. I’d love to say that I have such a roc”

“My daughter turned 1 today and it also marked a year of breastfeeding! I’m so proud of my body’s resilience this time around considering how much I struggled with breastfeeding for our oldest. It’s bittersweet because I know the end is coming soon, we’re working on transitioning her off of my breastmilk and I’ve already been working on decreasing my supply. I’m only producing about 20oz per day now and will probably only have her on breastmilk for another 6 months or so. I’m so grateful that I c”

“Could someone please help me understand the purpose of colostrum harvesting and whether it’s actually necessary? I recently attended a breastfeeding class at NMH, and the midwife was really encouraging it, but I felt like she was avoiding questions about it. My main question is: if colostrum is naturally produced and is present in the baby’s first breastfeed, and that’s still considered “liquid gold”, why is it necessary to express it yourself for around three weeks before birth as they will sti”

“Hi everyone! I have been doing a lot of research these past few weeks, trying to find the best way to wean my baby from breastfeeding. I have read other people's experiences, watched endless of videos and talked to other Moms. Last night I tried to make my husband rock our baby to sleep while staying away from them. She was doing great for a while until she started crying. She cried more and more and started to scream at the top of her lungs. I couldn't stand hearing her cry like that, e”

“For context: My baby is an sIUGR , premiee who has small mouth and has only become strong enough to suck well now at 9 weeks after trying from 4th week. I'm tired trying to feed at this point. I had been exclusively pumping up until this point and have not been able to recover well because I've milk flowing in through continuously only after 30 mins of pumping. It takes an hour or two to feed by spoon. Baby can only drink around 50 ml / 1.5 oz of pumped milk in an hour. I'm trying to”

“My second is 4 months old and 90% breastfed. I enjoy the bond it brings but I also have constant brain fog, low level anxiety and just generally don’t feel like myself. With my first this only fully went away when I weaned at 12 months. Is this common? submitted by /u/hipster____doofus [link] [comments]”

“I’m 2 days PP with my first baby via c-section. Prior to giving birth, I kept going back and forth on if I wanted to breastfeed, but always knew I wanted formula as I didn’t want to be the sole reason for his feeding. In recovery, I decided to give breastfeeding a try. He had troubles latching, as he would for about 20 seconds and then release, and he would do that for awhile. I knew it was normal. I didn’t stay consistent with it in the hospital due to recovering, him being ungodly hungry (he w”

“Long time lurker in this sub now 16 weeks PP. i had a tough start to breastfeeding and I remember reading through so many stories that gave me hope to continue my journey. Ended up with a CS and my milk took a 2-3 days to come in. Baby could not really latch initially, and it was so, so painful every time we attempted. It brought me to tears. We were mostly just pumping and bottle feeding. Attempted a latch maybe 1x/day but it hurt so bad and we would both be frustrated and struggling and crying”

“I love breastfeeding in the sense of nourishing and feeding my babies. The bond is really special in the early months and selfishly, I like being the only one to be able to do this for them in the first few months. BUT I’m having some struggles with my second baby. She will not take bottles or pacifiers. Not like “if you leave her long enough-“. We are in feeding therapy with an SLP. Have worked with a LC and the pediatrician. She cannot figure out how to latch onto a bottle and has never been a”

“Baby has been going nuts for months now always kicking and trying to rollover while nursing during the day. It doesn't matter what position I try, there are a couple of feeds where she just can't stop moving so I thought she just gets gassy around afternoon as she is fine during nights and mornings. Well, I started playing with her feet while she does that, like gentle squeezes starting from the feet and going up the legs, like a very gentle message and I am shocked to say that it calms”

“if my baby who would only open his mouth for breastmilk for months despite our best efforts can start suddenly eating full meals, i promise your baby will too. it really does happen on their own time! submitted by /u/bhardy10 [link] [comments]”

“My 9 week old eats like 10-14 times a day and im wondering if that’s normal? Because im the first one in my family to breastfeed and everybody says ‚oh give him forumlar‘, because he eats so ‚often‘. And im kind of frustrated 😩 he’s gaining enough weight and he has 4-5 hour sleeps at night. submitted by /u/Itsjustmyreddituser [link] [comments]”

“EBF mom of a 6 month old. Some days it feels like I can’t do it anymore. It’s so weird, I love breastfeeding her and knowing I am doing so well for her, even with dietary restrictions (soy and milk allergies), but at the same time I just want to sigh and I can’t wait to wean and regain my independence. I want to be able to go to the furthest place of the city and not worry about milk supply and how I have to be back in 2.5 hours. To be able to eat pizza and drink a glass of wine middle of the da”

“How do you control this ravenous hunger that comes with breastfeeding. For me, it doesn’t melt the weight off. Quite the opposite actually! I’ve always eaten intuitively but my internal “I’m full” switch is off and I’d like to start losing some baby weight instead of continuing to gain. Please help! Side note: I’m exclusively breast feeding my 5.5 month old so my supply is established and I don’t notice a dip on days I eat less. submitted by /u/Naive_Poetry1429 [link] [comments”

“For formula it's usually around the clock but when I breastfeed I have no clue and I am often anxious baby is not feeding enough. submitted by /u/Eternal_sun_shines [link] [comments]”

“Hello! LO is about 8 weeks old, and i haven't had the easiest breastfeeding journey (milk came in late, we had to triple feed and just recently went exclusive BF). Lately, LO has been showing hunger cues in the morning after breastfeeding for 20-30 min already (mostly opening mouth in sucking motion) but a lot of the time, I'll try to latch her, she will latch for a minute or two, and then pull off. Not much active sucking. I have quick letdown but only at the start and it feels like she”

“I am a first time mom of a sweet 2 month and 3 week old baby boy. We are on our breastfeeding journey. Of course the first month and a half was rough but we are in our groove now and I’m so grateful. No one in my family breastfed their little ones successfully so i had no one to guide me or empathize. I have been determined and know that many moms can feel a certain sense of accomplishment being able to nourish their children with their body but, One thing I didnt expect in this journey was to f”

“This is half question, half celebration... For context, my little one is 7.5 months old, and we got off to a hellish start with breastfeeding—tons of pain, undiagnosed ties, poor latch and milk transfer, low supply, the works. We triple fed for the first two months (0/10 do not recommend) and then switched to mostly pumping, though I've always nursed at least twice a day just to keep getting some practice in. With a ton of hard work and some random luck, I was able to improve my supply to bo”

“Probably a silly question - I've been focussing on the timing and how many hours I can leave breastmilk out for etc as the guidelines focus more about the hours....but how about if the milk is uncovered? How long can freshly expressed breastmilk be out for in room temperature if it is uncovered/no cap on the bottle/exposed? Are the guidelines all assuming it is covered/capped? I've been collecting my letdowns from the other side and leaving the collector and milk in room temperature but”

“If you’re thinking of throwing in the towel with breastfeeding bc your baby will not stay the HELL awake to nurse… I’m here to tell you it really does get better. If breastfeeding your baby is important to you, keep reading. Sharing my own experience. Baby was not gaining back her birth weight in first two weeks so pediatrician had me triple feeding. I felt so frustrated at her constantly falling asleep and felt so hopeless. Started doing bottles and pumping during the night because it felt like”

“I swear I have been hungry all the time recently lol. I eat something and one hour later I’m already thinking about food again. And with no sleep and taking care of the baby, I just end up eating whatever is easy. I also really thought that breastfeeding was supposed to make the baby weight come off faster but that has not happened for me. Anyone else got this? Did you have an insane appetite while breastfeeding? And did you start losing the weight right away, or was it a slow process? sub”

“I've never really given any thought about breastfeeding until the day of delivery. 1-3 days after delivery while in the hospital, lactation consultant stormed in for 2-3 min, asked me to pinch my nipples and said that I'm able to get good milk. I was breastfeeding the first three days and ended up with bloody and wounded nipples where I couldn't feed without letting out a cry. So the 4th day we visited the pediatrician who suggested switching to formula while my nipples healed. It to”

“My baby is 7 weeks old and is generally strong and healthy. Breastfeeding started off really well but since week 4 we've been increasingly having trouble. Let me start with the good: in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning, he's a dream to feed. He latches beautifully, guzzles away peacefully, burps easily afterwards, and is happy as can be. The bad: the rest of the time, so roughly between 10am and bed time, he's often (but not always) really unhappy about breastf”

“FREE 24/7 BREASTFEEDING HOTLINE—FOR ANYONE, ANYWHERE Full disclosure: I work with this hotline. I’m sharing because many families and healthcare professionals still do not know this free resource exists. You do not need insurance, a referral, or the ability to pay. The service is always free. 📞 CALL: 1-888-588-3423 💬 TEXT: Send BFHOTLINE to 220-201-5477 ALWAYS FREE • OPEN 24/7/365 • NO INSURANCE NEEDED ⭐ MORE THAN 100,000 CALLS ANSWERED SINCE 2020 Please screenshot or save these numbers, never”

“My B/G twins turned 12 weeks today and I am finally able to say that we have been almost entirely exclusively nursing for a week now. I have been triple feeding since they were born. I would go through periods of pumping more, or giving formula more. It was a rollercoaster. I would try my hardest to put them on as much as possible but my nipples were just in so much pain. So I’d have to take breaks and only nurse once a day sometimes. I had a very discouraging lactation consultant appointment wh”

“I just gave birth to my second child three weeks ago. He's a happy healthy baby with no health concerns. He did experience some weight loss the first few days after birth (which is normal and expected), and we were directed to wake him up every 2-3 hours to feed so he could gain weight. We experienced this with our first baby and expected it, even though it makes the nights very hard. Today we had our two week check-up and he had gained all his weight back, plus an additional 8% over birth w”

“We’re about to be 21 months breastfeeding in a few days! Literally could not be more proud. But I’m also starting to feel burn out more and more. I feel bad and like i take it for granted since we’ve had an extremely easy breastfeeding journey. But man, my son is demanding! He’s still primarily BF, which his pediatrician isn’t worried about since he does eat food too. From the get go, i didn’t set a timeline goal because i didn’t want to be disappointed with myself if i didn’t reach it. But now?”

“My Breastfeeding Must Haves ❀ passive milk catchers (cheap works just as well as expensive) ❀ nursing pillow for the first 8 weeks (you can use it as long as you like I found it most helpful in the first 8weeks) ❀ a good hand pump ( i recommend the Tommee Tippee) ❀ nursing pads (Little Ones brand is cheap and good quality) ❀ a good nipple cream (those titties are gonna ache for a while) ❀ a big water bottle (for the first few months I got unbelievably thirsty while feeding) ❀ good snacks (you ma”

“I've been using a nipple shield to breastfeed since day one in the hospital because I was having a hard time getting my baby to latch. The lactation consultant in the hospital said there was no reason to stop using it ever, but my goal was to get my baby to latch directly without it. I find the shield annoying to deal with and I thought it would be easier and better to be able to breastfeed normally. I finally got my baby to latch on directly for the last couple days at almost 3 months old,”

“My little one is 4 weeks old, and the past couple days I've noticed an improvement in her shallow latch. Before it was so painful I could hardly stand putting her on, and she'd constantly unlatched. Now she's actually getting more than just the nipple in her mouth. We had been combo feeding since she was getting barely an oz after nursing both sides and hadn't been gaining. We have an appointment for her weight this Friday and if things are still going well, I'd like to try t”

“I'm curious how breastfeeding journeys tend to compare from one child to the next. Does it get easier because you are more knowledgeable and experienced? Does it depend on the child? A mix of both? My first had jaundice, issues with weight gain, and oral ties so we had to triple feed for weeks and work closely with an IBCLC and OT to improve her ability to transfer milk. Breastfeeding was extremely hard and also very painful for me for the first 4 months. After that it did start getting bett”

“4 months pp with my amazing baby girl 🥰 I'll be fully open- I'm really struggling with eating whilst in a softer body. I technically fit into my old clothes, but I see I'm a lot softer and feel flabby. I find it really difficult to not skip meals, particularly when I'm alone (right now, husband is on a work trip and I haven't had a meal yet and it's 6pm). Logically, I want to in order to produce enough milk. I make ~50 to 70ml per breast each feed, but feel i could make”

“My mom always told me she didn’t breastfeed me because she “didn’t have milk”, my aunt with 5 kids breastfed for 1.5 months maximum for each of them. Frankly knowing nothing when pregnant, I assumed I wouldn’t have milk, I wouldn’t breastfeed much cause no one of my cousin or me was breastfed. I felt like it’s possibly because most people don’t have enough milk and I was sure I was gonna be the same. Once my baby came I was determined to breastfeed as much as I could, since in the meantime I rea”

“Just had my baby 5 days ago, initially I thought everything was fine as she was feeding and sleeping a good amount, diaper counts were good and feeding gave me cramps like no other! But as soon as we leave the hospital I start to realize I'm not actually feeling any let down whatsoever. Baby gives me a lipstick nipple and no matter how many videos I watch to correct it I can't seem too. Baby sucks really hard on her bottles too. I have to pull it away every now and then to let some air b”

“I feel like I’ve accidentally stumbled upon the best trick and I simply need to share. Before getting pregnant I did all the research regarding breastfeeding and I ended up buying the My Breast Friend breastfeeding pillow because it seemed to have overwhelmingly positive reviews. I think I’ve used that thing one time. Idk about y’all but if I can avoid getting out of bed during middle of the night feeds, I will. On one of the first few nights being home with baby, the breast-feeding pillow happe”

“After two months of breastfeeding, my milk supply has been like riding a roller coaster – but finally, I've started to recognize some patterns... The day before, the baby's food looked so firm it seemed about to overflow, but just the next day it had become soft and mushy. The little one kept sucking on the food for a long time without making a sound of swallowing; shortly after finishing, the baby woke up again – I was so anxious that I almost cried on the spot—it really took a toll on”

“My 9 mo baby is sick with a fever. She's been less interested in boob after she learnt to crawl, but now she's back to being a booby monster. I was trying to feed her some porridge but she just wanted boob, so I sat at the dining table and finished my food while I breastfed her. Then I figured it might be nice to move to the couch, but she'd fallen asleep. I managed to move both myself, baby and a full cup of milky, room-temperature coffee to the couch without waking her or spilling”

“Every situation is different so I am not claiming this works for everyone, but I just wanted to spontaneously share some things that are partially helping me in breastfeeding. Perhaps some of you know or are already practicing. If you would like, you can share more tips in the comments. :) SWAP - when baby gets fussy or sleepy it means he/she is spending too much energy, it is too much effort for some reason to get the milk/ so SWAP breast immediately, and then again, and again and again and aga”

“I’m due with my first baby November 2nd and planning to exclusively breastfeed/pump and I’m just wondering if all these expensive lactation cookies and drinks actually do anything? I know eating enough of a balanced diet and being hydrated goes a lot farther than some random lactation cookie but I’m just curious if it’s worth it to stock up on a few before I give birth or if I should just have regular snacks. I’m really worried I won’t make enough milk. submitted by /u/melrose63 [lin”

“Hello! I'm due to give birth to our first in a couple of months and I'm getting a little nervous about how to have the parenting load be somewhat equal while breastfeeding. My understanding is that if you are trying to exclusively breastfeed, baby should not get a bottle for the first month or so to establish your milk supply. Baby will also be feeding every ~2 hours which means for the first month, the breastfeeding parent (me) is almost always "on". I worry that this will lea”