Breastfeeding Mothers Face Pain & Supply Issues

“Our baby is almost two weeks old. About 3 days ago she started taking much less time on each breast (maybe like 5-10 on each one). She appears healthy and is peeing / pooping normal. She feeds every 1-2.5 hours. I have an appointment on Monday but just curious about other parents’ experiences I do occasionally pump so my husband can feed her for a shift at night. I pumped after one of her feeds and there was barely anything in there which makes me think she’s getting enough. But again those seem”

“FTM. My baby is 1.5 weeks away from turning 6 months old. For some odd reason around two weeks ago my supply started going down. At first I didn't think of it much I just upped my water and ate more. Baby started to get fussier and fussier. Slowly he started going on a nursing strike because he was frustrated at my sudden slow let down and latching on pancake soft breasts. Today he is crying every time he latches so I have been giving him my freezer stash after breastfeeding him. His diapers”

“Help! I woke up 4 days ago with a big clog. Did all the things and I finally felt the breast soften 24 hours later with nursing. But nursing was extremely painful. That’s when I noticed the milk bleb at the nipple. 48-72 hours later the first milk bleb resolved and I can no longer see the bleb, but it’s still super painful to latch and it’s really sensitive to touch. I’ve been soaking, washing with soap, taking ibuprofen and lecithin and applying lanolin as well as using the silverettes. We’re o”

“I am 6 months postpartum now and am gradually reducing breastfeeding + pumping at the moment. Once I started dropping a session, I got painful clogged duct and have to pump / latch for relief. I am very prone to getting clogged duct anyway and have been taking lecithin. I desperately need to find a way to wean without me being in so much pain 😭 anyone got any suggestions please? (I would rather not try decongestants) submitted by /u/kellychk [link] [comments]”

“Hi all! I know there’s multiple posts about this but I guess I’m just looking for reassurance/more answers as a FTM. I have been exclusively breastfeeding since birth. My baby is 14w. A few days ago, I allowed myself to get a little dehydrated to the point I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache. Since then, I’ve been super diligent about being very hydrated and fed. I assumed my supply would bounce back. The day after dehydration, baby was super fussy towards the afternoon, almost”

“NEED HELP. My baby is ten days out to being a month old. Since day three she started having fits of screaming and writhing and being in pain after eating and through out the day after with it being worse at night but still happening during the day as well. I’ve taken her to the peds and the er. She was diagnosed with bad reflux and put on Pepcid after turning purple and she stopped breathing because the acid was stuck in her throat. She will thrash and pinch me and do swimming motions with her a”

“I am currently 4 months PP and I noticed since a few days ago, my ability to express milk has drastically decreased. I was an over supplier in early days. I did a combination of breast feeding and pumping since my LO has inefficient milk transfer. Around 12 weeks PP I no longer have an oversupply, but still was able to pump 2-3 ounces every time. Sometimes the volume drops temporarily but I was always able to work it out after increasing pumping for a few days. Not this time. It feels like dryin”

“I am a new Mum to an 8 day old baby. I've been breastfeeding since he was a day old due to labour complications, but my milk came in quick and I thought I was taking to breastfeeding like a duck to water. Unfortunately he has a favourite boob which is the left and he makes real hard work out of the right boob. That right boob has been engorged the last two days, which has been super uncomfortable. I alternate between breasts so thought he was using each one equally (give or take), so I don&#”

“I'm 13w pp and almost exclusively pumping. I had been averaging over 40oz/day up until 11ish weeks, now I'm averaging between 36-39oz/day- nothing changed except around 10 weeks I increased my pump time from 15-20m to 30m. I still pump every 2-3 hours (slowly working closer to every 3 hr in preparation for my return to work) and 1 MOTN pump. This week I noticed my boobs dont look as full as they did before, and I haven't been feeling that "need to pump" feeling every 2 hour”

“Hello! I'm almost 7 weeks postpartum and breastfeeding has been a nightmare. I have seen four different lactation experts and have done all the things and breastfeeding is exceptionally painful, particularly with my left breast. I recently figured out the issue was likely vasospasm. I confirmed with my doctor and am looking for support and stories from women who have experienced this. I have it severely in my left breast, and much less severe in the right. It has made being a new mom absolut”

“This is my second baby and families with enforcement. So far I have tried ‘no more milk tea” to help reduce. Which helped with my first around 6 months. Also tried canoCream didn’t seem to do anything. What has helped engorgement this early !? I wake up in paid bc breast are so full and lumpy. Also taking sunflower lecithin. submitted by /u/lola8999 [link] [comments]”

“I’m 8 weeks PP tomorrow and I want to throw in towel so badly on breastfeeding. Nursing was super painful from the beginning and so I went to exclusively pumping for a few weeks which was pure hell. Around week 5 I finally found a lactation consultant who referred me to an OT for her oral motor dysfunction. (She just flops her tongue all around and doesn’t know what to do with it). I also saw a pediatric dentist who identified a posterior tongue tie (we did not do the laser yet since I want to s”

“Hi mamas, I’m writing this through tears. I am 12 days postpartum from a C-section with my second baby, and my milk supply is barely there. I’m exclusively pumping 8 times a day for 20 minutes with my Spectra, but I only get 5ml to 20ml per session. My sweet boy is fully formula-fed right now. I am using 25mm flange size on both. I can’t even latch him because the LC said my nipples are too big for his mouth right now and we have to wait. To make things harder, I had low supply with my firstborn”

“Ihave a 4 1/2 month old. I have been EBF & stopped pumping about 2 months ago. Pumping and breastfeeding was just way too much together. Has been working out fine, baby has been gaining weight properly, actually a lot more than I expected. About 2/3 weeks ago I went under a lot of stress so did baby just at around the time baby was turning 4 months. And not just minor stress, it’s taking a huge toll on me mentally. I’m a solo mom, the only little support I had I no longer have bc my baby is”

“I’ve been breastfeeding mostly for 3 months now with some pumping and early formula supplementing mixed in. Recently in the past month and a half she had been super fussy breastfeeding and refuses to nurse on my right boob. I’ve tried pumping for a couple days and she seems to take the bottle better with less crying and reflux symptoms. The thing is, I’ve grown to hate pumping, cleaning bottles, keeping milk at the right temp, etc. Do I keep baby happy and give up trying to nurse her and continu”

“I have a fast letdown and my 25 days old baby is coughing up despite being fed in reclining position. I have also tried to hand express before he latches. It is distressing to watch him cough up and gasp. Any suggestions? submitted by /u/Cautious_Jury_9872 [link] [comments]”

“Got a bleb drained this morning and wondering about feeding. I pumped once since and a good amount of blood came out. Is it safe/ok to breastfeed or should I wait? submitted by /u/Plenty-Computer2514 [link] [comments]”

“Hey ladies, currently 11 days PP so I know I’m a while off from my supply regulating. With that being said, right now I have a pretty large oversupply and am having to pump to help with engorgement. It is very nice having her dad give her a bottle once or twice a day, or for me to give her one during the night when I am beat. Of course after giving her a bottle I have to pump. When I pump, usually every 6-8 hours or so, I get 5oz from each breast and then I stop because I don’t want to completel”

“Hello! I’m a recent FTM and have been really struggling with nipple vasospasms. I have read many tips about keeping them warm, etc, but want to add an additional tip that has really helped me: I have pretty much been living in my letdown collection cups. I found that they help prevent the spasms and I think it’s due to the cups keeping anything (bra, cold air, etc) from touching my nipples and it gives them time to recover. It doesn’t work 100%, but enough for me to want to share it with anyone”

“Nearly 7 months postpartum with my second baby, exclusively nursing. I've been having issues with recurrent mastitis and/or clogged ducts. I had my first ever encounter with mastitis on June 12, which resolved after a 10-day Keflex course. Onset was very rapid, with a 103 F fever, hard lump, redness, chills and weakness. A second bout of mastitis hit again on June 28, about a week after finishing the Keflex course. This time I was prescribed a 7-day Bactrim course, which I finished and the m”

“Baby is 18 days old today. He won’t latch. We have been pumping which I hate. When I bring him to the boob he turns red and screams loud. Is it over for us? This isn’t the beautiful breastfeeding journey I imagined and I am heartbroken over it. I can’t let it go no matter how hard I try. submitted by /u/Opening_Pin3829 [link] [comments]”

“Posting this because I'm at a bit of a loss. My LO is 9 months old, and is starting to self-wean a bit, which is causing my supply to do weird things. She basically has dropped her morning feed, and only wants to nurse for short periods now when she is at the breast. All of this, plus her favoring my right breast generally, has caused a clog/inflamed duct on my left side. It started out as tenderness, and then yesterday after pumping, I noticed some thick yellow stuff coming out of one of th”

“Someone tell me I’m not the only one. 😅 Most days I want to give it up but also knowing my baby gets at least one bottle a day of breastmilk has me hanging on by a thread. I wanted to try and make it to 1 year but it’s sound harder and harder because of how defeating and upsetting it is that I’m not able to produce more for him 😭 submitted by /u/Jadeeell [link] [comments]”

“Help I am 19mo postpartum and still regularly nursing my LO. Suddenly one of my breasts is engorged, painful, growing in size… I’ve had my little nursing extra, expressing, massaging… is this normal? Any advice or input? I haven’t had anything like this since idk maybe a couple of months PP. submitted by /u/Reasonable-Cut8707 [link] [comments]”

“Ftm here and I’m so lost when it comes to breastfeeding. My baby is currently just taking boob and I’m producing way more than he’s eating and it’s excruciating painful. After each feed which is usually close to an hour or so of him activity eating I still feel full and he stops eating while I’m stuck with breasts full of milk. I’m terrified of giving him a bottle too early but I can not sleep with the high demand of him eating. Do I start pumping? Will that cause a bigger milk supply? Currently”

“Does anyone else’s baby latch on and start shaking like it’s a dog toy? If so how can I reduce this because it hurts super bad and when I pull her off she starts giggling like she’s playing or something. My boob is in SOOO much pain the past 2 days since she started. Also not sure if it matters but she mostly bottle fed with 1-2 feeds a day until yesterday when she suddenly refused to take the bottle very well and wanted to nurse instead. submitted by /u/Equal-Shock5707 [link]”

“So I’m 2 months pp and every time I pump I have to squeeze my breasts pretty intensely if I want to actually empty myself. If I don’t I get maybe half the output?? My issue is that I have to do it so intensely that my breast tissue (not the nipple) is very sore and feels like a bruise?? My h fingers also feel very sore from this. Does anyone know what the deal is or if there is anything I can do to help this?? submitted by /u/IncomeObjective480 [link] [comments]”

“I’m sadly weaning my daughter at 4 months bc of the toll bf has taken on my mental health - specifically bottle preference and pumping round the clock. I’ve started the process and notice my pumps are yielding super watery milk. I plan to drop our MOTN feeds last because she does the best with those and they are special to me. Is she getting a full feed/nutrients with my milk like this? submitted by /u/kcat627 [link] [comments]”

“I’m 8 weeks postpartum and I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. I really need some advice because I don’t know what to do anymore. From the very beginning I’ve had a severe oversupply and a very forceful letdown/spray. My breasts would get so painfully engorged that I started pumping only for tension relief while still putting my daughter to the breast. The problem is… nothing has improved. My supply hasn’t regulated, and my breasts hurt every single day. My daughter has gradually developed what”

“I’ve already spent so much money on lactation consultants and different products! My baby nurses just fine on one side, but feels like he’s pulling off my nipple on the other side! And of course the side that hurts is the one he prefers as well as the one that makes more milk. 🙄 What other resources can I try?? Low cost or free is preferred. My second lactation consultan suggested body work, but I didn’t like their practitioner. Has anybody had chiropractic help with a painful latch? I’m almost”

“Hi all, turns my 10 week old baby (EBF) has developed a breast aversion! So currently I am following her hunger cues and not pressuring her to get through it The aversion is much worse on the right breast. She usually drinks more relaxed during bedtime feeding on the right, during the day it is quite impossible. On the left she is accepting more, but stops most of the time mid feed and fusses, so she is not even close to full. Has anybody experience with pumping during an aversion period? When d”

“Has anybody else's baby when they went to nurse during the first couple of months the arms pushes the boob away as the face is trying to latch on? apparently during the first couple of months they don't have control of their arms. Happened with both my kids. The arms are being mean. submitted by /u/Sharkmaster04 [link] [comments]”

“I’ve always been an undersupplier and need to supplement 1-2 bottles a day. I got mastitis at 9m pp! Now my supply has dropped even more when I pump at work. Went from 11 oz to around 6 or 7 oz! Is my breastfeeding journey over? It’s been about 1 week since mastitis started. What can I do to bring my supply back up? I’m pumping/feeding as I normally would (but giving extra bottles now). Started antibiotics and ibuprofen, and increased water/calories. I’m not ready for this to end 🥺 submit”

“I just crossed 6 months of EBF. About 2 weeks ago, I found a lump in my armpit, hard, deep, fixed and painless. Tried warm compress, exfoliating, etc. then kinda forgot about it because well, #momlife. I called and left a message with my OBs office, they saw me today and ordered ultrasounds and mammograms. I have to wait almost 2 weeks for these and then time for them to read the images. I’m absolutely freaking out. I need to pump before my mammogram, but will this impact my supply? Is it safe t”

“I exclusively breastfeed my baby and it has been going very well up until the past week when my baby started fussing alot at the breast in the evenings. now she barely swallows all day and last night she woke up hungry for feeds but immediately fell asleep the moment I put at the breast. my breasts used to be quite big and feel full but now theyre back to their normal size and are very soft and feel empty I cant tell when theyve been emptied anymore now she just comfort sucks and falls asleep ea”

“I'm EBF. My baby is 4.5 months old. I always switched sides when breastfeeding but last month I got really sick and without intention I started putting him on one side more because he prefers that side and it was easier for me. Now I'm struggling to put him on the other side he won't latch or feeds just a little then pull out and start crying. I'm pumping that side so it won't hurt. submitted by /u/lazy_fluff99 [link] [comments]”

“My son turned 5 months and now he is very distracted during the day time feeds, constantly popping off the breast, relatching, ripping off my nipple sometimes (don't know how to handle this). He has started to roll over so he is trying to roll back to tummy and gets frustrated with it. He used to sleep for 6 hours stretch at night and will wake up in two hours interval after it. Now he wakes up at night in three hours interval, nurses but goes to sleep only when I feed in side lying position”

“To the wonderful mamas who have breastfed past 12 months, please for the life of me, explain how you have done so. My son turned 1 yesterday 🥹 & I throughout this journey I have pumped while at work and nursed him when home. Over the last month I have basically stopped pumping and just using frozen stash for when he goes to daycare & nursing him before bed. Going forward I don’t want to pump anymore but just keep the bedtime feed but I have noticed a drastic drop in my supply to the poi”

“I’ve been both breastfeeding and pumping since my son was born at 37 weeks because his latch was weak at first. He’s now 6 weeks old, and I’ve been trying to nurse more since pumping and bottle-feeding (especially overnight) is exhausting. I was pumping about 2–2.5 oz per breast each session, which seemed to be just enough for him. A few days ago, I woke up with chills and a hard, swollen breast. I think it was a clogged duct. It’s getting better, but my supply seemed to dip, and we had to suppl”

“My baby is 11 weeks old. Due to some health issues when she was born, she started on formula very quickly. We have been combo feeding but I would like to give her more breast milk. She started daycare last week and we have been sending 3 5oz bottles with her each day. I would like to have at least 1-2 of those be breast milk, but when I pump during the day, I get max of 1-2oz per breast per pump session. Which is the same as it has been since week 3-4 postpartum. Has your breast milk quantity in”

“Basically what the title says. My 3-mo old has reflux and when in pain would only get soothed by me. LO seems cool with dad during normal times too. Used to prefer dad earlier but seems like that has changed. Is this a phase? I’m back to work and this is creating challenges with LO’s care and my mental health, honestly. LO is fully bottle-fed and doesn’t nurse for comfort. I have a supportive partner and would like to share the burden and is trying hard. I’m hoping this is a phase. Pls tell me i”

“Im getting a drop or two after 15 mins of massaging. Currently 37 weeks , is that normal? Will it increase over time? Also can i reuse the syringe or just get a new one for each time i try to express?? Thanks submitted by /u/SoftActuary_209 [link] [comments]”

“We have exclusievely breastfeed/pumped since his birth 8 months ago. Last weekend I was out with my toddler, and my husband gave my baby roughly 70 mL milk (half a feed). I came home, fed him, but he didn't fully empty my breast that day. I didn't pump, as normally, the full feeling goes away with the next feed. This time it didn't, and my right boob started to hurt. The left one is fine. Fast forward 4 days, it still hurts. When I pump I produce roughly 2/3th of the normal amount. B”

“Ive been breast feeding and pumping, im almost 5 months pp, and im barely producing 8 ounces. My son comes away still crying from hunger. Ive tried the milkmaid products with no changes. Shatavari root did nothing. I boosted my sodium content, protein and food content in general. Ive been power pumping to no avail. Flange size on my pump is correct too. Im at a loss, it feels like ive tried everything and im not producing any more. In the beginning I was producing upwards of 26oz a day and now I”

“My baby is 15 weeks old tomorrow. I used to be an over supplier. My baby would often choke with how much milk there was. If he came off, my milk would literally squirt half a meter across the room. I would leak. I think this made him a lazy feeder. About 6 ish weeks ago, I one day randomly woke up and my breasts felt completely deflated. He became so cross at the breast because the milk wasn't coming like before. We've worked through this and after about 3 minutes or so he would trigger”

“Anyone experienced no period this late while breastfeeding a toddler? He doesn’t drink much, mostly early morning feed at 5 and short bursts here and there. He goes to nursery three days a week. When did your period eventually come back? Was it when you weaned? I’d like to try for number two and is approaching 40, I know I should just stop now but weaning is so hsrd. submitted by /u/Physical_Candle5356 [link] [comments]”

“Looking for some advice and a gut check if I'm overreacting here. Ever since my son was 6 months old and breastfeeding, he has always reached out for my wife's neck to hold and scratch. Neither of us thought much about it at first. But the behavior continued past breastfeeding and into his early years where he would sit on her lap and just grab her neck. Constantly, throughout the day and any time he was with her, he would reach out and hold her neck. It was feeling weird and concerning”

“I’m really struggling emotionally and could use some advice and maybe some encouragement from women who’ve been through this. When my son was born, breastfeeding was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. My nipples were cracked and bleeding. Every feed was excruciating, and mentally I was falling apart. Eventually I switched to formula because I just couldn’t cope anymore, and it was honestly such a relief. But after watching my baby get his vaccines, and with him being tired and dr”

“Sooo as the post says. I’m experiencing only my 3rd period pp due to breastfeeding. I’m 19 months pp and this last period was fairly regular (26 days which is normal for me). I got my period yesterday. All day today my perineal scar has been bothering me- it’s sore. It’s really weird. I only had a second degree tear but I struggled with the pain during intercourse until about a year pp. I put diaper rash zinc oxide on it to help and it has a lot. Google says it’s normal due to the hormones which”

“My LO’s interest in nursing overall has seemed to drop. She just turned 6 weeks Monday and I know they go through a transition around that time but I’m like worried it’s a physical issue as there’s a few things that have happened: 1. She’s got a mild tongue tie that I noted at the hospital and was dismissed. 2. She’s got an umbilical hernia that’s gotten bigger 3. Constant spit up and some projectile vomiting leading to us getting an ultrasound tomorrow of her stomach She’ll latch for MAYBE 5 mi”

“First time mom and I’m seven weeks in. Around week five I found a pretty big lump on my left breast. It doesn’t hurt and honestly takes up about a quarter of my breast. I’ve been using the hakaa with Epsom salt and a heating pad and gentle massages, but it’s still here. Honestly, I’ve been pretty lazy since it’s not painful, but I do need to get rid of it. I’ve been taking sunflower lectin 1200 mg 3-4 times a day and it’s obviously it’s not working. Is this a clogged duct or multiple ducts? Or s”

“I’m a FTM to a 9 week old baby girl. We have been exclusively breastfeeding since birth. For the first month I was pumping twice a day to build a freezer stash. I stopped after that month because my partner went back to work and I had a hard time figuring out when I could pump (baby only contact naps). Last week we started trying to introduce a bottle and unfortunately ended up wasting a lot of milk because it took about a week for us to find a bottle she will take. We used the thawed and heated”

“I have these in both armpits but my left side is much larger and painful to the touch. Anyone else ever had these and have a good way to relieve some pain? I’m nursing and pumping my 5 day old…. submitted by /u/NPDorsey13 [link] [comments]”

“LO is 2 months old she has been EBF for 2 weeks now before that I was pumping and bottle feeding breast milk. When taking the bottle she would drink 4-4.5oz and still will get a bottle here in there if my husband wants to feed her etc. For two nights now she has slept for a 6 hour stretch out of no where which is new. I did not expect it to happen as she usually sleeps 4 at the most and I’ll feed her when she wakes. Yesterday I woke up engorged in both breasts because she slept for 6 hours. When”

“I just need a support group for venting and some solutions from mamas. I am 2 months PP and I’ve been underprepared for breastfeeding. Baby was fussy on day 2 with latch so hospital suggested I supplement and pump- which I did with the wrong flange size. 2 weeks later I’m making an ounce of milk a pumping session. But one random day overnight I have an engorgement and I clear it immediately and latch my baby and there was excruciating pain in one area that I could not latch him anymore. I pumped”

“I am just over 2 weeks post partum and am barely making enough to bottle feed - i dont think i will be able to keep up when the next growth spurt happens. I had extremely low colostrum supply immediately post partum, and the hospital started me on triple feeding on day 2. I've been very consistently pumping every 3 hours, but am only able to pump about 14 Oz per day (which is about what my baby consumes in bottles). I also try to breastfeed, but I dont think we are getting good transfer beca”

“I had the perfect breastfeeder - day and night, any environment, no issues - but for the past 3-4 days he's been increasingly difficult to feed. He'll feed okay before bed and during his one night feed, but first thing in the morning he dodges it like the plague. He'll take a bottle, but that takes some convincing too - I've had to offer him the bottle to feed himself, which he finds pretty entertaining. Throughout the day is a battle too. I'm devastated and so defeated, I ab”

“I have a 9 day old. The first few days were a whirlwind of my milk not coming in, supplementing with formula since baby dropped a lot of weight and then once the weight went back up, his bilirubin levels were still. We’re past all that and my milk has come in and I’m only supplementing once a day with formula as my supply slowly increases. Baby has plenty of wet diapers but only poops once a day. He’s very sleepy, has to be woken up for most feeds, though once he’s up he will eat and his wake wi”

“hi all. i’m a ftm who’s EBF my 8 week old. over the past 2 ish days i’ve noticed a significant supply drop while being sick. i have a nasty cold that could also possibly be some sort of upper respiratory infection just based off the cough alone lol (sorry tmi) and ive noticed my supply is just not where it was at allll. i’ve been sick for like 3/4 days now? only been taking tylenol and ibuprofen except for one single time my husband convinced me to take one theraflu tea packet bc i was just down”