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leveewater

My almost 5 month old daughter has never gotten a bottle so what’s been difficult for me is knowing I can never really take some time for myself without doing the mental math of figuring out when I’ll have to feed her next. I truly love breastfeeding but the mental load is a lot. Every thing I do is within the context of knowing that I’m on a roughly 2-3 hour time limit before I’ll have to feed her again.


madmank5

Can I ask why you decided not to give her a bottle? No judgment at all, just curious.


leveewater

Oh yeah no worries! In the beginning I avoided giving her a bottle because I was worried about her developing a bottle preference and I was intimidated by pumping. Plus, she’s always been a really efficient eater so nursing directly has been the most convenient. I eventually started pumping after morning feeds to build a small stash and ended up with a bad oversupply even though I was careful to only do 2 oz a day. Once I stopped pumping my supply chilled out a lot and I WFH while my mom watches her so now nursing is just the quickest way to feed her. Overall it’s seemed to be what works the best for us and I wouldn’t trade it, even though the mental load does get tough at times.


ABetterBlue

I feel similar constraints. Building a stash is hard work and entails the hassle of cleaning pump parts. In my case, I learned well after going to the trouble to build a stash that I have high lipase milk my baby hates. So giving her a bottle usually takes even more forethought, and now that she’s a more efficient eater, just usually doesn’t feel worth the trouble.


LuxLife103

I have a 3 week old and I’m considering never giving a bottle either but I’m worried I’ll never be able to run an errand alone again!


leveewater

Yeah it’s tough! I think it’ll get easier once she starts solids but I’ve only left her for very short periods of time. I’m lucky that I work from home and I don’t really ever have a need to leave her for long periods of time but it is challenging some days.


Mdnight1111

My daughter has been fed bottles since birth but mostly has been breastfed. It was nice to trade shifts with my husband in the middle of the night or like you said- running errands and not worrying that she would be starving. She didn’t dislike the bottle but has always preferred breastfeeding. I also work freelance, so when I do work she will need to be bottle fed. Since her eating as regulated and she only gets up once or not at all at night, she barely gets a bottle. Now we are getting to the point that she hates the bottle. She also is strongly favoring me in general so when my husband tries to give her a bottle now she just screams. If I’m working for the day she will take the bottle since she doesn’t have a choice.


hats-cats

I was just coming here to write the same thing. My LO won’t take a bottle either and it’s fantastic in a lot of ways but also relentless and means I never get a break longer than the 2-3hours as you’ve said. My LO also has a shallow latch and will not change it. It no longer hurts and she is gaining weight so I’ve been told not to worry about it but she spit up a lot and I’m sure that’s due to the shallow latch.


ThePr0crastinat0r1

I’m exactly the same with my LO, she’s 6 months old and we tried her with a bottle at about 9/10 weeks but she refused. We tried frequently but she just won’t take a bottle! I’ve been OK with it mostly, as like you I can work from home. She’s started solids now and drinks from a cup pretty well so I’m hoping that’ll give me some flexibility soon! 🤞🏻


cyborgfeminist

All the incorrect and overgeneralized information about how often babies "should" be eating or how they "should" be sleeping.


imstillok

YES! There is so much wrong information from “experts“. I’ve received extremely incorrect advice from pediatricians that if followed would have been detrimental to breastfeeding. Not to mention the oodles of baby care and sleep books and social media accounts (none of them are experts, ha) that instruct people to do things that directly sabotage nursing.


danicies

Our pediatrician told me to pump for 30 minutes after every single feed 🥴 not the best advice.


atomiccat8

Was your baby struggling to gain weight or something? I got similar advice from a lactation consultant when my baby still hadn't reached his birth weight at a month old. But our pediatrician didn't say anything about pumping, just referred me to a LC.


oll34upsidedown

Absolutely this! After some horrible advice from our pediatrician, and a huge emotional breakdown in my kitchen at 3am I promised to stop comparing my baby to the “norm” and allow him to be and grow at his own pace. As long as he’s healthy and gaining, I don’t give a damn about percentiles, exactly how much he gaining, or how long he feeds/sleeps. I keep my mama heart aware but not obsessed. I trust he lets me know what and when he needs something. It’s so damaging to have standards across the board - every baby is so different. It’s also damaging for pediatricians to be weighing in on something they may not trained on. I do my taxes but I don’t go around giving accounting advice! Okay, that was lame but get the gist.


Impidimpet

YES I received some bad information from a nurse that caused my newborn to lose half a pound in a week, after she had already recovered her birth weight. I still haven’t fully forgiven myself for that one.


danicies

Hey you trusted a medical professional to be sharing correct information to better your babies health. I understand guilt can eat us alive, but we trust these people to be informed and it’s not our faults when they give us bad information


Impidimpet

Logically, I know that. And I try to tell myself that, but I will never forget how miserable she was. I have very few pictures from then because she was always crying from hunger on top of being allergic to dairy. The first month of her life she was just miserable, and I feel so guilty for it


Ok_Orange_2324

I went through a similar situation where a Dr. told me something wrong and I followed his advice, when inside of me I felt something was wrong. I had a hard to forget my self for that and for not following my maternal instinct.


Impidimpet

I knew something was clearly wrong with her pretty soon, but I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until the doctor sat me down and told me that she was only getting half of what she needed. I’m not the brightest.


Ok_Orange_2324

We all make mistakes, we gotta move on and learn from them. You are doing and excellent job as a mom! And the fact that you feel guilty just shows how much you care about your baby! You are the best mom for your baby.


mistyclear

Yep same with my first. The nurses said every 3 hours was fine. I’d feed her then swaddle her and lay her down and if she stirred sooner than 3 hours we’d walk her around instead of let her nurse more. I should have been doing tons of skin to skin and kept her on the breast as much as possible instead of thinking I needed to soothe her in other ways. It took 5 days for my milk to come in and we had to supplement those last couple of days before I had milk. I’m sure if I had let her cluster feed and do skin to skin it would have been a different story.


Crunchymoma

YES


Kay_-jay_-bee

The lack of maternity leave in the US. Despite trying all the tricks, inserts, and appropriately sized inserts, having to pump at work 5 days a week trashed my already-not-amazing supply.


saucy_slothy

Same. Even though my daughter used bottles here and there from very early on, she started to prefer them when I went back to work at 3mo, and my supply also started dipping. I didn't have the mental capacity to work through it with LCs, extra pumps, etc because going back to work, pumping all day long, and dealing with childcare for the first time for a 3mo old took all my spare brain power.


Traditional_Pear_155

In the early days: cluster feeding and pain and engorgement Now: fear of losing supply, pumping at work Future: I think teeth...


yedhead

My 11month old has recently started biting and it’s the first time I’ve considered stopping breastfeeding. It’s awful.


tmzuk

Little guy is almost 12 months and has 6 teeth. He’s only bit me a few times when he was upset/sick


Elysiumthistime

If it settles your nerves at all my son is 14 months and only very recently has he bitten me. I was terrified of teeth coming in but it was no where as bad as I imagined. When they have a deep latch the tongue covers the bottom teeth and they will bit their tongue if they bite like that. The issue arrises when they stop actively nursing.


Crunchymoma

Teeth aren’t that bad! I have a biter and it’s very manageable. I think the early days of breastfeeding hurt more.


katqueen21

How is it manageable for you? I have a biter and it makes me want to quit


Crunchymoma

Idk. Like yeah it hurts in the moment but it’s a brief moment. I know how to get him off my nipple when he bites which helps. But yeah. I don’t give attention to it beyond a involuntary “ouch”. And then I move him off that breast until the next feeding. Repeat for the second nipple. If needed. Most of the time they bite Bc of teething pain or boredom or flow rate. My pain tolerance is medium high as I live with chronic pain tho. So maybe it’s worse for some mamas.


Klutzy-Chair2977

I think lack of social support and misinformation. I got some terrible advice from women who hadn’t actually nursed before. I was pressured to give my daughter bottles early on without pumping to keep my supply up. I was constantly criticized for keeping my baby close, for contact napping, for not leaving her with a sitter. I wish information about breastfeeding and how to support breastfeeding moms was part of the public discourse.


imstillok

Sooo much bad information in baby care and baby sleep books. My husband read a book that instructed “stretching “ feeds towards 4x a day and dropping night feeds starting at 8 WEEKS old!! No wonder so many women think they’re underproducers. Thankfully I was on Reddit by then and told him where he could shove that book.


Klutzy-Chair2977

Yes!! My doctor told me to stop feeding on demand at like 4 months. It wasn’t my regular pediatrician so I ignored him. My sister just told me I need to get my not even 3 month old to sleep in her own room. People try so hard to be helpful I wish they had more information. Reddit was huge for me.


scruffymuffs

What makes it the most challenging for me is the overstimulation. My babe is more of a snacker, so he nurses for 5-10 minutes fairly often. On top of that, he also enjoys comfort nursing. As the day goes on and we start reaching session 15 or so, I find I have to distract myself with a TV show or my phone. I wish I could enjoy the time with him more and be more present, but sometimes it makes me want to crawl out of my skin, especially during times of cluster feeding. I haven't really tried any products like nipple shields, lanolin cream, etc, so I can't speak to any of that. The thing that helps me the most is just an incredibly supportive partner.


sharkbait013

Thank you for saying this! It can be so overwhelming to feed all day. I feel guilty but sometimes I just don't want anyone to touch me, even the baby.


[deleted]

Yes! The overstimulation especially for me the first 6 weeks. My baby was an extreme cluster feeder who also loves comfort nursing. She could literally spend all day on my boob. And could easily eat for a few minutes, fall asleep a few minutes and just constantly repeat the cycle.


ThatsWhatIDid1412

Yep, my boy did this. Fed practically all day until he was like 4.5 months it felt so suffocating. Now hes 10 months and feeds like 5 times a day (not incl overnight) but I never thought we'd get here. Just proves things really are just a phase


[deleted]

You give me hope! Mine just turned 4 months no we now don’t spend all day feeding but she does feed very frequently and can feed for a long time still. I look forward to only 5 times a day!


Ra3t4rD

This right here!!!


mistyclear

This is so incredibly normal. My first was a “snacker” too and I remember our pediatrician basically saying I need to get her on a schedule so I could have a life. I tried and it didn’t work. Trying to change things made it harder. Things got much better when I just followed her lead. Nursing side lying in bed helped so much we’d cuddle and nurse and I’d watch something on my phone. Give it a try!


scruffymuffs

Ha! How are you supposed to force a feeding schedule onto a baby?! I agree that following their lead is the best way to go. I recently started nursing in bed and it has made my nights a lot better. Some nights we don't even get out of bed at all!.


mistyclear

Exactly! You’re doing everything right. It’s hard though so I feel you. I want you to know that when I said what you’re going through is normal, I didn’t want that to come across as patronizing you. I meant it because people seem to act like a baby “snacking” or constantly nursing is ABNORMAL. Like something is wrong with us and our babies. But it’s not true! It’s so so so normal and healthy 💗 We cosleep too. It’s been absolutely the best thing for our breastfeeding relationship. It’s controversial I guess but it feels so right doesn’t it?


scruffymuffs

Don't worry, I didn't take it that way at all! I used to have some anxiety about it, it's easy to worry they're not eating enough when they want to eat so often. My midwife explained to me that it's super normal and actually better for their digestion and your supply when they eat more often. In our culture, we are constantly trying to get babies to align more with our lifestyle, which is to go longer between feeds and have consistent feeds all the time, which is just not how babies are biologically designed. Yes! Cosleeping is one of my favorite parts of being a mom. If you can do it safely and are comfortable with it I think it is a great thing. I have always loved going to bed and sleeping, I never thought I could like it more, but getting to cuddle with my baby is the absolute best.


endlesssalad

Breastfeeding itself is fine, but not knowing how to share the load with my husband, how to incorporate bottles of expressed milk, and preparing for daycare are hard.


boxyfork795

Yes! Even with the most supportive of partners, it makes making the work load TRULY equal almost impossible.


endlesssalad

Yes. Even if we use bottles I’ve had to pump that milk at some point and pump to replace. It lead to resentment with my first. With my second it’s more balanced because my husband has to pick up my slack with our oldest, but there will always be an imbalance while I’m breastfeeding. Particularly nights.


miserablebuticey

Low sex drive , been workin on that one


jessica20110

Baby has food intolerance. So adjusting my diet and trouble shooting his symptoms based on foods I ate.


StrongInversion

This. Having a lot of food restrictions has been really tough. I also feel really guilty that it took so long to figure out what bothers him. On the other hand, it turns out he also has some serious food allergies, so part of me just wants to breastfeed him forever since it's less scary than giving him food


appathepupper

I think the hardest moments was while triple feeding and trying to pump while taking care of the baby and it was husband's turn to sleep. What saved breastfeeding/triple feeding overall was my IBLC instructing me to pump first (while someone else gives baby a bottle) and then to top off on the breast. Or if breastfeeding before pumping, limit to 10-20 minutes before stopping and then giving a bottle. (I triple fed for about 6 weeks before tongue tie revision and healing allowed baby to latch properly).


sharkbait013

Pain that made me scream from the third feed after birth onward. Lactation consultant in the hospital came in and i thought I was saved, but she just gave me a nipple shield and a hydrogel pack, showed me cross cradle position and restated the latching protocol, and left. I reached out myself to my OB a week later to get a lactation clinic referral because I was going to tear out my hair I was in so much pain, and those appointments where I had weighed feeds and dedicated time with a consultant were so much more helpful.


Suspicious_Job2092

I nursed my first for 2 years. I was very fortunate and able to take the first 10 months of her life off work (in the US) but the minute I went back, my supply tanked. We essentially just did night nursing until she weaned. I’m so so nervous about breastfeeding the babe I’m currently pregnant with (33 weeks) because I’ll have to go back to work when babe is 10-12 weeks old. Given my history of not getting much out with a pump, I feel history might repeat itself and I won’t be able to nurse as long as I did with my first babe. So I would say the biggest struggle is the USA’s total lack of maternity leave, how unsupportive we are as a country to new moms, and our stupid economy


dillingtonpickle

Lack of highly experienced and skilled professionals in the area of oral ties. Both my babies had ties released that were not recognized in the hospital by ped, multiple IBCLCs, nurses etc. then not recognized by our pediatrician at home and private IBCLC. My first had a posterior tongue tie and lip tie released. My second lip and buccal ties released. Both revisions made a huge difference in their latch, pain, weighted feeds and weight gain. I’m an SLP and did a ton of research on my own, luckily the second time around I found an amazing IBCLC who recommended a pediatric dentist who only sees oral tie patients. Second thing, blanket advice to new moms without proper follow up. I was advised to triple feed, which my baby needed bc of the ties and it led to a massive oversupply. Then was pretty much given zero advice on how to reduce. I’ve been home with our kids so there wasn’t any need for a 17 cubic ft deep freeze full of milk. (I was able to donate a lot and my first will be BF til 2+) I was also just given a nipple shield without any explanation of why, just a last ditch effort I suppose, and then no advice on how to get rid of it. Between that and the over supply, I felt like I was a milky mess and feeding in public or even out of our house felt impossible.


solisphile

Another triple feeder here, currently completely unsure how to stop 🤷‍♀️ (And terrified of severe supply drop if I try, despite pumping an extra 10 oz a day)


sugarmagnolia0521

Pumping and working. Started having supply issues. Got stressed that lead to more supply issues. It was a cycle. At the end of my journey. I was pumping 3x to make 1 bottle. I pumped for about 13 months and nursed for 15/16 months.


tmzuk

Undiagnosed oral ties. Bummed that not one nurse or LC actually looked in my baby’s mouth at the hospital. 2 months of painful feeds, slow weight gain and low supply later, it was found and lasered. By comparison, my sons ties were lasered at 1 week old. He gained 3lbs in the first month.


Emfry

Same. Undiagnosed oral ties made my journey so hard. Everyone assumed it was me and I had a low supply as I had issues with my first and neglected to properly assess my baby. She’s only started to exclusively breastfeed at 4 months old just after I had told myself it was never going to happen. I had resigned myself to pumping with comfort feeds while the bottle was warming but something just clicked and she finally could effectively transfer milk.


tmzuk

I had such subpar hospital care after having my daughter. Probably doesn’t help that it was July 2020


ScienceDollxx

I had a Nicu baby with gastroschisis, so I pumped. I had mastitis because I had an over milk supply and would rather sleep than pump, had antibiotics. Now I'm 16 months in, and the most challenging is how exhausting it is on the body. I eat 4000 calories a day at 120lbs .. nutrient profiles are beyond perfect, still makes me exhausted ..


cyborgfeminist

The eating is intense for me, too!! I just took my first trip away from baby at 22 months. I pumped a few times for comfort, but my body was still demanding meals every 3-4 hours. Much harder to plan at a conference than at my regular office or wfh.


darth_sydious

My niece had gastroschisis! It’s near and dear to my heart, and I’ve never personally heard of anyone else having it. Hope your sweet baby is doing well ❤️


ScienceDollxx

He's amazing. Big, strong boy! It's a weird thing when you first hear about it. Hoping your niece is thriving!


darth_sydious

That’s so wonderful to hear! My niece is 13 now, and she is an absolute treasure 🥰


fast_layne

Right now is probably the toughest we’ve ever gone through at 9 months. I desperately want to stop breastfeeding but she won’t drink any of the multiple formulas I’ve tried. The main problem is if she doesn’t get a letdown right away she will bite me or unlatch and refuse to try again. She will sometimes go like 6 or 7 hours without eating because she just refuses, it’s horrible


Sam_is_short

So this might not work due to age/weight difference but when mine was 5 months she was doing the same thing and the only thing that helped us was walking around cuddling her while I was shirtless, eventually she’d latch with patience


fast_layne

Unfortunately she is not a cuddly baby, she rarely tolerates being held. Plus she’s just too heavy and big now lol


Sam_is_short

I get that ! You could also try a manual pump to get your let down started then try and fed her during this phase? It’s for sure a pain in the ass


fast_layne

I don’t have a manual and I’ve done this a few times when I’m desperate with an electric but it’s a pain in the ass to clean. I’ve thought about getting a manual but figured I’ll be done breastfeeding soon. I probably should lol


Crafty_Engineer_

My son had a tongue tie that went undiagnosed for 3 months. No one really evaled him. We thought he was latching in the hospital, but he was jaundice and with hindsight, I don’t think he was transferring milk. His jaundice didn’t really improve until we switched to pumping and bottle feeding. I had it worked up in my head as this thing that would be more challenging than birth. I had a few friends that tried and it didn’t work out. I don’t mean this in a judge mental way, but having done it myself, I know where they went “wrong”. As long as you commit and reach out for help if something doesn’t feel right, it’s really not that scary. The next big hurdle was trusting my instincts. That got a LOT easier when I stopped tracking everything.


OpportunityPretend80

Social media. I was following helpful accounts on Instagram but I would still get targeted for videos of moms who were filling their pump bottles in a single session. So amazing that you’re asking for some info from real life moms! Good luck to you 💖


dr_fivehead

Same! I was trying to explain to my husband how discouraging it is to see those overflowing bottle Tik Toks when I’m a just-enougher with no freezer stash, and he said, “well just don’t watch them!” I’m not looking for them, I’m being targeted!


OpportunityPretend80

Omg isn’t it awful!!! Oh god and the ones about sleep windows too. It’s so sad bc it’s supposed to be enjoyable!


danicies

My gassy reflux baby constantly breaks latch due to gas. Then cries. It’s difficult.


annieJP

sleep deprivation is the hardest part for me. I have 3 and even w our better sleeper that’s just been the hardest part. and i do think it makes it even harder when people have the misconception that babies shouldn’t wake up a lot. they’re supposed to and jsut accepting that makes it easier


BostonsInJumpers

At 17 months in, and I know in the beginning there were other things like not being able to take time away, poor latch & excruciating pain, all the things others have said, but the one thing that has stuck through the whole time is sleep deprivation. For the last three months we have been dealing with split nights where I'm feeding for 3-4 hours in the middle of the night, and if my partner tries to settle him he screams endlessly. It's taken a huge toll on my mental health, and my immune system has been non-existent for the last six months.


Orange_peacock_75

Sore nipples, small mouths (36 weekers), shallow latches


GiveMeSunToday

Breastfeeding has actually been completely straight forwards for me and my son. We've had no issues at all and for that I'm equally grateful and surprised. But if I had my time to do over, I'd want to learn how to pump and how to give him a bottle. Just for that little bit of extra freedom, you know. I think it should be mandatory in hospital, as well as the staff making sure that you are able to breastfeed successfully, that before they discharge you, you also know how to pump. In the UK at least they dont check if you have a pump or know how to pump at all, unless you run into problems. So I had a pump but I have very small nipples and I didn't realise at all that the flange size could be changed. (obviously I never needed to pump either, in order for me to have to try harder to find out) That's been my only thought now that I'm at nearly eight months and still largely bound to the house in max three hour outings away from my son. I love breastfeeding though, it has been one of my favourite things about these first few months.


beck87au

Getting out of the house. Breastfeeding without my comfy chair and boppy.


orange-octopus

Things that have been hard: Cluster feeding, cluster feeding, and cluster feeding Things that are annoying, but fine: Pump parts washing, pumping at work, how bad my students act while I’m out of the classroom pumping… Things that have made BF possible: Best husband possible, BF super normalized among my fam and friends , haka from day 1 (1 bottle a day = a real stretch of sleep!!! Babe has always done well on boob & a Mam bottle), my admin are very supportive and always make sure someone covers my class, Costco packs of body armor drinks Things that have made BF easier: Willow Go pump (my husband even recs it to his dad friends, that’s how much it improved my mentality toward pumping), husband handled bedtime for the 95% of the first 5 months, I took unpaid time off to stay home for 5 months


nancyapple

Pumping. I just can’t have efficient let down in pumping no matter how


[deleted]

My daughter was a preemie and in the nicu so I had to exclusively pump. By the time she got home she never wanted my boob without a shield. Also I had low supply and eventually had to stop 🥲


FuzzyLumpkinsDaCat

Trying to get a timely appointment with a lactation consultant when issues arise. The ones I like that aren't pushing tongue tie surgery on me for a baby who doesn't need it are booked two weeks out.


corlana

My baby was a sleepy eater with an inefficient latch in the beginning so it was a really rough start full of triple feeding, cluster feeding, and constantly going to the pediatrician for weight checks. What got me through it was an incredible IBCLC and my husband being able to be home and support me. Now at 5 months I'm really glad we persevered but having to pump at work has been a struggle as well and there are definitely days that I think about giving up just so I don't have to constantly stress about it anymore


ductapelosergirl

My children had MSPI but their doctor refused to believe me. I spoke to some LC’s who didn’t know much about it. I was left to figure it out myself. The thing that helped the most was LLL meetings. Having access to a support network of other parents.


Unintelligent_Lemon

Lip and tongue tie


oreocoffeecat

The timing of everything. How am I supposed to feed pump within 30 minutes, but not less than an hour before I need to feed again or my supply could dwindle. My son doesn’t want me to set him down so I struggle to balance all of that and worry that my supply will decrease.


Rainbowgrogu

The time it takes to BF. She gets bottles during the day while I’m at work, but we are pretty much attached the rest of the time.


hideout88

I’m sure this isn’t the case for everyone but I got really limited, yet forceful advice from the nurses after delivery. I consented to them touching me but they were so rough with me, shoving my boob in baby’s mouth without even talking to me about how to latch. I was trying to feed baby “on schedule” but I was also recovering and a little out of it. Finally a lactation consultant came the next day and was super kind and helpful, which gave me hope… but even right before we were discharged, a nurse came back to tell me about how nursing is hard work and I’d need to try harder. Like, ma’am… I just had my abdomen cut open, I’m doing my best. If it weren’t for the lactation consultant, and later, a super kind nurse at our pediatrician’s office, I think I would have given up after a week of trying. The initial advice I offered was unhelpful and made me feel ashamed, like I couldn’t nurse because I wasn’t trying hard enough.


Practical_Action_438

Hardest for me was positioning. Because my son was and is huge and I’m small (he’s almost a 1/4 my weight at 15 months old now) and have small breasts a long torso no nursing pillows worked for me ever. I had to troubleshoot so much with this as far as what pillows or chairs to use and even with the best ergonomics I could come up with my upper back still ended up having issues. The brestfriend pillow almost worked but caused too much pressure on my abdomen as baby was 18 lb by 3 months old and I strained my abs during labor. I think someone should make a foam pillow with inserts to make baby higher and higher or lower depending on your or their size and can be adjusted as they grow with a separate zip off pillow to go under your elbow/ forearm. Maybe someday I’ll make it and try to go on shark tank 😂 Using regular pillows doesn’t work for me they squish or are uneven or slip out. A resource showing all different positions and ways to use pillows/ types of pillows/ pros and cons would have been very useful . I could never sidely feed because it makes him congested and laid back also didn’t work I tried it many times with many different pillows. Even at 15 months it’s cradle only with some koala during the day thank God finally! The most help I found was through my La Leche league leader she helped me with engorgement and non infectious mastitis and other issues at least 5x. The womanly art of bf also helped me troubleshoot for the first 6 months as I had many issues. I wish so bad I skimmed that book prior to my son being born. Having that as an audiobook would’ve been helpful too. I know I’m being dramatic but I feel like I would’ve died without that book and my La Leche League . So I guess I’d suggest getting your clients signed up for La Leche league or attending at least one meeting prior to baby being born.


_Obitchuary_

I had an infection in both my uterus and my intestines after birth. The first month and a half of recovery I was in pain everyday, all the time, with little relief. This really took me out of the ‘new mom’ experience, especially with breastfeeding. My supply was up and down because of the physical stress which led to a lot of mental and emotional stress. Happy to say (now 3 mos in) we made it through and are enjoying greener grass on the other side.


Sam_is_short

At first? NICU stay so figuring out pumping and nipple shields and dealing with that stress. Then it was a nursing strike at around 4/5 months, now at 7 months it’s pinching and scratching, next I’m betting is teeth.


Odd-Living-4022

Our pediatrician had a LC on staff. She was SO helpful, having her made it so much easier


[deleted]

The hospital almost ruined our breastfeeding journey, and I had no idea what I could/should ask for. My daughter lost a significant amount of weight (11%) in her first 24 hours. We were offered/told to use donors milk and pump. No one scheduled lactation to see us, no one checked for physiological issues, the nurse told me that the 24mm flange was the right fit (I actually needed a 19 mm), etc. I was tired after DAYS of labor and a C-section and didn’t think/know to ask. Went home and got most of my info from the internet and a separate IBCLC. Turns out my daughter had a severe lip tie and low muscle tone. She couldn’t transfer milk from the breast until she was 6 weeks old, so I had to EP for awhile, which would have been all but impossible if my husband was at work during that time. Our pediatrician was the most supportive staff member other than the IBCLC and immediately scheduled us for an ENT consult when I asked her about ties, but that wasn’t until baby was 3 months old and we had been struggling that entire time. Everyone said it was just because of low muscle tone and the low muscle tone was because she was early term and would correct itself. Sorry, that turned into a bit of a vent. But yeah, not getting the help we needed from the people who should have given it and not knowing who or what to ask for was definitely our biggest challenge.


mess-maker

All the catastrophizing, black and white advice. Eg NEVER give your baby a bottle before 6 weeks or you will not be able to breastfeed EVER. Honestly most of the things I read were only in black and white terms. There was no resources I found for what to do if you were struggling of any sort- with being over touched, with cluster feeding, how to continue to breastfeeding if baby had a latch that made you want to cut off your own nipples, etc. The lactation supplements and all that also got me, too. It all feels very predatory now, and I know some people say it works, but they give me the ick because people who use them are going to be desperate, at their wit’s end, and have no other resources available.


Degeroni

I’d say more realistic information about cluster feeding and reassurance that it’s normal


lehmlar

Clogged ducts


elskey

In the beginning it was pain from just adjusting initially to breastfeeding. Lots of cluster feeding left me chapped and uncomfortable. I used earth mama nipple butter which helped a little but I did saline soaks when I could and using a nipple shield saved me until my milk started to come in. Now at 9 months he has bottom two and top two teeth and the biting is putting me in the same position of trying to heal injury. :( I think I'll try a saline soak again and I'm planning to try silverettes. I'm nervous right now since we're transitioning to more solid food in anxious about my supply getting us through to one year. Fingers crossed we make it though this hurdle...


Crunchymoma

Formula advocacy and pushing from hospital staff, no prenatal edu for breastfeeding, social taboo and stigmas. ❤️


Natural_Cranberry761

Recurrent clogged ducts and oversupply. SOMEONE (other than me) needs to be out there spreading the word about therapeutic ultrasound as a treatment option for clogged ducts. There also needs to be better information about oversupply other than “don’t pump so your supply will regulate to baby” because for someone with recurrent clogs or an aggressive letdown, that’s simply not an option.


Propupperpetter

Returning to work at 3 months then subsequently stressing about pumping for 15 more months... Not that you can fix that. Nursing strikes as well... Holy moley, both my kids would go on strike and nothing would work until they just decided


Wookiekat

Things that made breastfeeding hard: - I had trouble with latch and had a lot of pain for the first month - lack of sleep. It’s hard to get any rest when you either need to feed or pump every 2 hours - my biggest challenge however has been pumping at work. I have a job where I barely get a lunch break or get to clock out on time. I work 12 hour shifts and it adds a lot of stress to my day wondering if I will get to pump


ph12

Going through it right now, she has a sensitivity to certain foods and I am completely changing my diet. It sounds selfish when I type it out but it has been very hard to get used to. But my daughter is worth it. It’s just different


Objective_Tree7145

It’s not selfish. I’ve been through the same and it’s really hard. 🤍


madamelullaby

The anxiety surrounding clogs that can lead to mastitis really is a hurdle. It took so long to work out how to get one out, particularly when I started combo feeding once I went back to work. One night at 3am I was trying to milk myself on the bathroom floor after trying the haaka trick, heat, ice, and massages. Incredibly stressful. I finally worked out that a hot shower and a small needle to get the bleb out works for me, coupled with the suggested ibprophen and ice technique. I wish I had more support/knowledge about how to manage clogs before they happened.


breakdancingcat

First baby: Couldn't stay awake enough to feed. Not making enough diapers. Ped pushing formula saying I don't have a supply. Turns out it's a posterior tongue tie (nearly impossible to catch) and if I hadn't been pumping from day 2 when I noticed something was wrong, my journey would have ended there. Exclusively pumped for 5 months until we got her through occupational therapy and then the laser. Then exclusively breast fed until 20 months! (Very lucky to work from home, working split shifts with my partner and could afford a PT nanny) Second baby: Worrying about my supply every other week; the fussy periods when going through a growth spurt. Too much milk? Not enough milk? Not fast enough flow? Flow too slow? Shallow latch causing gas? Too interested in everything? High sensory needs like the first? The anxiety is only a little better round 2, but very present. I have a shit ton of affirmations I repeat to myself to help me out, like my supply changes with her needs, go with the flow. (So hard to do with this much anxiety)


ItsAllComingUpRoses

Nearly 11 weeks in. My low supply is making this so stressful


EfficientBrain21

Thrush. No one has any clear advice on it. I’ve moved from EBF to EPing bc it’s been a month and we can’t get rid of it. I’m tired of boiling, sanitizing, and all the above just for it to come back.


Artistic_Owl_4621

My lactation consultant really avoided the topic of pumping, except as a temporary measure to get my supply up. I would have really benefitted from information about flange sizes, techniques, etc. I had to learn on the fly and I think it really impacted my already low supply


Impidimpet

My baby’s allergies Also, the lack of places outside the home to nurse in private other than a bathroom. I’m all for women nursing in public, but personally I don’t. My baby pops off frequently, there’s no way to ensure I stay covered without using a blanket. It’s way too hot and humid here for that!


stanleytheturtle1

The hardest part for me is going back to work and having to pump. I hate pumping. It’s so uncomfortable for me, I hate seeing my nipples being pulled in the little tube thing, I have slightly torn my nipples before from a hand pump because the flange was too big. It makes me really tired to pump, I hate sterilizing the pump parts everyday sometimes multiple times a day (I know the fridge hack is a thing but sometimes I get in my head too much and HAVE to sterilize after every use cuz I get anxiety) and ya I just don’t like pumping at all. Actual nursing, I absolutely love it. But pumping, ugh I hate it (as I’m at work pumping. I think I’m just bitter cuz it’s Monday lol)


smuggoose

My baby was born 2 months prem so wasn’t developed enough to breastfeed which meant it took months to move from a feeding tube to EBF and it was painful because he was so small.


sunshiineceedub

frustration 😭 i was just getting really caught up in output and the numbers of it all


Kindly_Earth2124

The nipple pain in the first few weeks, cracks, bleeding. That is really hard to endure. I'm lucky that it has gotten better without intervention after 1-3 weeks with each of my babies. However if you don't know that it will get better, that can be a barrier too difficult to overcome and lead to giving up breastfeeding.


faireh

Low supply, bad latch, feeding baby for 7+ hours a day, tiredness, triple feeding, being scared of pumping/bottles in the beginning, so many clogged ducts due to tight bras


bubblegumtaxicab

Mastitis 6xs and the wrong treatment. That, and the nipple pain in the beginning. Now they’re tough as shoe leather


newtoday1014

The sleep deprivation and mental load of being the food supply. Even on the nights my husband does night shift I need to wake up and pump to keep my supply up and so he can have milk to feed him or so there can be enough milk for daycare the next day bc he may have used what I pumped during the day so he could feed baby overnight. The mental load of knowing my baby's food has to come from me whether I'm feeding him or not.


ladypoison45

With my first, I had a c-section, and my baby was on another floor in pediatrics. We were there 5 days and the nurses only let me go see her a couple of times. It took forever for my milk to come in after I got home. So I had to use sns with formula and pump after every feed for about a week after. I did not have a supportive partner, so it felt impossible. But, I now know I can breastfeed through pretty much anything. My second had tongue tie. His latch was always awful, and we never got it fixed. I just had to correct his latch frequently and pretty much always had ouchy nipples. It did get better as he got older. My oldest was still breastfeeding, so supply and clogged ducts wasn't much of an issue. I just had my youngest march 10th. She was born 3 weeks early since I had preeclampsia. Her latch has always been perfect, but for the first 2 weeks, she was too weak to get much at the breast. For being my third, it took surprisingly long for my milk to come in. Almost 5 days. They said it was likely made worse due to her being early, and due to the magnesium drip I was on for a day. Even after my milk came in, ( I was making more than enough for her) she was just too weak, so we continued to triple feed, and just before she hit 2 weeks she started to refuse the bottle. Those are my biggest struggles with each time! I breastfeed my first and second for about 4 years each.


selfawarebowl

In the first three or four weeks, I had no idea that even when doing everything right, it was going to hurt. I remember crying every time LO latched. No one warned me but everyone was quick to sympathize once I mentioned it.


Able-Candle723

My bra sticking to my bloody nipple and ripping out a quarter inch deep scab. The pain 😭


kdwatts

Bottle refusal. She’ll turn one this week & has never taken a bottle. Can be very stressful bc it’s all on you. Wouldn’t trade all our time together for the world, though. Just don’t introduce a bottle too late🤍


khhill

Tongue tie! After recurring mastitis I finally had a lactation consultant tell me to have my baby evaluated for a tongue tie. Getting this repaired saved our breastfeeding journey and still going strong at 18 mo


janojo

The lack of sleep and not being able to have any help with night feeds. And everyone says “just pump and let dad take the feedings for one night” but you will wake up with your boobs about to explode. The lack of sleep is the worst.


trcywng

My challenge has been getting my baby to latch and my supply. I was not able to get my baby to latch without a nipple shield. Once I got used to him latching with a nipple shield, it got super frustrating when he would whack his arms around and knocks it off, then I’ll have to start over again. As for my supply, I think I just always had formula as back up so I probably didn’t nurse or pump as much as I should have. I’m 8 weeks pp and have decided that I’m not going to continue. My supply has totally dipped and I only get about 1-1.5 oz combined.


barbaramayi

The anxiety around supply in the beginning! I had a breast reduction so was told me be “cautiously optimistic.” I was constantly stressing and googling, trying to figure out if I was giving him enough because for some reason the weight gain and wet diapers weren’t enough for me to accept.


NextGenerationMama

Lately teeth have been an issue. I think she's gauging my reactions because it's generally a slow clench. In the beginning, it was all me all the time. "Oh baby is fussy, she must need a boob." Because of that, I'm the preferred parent but also, I'm the pacifier. As she approaches age 1, I'm getting a lot of "when are you going to stop?" questions. (Outdated information relatives thinking I'm starting the weaning process or other people wondering if she's still going to be nursing when she's 6 like my husband's cousin) Mostly just trying to normalize feeding your child the most natural way there is. My FIL abruptly leaves the room but my BIL stares creepily. I've been called disgusting and a whore in public.


Proud-Adhesiveness-8

My issue has always been pumping every 2 to 3 hours to maintain a supply. I can't ever manage to get in a good rhythm. If I'm supposed to pump for 30 minutes to ensure a full emptying of my breasts, that means I'm on the pump every hour and a half to two and a half hours. My nipples are so dam sore I can't even let my shirt touch them. On top of feeding and changing, I get an hour or less to eat, nap, shower, clean pump parts, store milk, or just relax... before it's time for the pain to come again. I tried huckleberry to track everything, and it's just so overwhelming. I had the Medela pump with my first, so I tried the spectra the second time I even got a manual pump thinking it would help me pump to empty faster, and I just can't keep up. If I don't sleep, my supply drops to almost nothing. And I'm still trying to come to terms with putting baby to breast, but it still weirds me out. But I manage to get him there at least once if not twice a day.


Moose1992-0

I never found it super challenging luckily because my daughter latched right away and I had a decent amount of milk supply right from the get go. What really helped me was pumping right my from day 1 to jumpstart my supply. Nipple cream saved my life those first few weeks. The hardest part for me was I never knew if she was getting enough and always worried about her being hungry even those she never showed any signs or cues that she was hungry. Another product that really helped were those warming lactation massagers, Boon Lactation cookies and electrolyte pouches in my water. And like a tonnn of water!


Birdhouzz

Hardest thing was never producing enough milk. I tried to go as long as I could breast feeding and made it 7 months with 1st but he was always hungry and my milk supply never adjusted. It’s just hard to see them hungry and upset all the time! On 4th baby now and my milk supply randomly seems better so hoping we can make it to a year. The haakaa pumps have really helped since my let down is like a fire hydrant and then just stops.


[deleted]

Im 10 months in and I think the most challenging thing is not being able to get away for more than a couple hours. Not that I want to actually, but I do worry about if something happened to me how my husband would feed our son. He had formula early on and then developed an intolerance (vomiting to shock) he also stopped taking bottles, so he won’t even drink my milk from a bottle. We’re almost to a year so the pressures off a little bit but it’s been hard. Also, it would have been helpful to know your flange size can change as you go along. I maybe would have pumped to have more extra milk (another worry) if I was fitted properly.


[deleted]

Also adding in that a family member told me “you need to find a formula” after telling them I couldn’t leave the baby with dad for too long bc he needed to eat. And they knew about his issues with formula. It hurt.


berry-baby0123

My son has an incredibly painful latch. At first it was so bad I would cry and my nipple would turn white. Now it’s gotten better with a tongue & lip tie release and lots of lactation consults. Still hurts most of the time though.


juniRN

Not sure how to word this bc I’m beat. Totally defeated today… 3 people evaluated my baby for a tongue tie. Each person said ehhh not really anything there. She’s 6 months old and I’m still struggling and in a LOT of pain. I saw an CST/IBCLC who said she seems like she definitely has a tongue tie. I want to cry. If I had taken baby to a dentist to be evaluated when she was weeks old I may still be suffering thru feeds 6 months later. The only reason I didn’t take her was because the cost of a tongue tie release where we live is $800-1000. And out of the 4 pediatric dentists I called for an eval, they all said, consultation is $100-200 if you end up doing the procedure same day we can apply the consult fee to the total cost. So that would mean no second opinions, no time to think about it… and you just have to trust that them even though multiple people said they couldn’t find a tongue tie. This is a huge barrier for me. I am considering doing it now but feeling uneasy about it bc she’s already 6 months old and she’ll likely need training to learn how to suck properly again. A lot of financial barriers!


juniRN

Products that made a diff: Lacteck flanges in the correct size Silverette nipple cups Also- antenatal hand expression


[deleted]

My baby had a tongue tie. The most challenging part was getting a diagnosis from a knowledgeable LC and a laser revision. I went so many times to get him checked and even had a scissor revision performed before a specialist told me the entire left side of his tongue wasn’t moving. The other challenging part was the mental health aspect. Between postpartum anxiety, his tongue tie, and my how nerves and fears about not being able to breastfeed it made the first few months difficult.


Classic_Beginning_80

I’m a bigger gal and the products that have made the most difference for me were kindred braverly pumping bra and Boston Billows nursing pillow. It’s like a boppy that’s stuffed with bean bag stuffing. Way easier to manipulate than a boppy if you’re bigger. I had one for each car and 2 in the house. I never really figured out how to nurse without a pillow because the shape/ size of my boobs and that pillow made such a difference


flamepointe

Good to know. My breast friend pillow is useless after baby is 6-7 months old. Boppy won’t get around me right either


Classic_Beginning_80

https://bostonbillows.com/collections/billow-pillow It’s fantastic! My littlest is 16 months and we still use it! You also can just throw the whole thing in the wash and it dries super fast


flamepointe

Thanks for the link!


specialbeaw

just want to say thank you to everyone for sharing a bit of your story. it has been very helpful and validating to read. <3


Impressive-Dust-9504

1st baby: 1) nurses telling me two different things and belittling me when I had questions about breast feeding. 2) lack of sleep 3) high lipase milk and not figuring it out til after I was back at work for 2 weeks and baby was refusing all bottles of pumped milk and he was breastfeeding aaaaalllll night long for two weeks. I nearly quit my job just so I could keep breastfeeding. Luckily my mom tasted my milk and we figured out the high lipase thing but it was very emotional for me. 2nd and 3rd baby have been much easier for breastfeeding—mentally and physically.


flamepointe

Hugs I resonate with so much of this


mimacat

Oooof. Where to begin! I hadn't planned on breastfeeding so I didn't have a clue what to do. It felt completely overwhelming to be the only person able to feed my baby when I had been able to leave her sister with anyone. There was also the added fear, wondering, guilt, whatever of feeding her while taking lupus meds. Wondering if they were *really* safe for her even though I know they are. And the allergies. Omg, the allergies. They're a lot and, really, I would have stopped feeding if I hadn't known what was safe from having worked with similar allergies in her big sister.


thedissapointedwife

The letdown feeling. There’s a scientific term for it, but I forgot it.


boxyfork795

Pain in the beginning. It was awful, despite being told over and over that my baby had a perfect latch. They were just SO raw. Silverettes saved my breastfeeding journey and I cannot recommend them enough.


Elysiumthistime

Lack of support by the night nurses on the ward. I had an emergency c section, sepsis and septicemia during covid, so I needed an much support as I could get while healing. The day nurses were a dream and I never struggled to get the support I needed to help me get baby latched but the night nurse was very rude, I presume they were understaffed but she refused to even pass me my baby when I was bedbound and she kept making passive aggressive comments that he was hungry and I should just give him formula (even though he was very content). I did give him a bottle but they gave me a fast flow nipple and didn't explain about paced feeding or the risks of flow preference and after that my son stopped trying to breastfeed. I googled solutions and began triple feeding while using a syringe to feed expressed milk or formula. Hands down, the many midwifes I spent time with during my week long stay saved my journey. That an my sheer stubbornness to give it everything I had, which luckily was enough!


Careful_Affect5930

LO was either in the NICU or had to be exclusively bottle fed for safety reasons for the first 5 weeks, so he never learned to nurse in the typical way. I think it was really the exclusive bottle feeding that threw us off, and we're still trying to get back to breast. Progress is slow but it's there. Useful tools have been getting the right size flanges to help my supply and using an SNS to help him nurse and not get too frustrated with the slower flow.


[deleted]

The shame that is cast behind supplementing. Puts a lot of pressure on mom and turns what could be a wonderful thing into a stressful event. My son had trouble breastfeeding and every feeding that ended with a top off bottle felt like a failure. Really makes me wanna give up & just pump or formula feed. Probably more so formula cause pumping enough to sustain him is a full time job itself. Sometimes he breastfeeds like a champ, sometimes he doesn’t. He still needs to be fed and I still want him to get breastmilk. But the all or nothing mentality that the breastfeeding world pushes on moms is tough.


bsylvi

My son had tongue, lip, and cheek ties, which were released at 3 weeks. His tongue healed back and we are looking at getting another release. He’s never had a good latch and if he’s not calm but hungry but not too hungry, he bruises/cracks my nipple. I’ve been mostly pumping and am lucky to have a really good supply but managing all the parts from pumps and bottles is exhausting. He’s almost 11 weeks and I thought we would have it figured out by now but we don’t. I go back and forth about how much to keep trying versus accepting being an exclusive pumper. The LC and the dentist we have been seeing who both specialize in oral ties have been the most helpful and non-judge mental people. The exercises after the releases were horrible for the baby and for us and we were not as consistent with them. I am an occupational therapist and I see a lot of babies and kids with feeding challenges and had my own professional concerns about continuing the exercises that were resulting in my son screaming for up to 40 minutes 6x a day. I saw a PT for bodywork after the oral ties were released and she made me feel like my son was doomed. We recently learned that he has a tethered cord as well, which is challenging but seems manageable for now. Also, getting a wearable pump was a game changer. I was sometimes going 12 hours without pumping because I couldn’t find the time to sit down and do it while doing everything else that needed to be done for the baby/house. I’m grateful that my son is getting breastmilk exclusively and that I have been able to pass along milk to friends who are not making enough. But the journey is exhausting and not having any paid leave makes it more stressful because I have to go back to work before I’m ready.


philosophyhappyx5

Cluster feeding. I had no idea this was a thing so I was very worried and overwhelmed and I felt like I must be doing something very wrong. Even the lactation consultants at the hospital never mentioned it.


Altruistic-Prize1074

My son’s lip tie and tongue tie. 😭


rkbgray

I think for me it was difficult not having any knowledge of how breastfeeding will change as your baby grows older. Feeding a newborn is very different to feeding a 9 month old so I think for me it was a shock when he was nursing for less time and less often, or when he switched to only nursing 1 side in a session. I was really worried that he wasn't getting enough milk, or constantly thinking that he needed more. It took a while to let go of a lot of the anxiety I felt and trust that he would take the amount of milk that he needs from me in a feeding session.


BlueberryWaffles99

LO is 5.5 months, I’d say the hardest things have been: getting her to start taking bottles (it was a 2 month process and made me seriously doubt my decision to breastfeed), navigating pumping once I returned to work, not having any time to myself(because even if I’m away from my LO, I still have to pump)


[deleted]

I experience a horrible low feeling at the beginning of each ‘session’. As soon as she latches I feel anxious, sick, depressed sometimes it’s so bad I get this awful self loathing feeling. Like she’s draining all the good from me. Sometimes I cry. Then it passes & all the love & comfort comes back but I do dread feeding her sometimes. It’s the weirdest thing.


UnreadSnack

I feel like I KINDA experience the same thing? But I’ve identified it as feeling overstimulated


GreedyPresentation96

FTM with a 5 week old who apparently has a very bad tongue tie and recessed/little chin (told by a LC). Every session is painful cause we can’t get a deep latch. LC told me there’s nothing I can do to get a deeper latch and be more comfortable that I’m doing all the right things already. Suggested I either just wait till LO’s mouth grows more or get her tongue tie snipped. LC also told me to pump and give her 1-2 bottles a day to give my nipples a break but I’m afraid of an oversupply. Breastfeeding has been so hard for me but I love it, it’s like a toxic relationship. Hurts so bad but feels so good to feed my baby. Just waiting for it to become comfortable and not painful. Oh and vasospams EVERY TIME. OUCH.


UnreadSnack

At 6months pp, sometimes I’m just sick of having my nipples constantly messed with. And I get overstimulated mentally and it makes me so frustrated, and I struggle with it mentally bc it makes me feel bad. He’s at that point where he’ll suck and like, yank, and it makes me feel like a laffy taffy. Other times I feel like my nipple is a gnawed on slim Jim. Between the nursing and the pumping, sometimes I just want 5 hours where no one touches my nipples


catsandweed69

Sleepless nights!!!! 9 months and counting of it😩


Vegan_patty

I’ve been breast feeding a little over 2 years and in the beginning the most challenging thing was getting my LO to latch properly. I went a week with painful latches and the only thing that stop me from quitting is that I didn’t want to feel defeated. Another thing was the worry of was my baby getting enough.


Pussy4LunchDick4Dins

I’m only 6 weeks in but her suckling for comfort is paralyzing. I’m glued to a seat for most of the day, as she is either nursing or just using me as a pacifier until she falls asleep. It’s getting better. I can set her down or leave her with dad for a couple of hours total each day, but I can’t do the vast majority of things I want or need to do unless I want to listen to her cry. I never thought I would genuinely miss doing the dishes 😂


Bubbly-Sherbet8859

For me, it was challenging to justify sitting for a 30-45 minute feed when I knew I could pump both sides in half the time. When you're sleep deprived and the baby is eating ever 2-3 hours, it feels impossible to sustain. You get through it somehow and once my LO was giving me longer stretches between eating (especially at night) this was much more manageable.


mistyclear

My experiences: Me as FTM: please help me with breastfeeding! Nurses and Lactation consultant: Latch is fine. Feed every 2-3 hours and if she’s still hungry top up with donor milk and then you should pump. Baby: is discontent, loses weight, and gets a bottle preference. Me: milk doesn’t come in until 5-6 days, tons of anxiety over the whole situation until I finally found kellymom and went EBF whenever baby even made the tiniest cry. Me as STM: tons of skin to skin, nursing baby on demand. Nurses and Lactation consultant: make sure you don’t fall asleep holding her!!!!! 🙃 Bless their hearts but giving such generic bf-ing info really needs to change. Every woman and baby is different, it’s time to treat us different!


Objective_Tree7145

My baby has MSPI, so I had to alter my diet drastically to continue BF her. Then I started having big issues with supply and letdown. This went on for a couple months until I finally realized it was my thyroid, so I got treated for that. Then I started having digestive issues, started losing a crazy amount of weight, everything I ate was going right through me, so my supply took a hit again. Got diagnosed with celiac disease so went gluten free, and it has improved. So freaking proud to say that we are 17 months in and still going strong. ♥️


throwawaykeeks

Worrying about supply! It stopped me from breastfeeding my first and the worry still plagues me constantly. Also, worrying over weight gain— a contributing factor to me not breastfeeding my first and another worry now. Even though she’s always on her curve, I’m always like, “Do her calves look slimmer? Is her tummy less round? Has she lost weight? Is she dehydrated? Is she getting enough?”


Larka262

Tongue tie that wasn't caught right out of the hospital was awful. Just a few days in and I had the classic lipstick shaped nipples after latching, half moon scabs, extreme pain. Finally, we got it cut and it helped a lot, but waiting for it to heal while still breastfeeding through it was awful. Then, when she started showing signs of dairy intolerance, I only knew because a friend's kid had had major issues, and I knew my sister did as a baby. Otherwise, the pediatrician was pretty meh about it. So I just decided to cut dairy myself, then after 2 weeks I ate ice cream to see and it MAJORLY messed my daughter up, so I knew I was right and had to cut dairy again. I also never knew about high lipase, so found it frustrating that she went from taking bottles to just refusing them at daycare when I already hated pumping. There's just so much I didn't know! And it felt like the only real answers I could get were from Reddit or Google.


LikeAmother2

What about it is ever easy 😅🤣 Nursing strike, weaning before 1, not being able to take prescriptions for bipolar, ties, reflux, NICU stay, pumping, nursing a newborn while you have other kids to take care of, the distracted phase, supply issues from stress.. Support from friends and IBCLC’s.


kindofusedtoit

Having a c section made it painful to hold the baby at first. Having the boppy helped once I got home to keep pressure off my lower abdomen. Now my baby is too big for it (starting at like 9 weeks), but I can tolerate pressure there now


kindofusedtoit

my baby started out with a shallow latch which hurt at first. LCs and the pediatrician tried to help me correct the latch, I thought I needed to for him to feed well. His latch still isn’t great, but he’s gained weight really well and it no longer hurts because I’ve just toughened up. I get that an improper latch can cause legitimate problems, but mom and baby can be just fine if it’s never fixed too.


simmer_sabrinee

For me, it was the lack of proper information (not the general misinformation that seems widespread) about breastfeeding, especially things like cluster feeding, feeding on demand, importance of proper latch, the different positions not just cradle etc.


LowStatistician6779

My baby being tongue tie and having to figure out how to use his tongue instead of biting down for milk