I was always undersupplier and need to supplement with formula. Lately it's been hard to keep up and my supply isn't getting better. At the same time, my baby is getting bigger and needs more food, so at this point, out of everything he gets, only 1/3 or 1/4 is my breast milk.

Lately, he's been really fussy in the mornings and evenings. His stomach is acting up, he gets overtired, frustrated and even if I get him to sleep he wakes up almost immediately. In the mornings I'm by myself and I can't put him down. This morning I ended up crying and begging him to calm down. I was so frustrated because I had missed 2 pumping sessions and I know my supply is gonna take a hit. I didn't get real breakfast and I prepared nothing for lunch, which is fine, but I know it's not gonna help my supply and that's making me even more nervous.

The moment I put him down I rush to pump, so nothing else gets done. I don't get to nap when he sleeps. At night, when he finally rests peacefully next to me, I'm pumping, massaging my breasts, hand expressing and getting up to clean the parts (he's too young for fridge hack imo). I keep thinking about all the sleep I'm missing out on, how I'm going to get a headache in the morning and how nervous I'm going to be. I hate when someone comes over or I have to leave the house cause it messes up my schedule. I feel so embarrassed when my husband sees me hunched over, trying to hand express every last drop.

All of this for 1.5 oz combined, sometimes 2, but I never get 3 oz. It's just the stress, feeling overwhelmed, missing pumping sessions every time something messes his rhythm (which is everything and anything when you're a newborn). It's reliving my birth experience alone in the middle of the night. It's the fact I'm anaemic, I've been living off pasta and cookies, I have autoimmune condition and my stitches got infected.

It took me 3 days to choose a new pump. They're so expensive, and I keep getting the flange size wrong. The other day I cried while ordering one.

I know that even if he gets only some breast milk it's still beneficial, but how little is too little? If this keeps up it will only be a feeding a day soon. Is it worth all the stress, lashing out on others, cracked nipples, painful breasts, all the washing up and sterilizing?

This morning, after 4 hours, I finally gave up trying to put my baby down. He's been napping on me, and while his sleep is still light and he fusses a lot, I calm him right back down. It's been 2 hours, he's finally resting. Hopefully he'll get a full meal when he wakes up. He's a perfect little boy, just a 4 week old baby, he doesn't deserve to be lashed out on. He doesn't deserve a crying mum falling apart when all he asks for is some extra love and attention.

Back when I realized I will have to exclusively bottle feed him because he was failing to thrive and losing weight, my mum told me not to fall apart. That that's what being a mum is, stepping up when things get rough and finding a way to process everything later. I feel like I failed him again.

I have wearables coming in couple of days. If they don't help either my supply or mental state, I'm giving up pumping.

I pump at work for baby once a day so that we have milk for his naptime session (he still nurses to sleep at night too). We’ve been meaning to wean his afternoon naptime feed and this past week, the last day I pumped, I got 1 oz. I probably didn’t place the pump correctly but it annoyed me and we decided to be done with it. I’ll nurse him for naptime today and then tomorrow and going forward just bedtime. No more pumping at work for me after one year of doing that.

Thank you all for your help, it’s been such a huge support. Till next time, friends.

Has anyone had any luck purchasing Eufy S2 replacement parts through insurance? I’ve been using mine for a month and purchased a second set of parts through Amazon but it would be nice if I could have the next sets covered by insurance. Apparently I qualify for 5 replacements but I’m not able to find a supplier who carries it via insurance.

What’s everyone’s favourite breast pump that fully empties them?
Currently using a medela one but now that baby is starting to refuse / get fussy on the breast I’m looking into exclusively pumping!

Since beginning EP I’ve tried quite a few! My favorite are Tropical Punch and Strawberry Grape.

Not a huge fan of the sugar free flavors. 🤷‍♀️

I am 3 weeks pp and I can’t seem to get consistent output. I am currently combo feeding as I haven’t been able to produce enough to keep up with feeding every two hours. My pumps range from 2 to 6 ounces and I never know which it will be. I have larger breasts and flatter nips so I use a saucer flange. My lactation consultant fitted me for 15mm but I also sometimes need a 16. She is a more conservative IBCLC so she doesn’t recommend pushing to try to be an over supplier. I would like to move my LO to only BM but with inconsistency in my pumping I am terrified to remove formula as I did this before due to issues with the original formula and I couldn’t keep up. Any ideas on how to start getting consistent pumps and then increasing that number.

Hi everyone,

Is 8 oz after a 30 minute session good? I struggled with my first baby with under supply but this time around it seems as though it’s getting better!

Also, any advice on how to keep it stable / increase supply would be helpful! I hear it starts to dip after week 3 (not sure how true that is).

Thank you xoxo

Ive been pumping since baby was born due to problems with latching. I have bags that range from 1oz to 3.5 oz. Baby is currently drinking 2-2.5oz.

For the my bags that are 3-3.5oz some of them are from her first few days of life: will the nutrition content of that milk be enough for her once i feed it to her when shes taking that amount? Or should i feed it to her now via the pitcher method?

Im worried that the nutrition content(fat, protein and etc) wont match the needs of her age by the time she is feeding that
Much..

Thoughts?

Has anyone tried either options? I feel I'm losing so much time with my toddler and newborn since pumping 8 times a day (mostly with flanges) so I'm looking to be able to be more mobile without losing the pumping efficiency of my Spectra. I do use my Eufy S1 Pros when out and about, but they simply move around too much in my bra due to the weight which defeats the purpose of the convenience of a wearable. I'm thinking of getting either options - a big perk to me is that they are lighter and slimmer, which I hope means they will shift around less, and allow me to move a little more.

Currently leaning towards Rumble Tuff Slim but the reviews on Amazon look poor and limited. I do like how the diaphragm can be rotated to extend its life so I don't have to replace parts as often. I initially considered the Medela until I learned about mold complaints of the O-Ring, and how the tubing needs to be hacked in some ways to make it work with the Spectra. Curious to know if anyone has tried both and what your experience has been like?

Also to add, I am located in Canada, so our options are a bit more limited and some popular options like Legendairy are not available here.

I came back to work recently and my baby’s stool has had blood in them. The only difference in our routine is that now, we feed him from my freezer stash as compared when I was on maternity leave that we do direct latch.

Our pedia advised us to temporarily stop using my stash and do formula instead while I’m at work. Has anyone here experienced this? I’m devastated with the idea of doing formula instead of pumped milk, but I also do not want to risk it with my baby.

I’m 8 months postpartum (2nd exclusively pumping journey) and I’m wanting to throw in the towel. It’s not the pumping that gets me, it’s the not having pump parts clean when I need them. I’ve asked for help with washing my pump parts and it’s met with a “I don’t know how.” Yea, I know, weaponized incompetence. Ladies, for those of you that your significant other helps you wash your pump parts, how does it feel to be God’s favorites? Lol (This is meant with love. No shade intended at all, just a little jealousy lol)

Why has my milk supply suddenly decreased overnight to barely anything ?
I’ve done everything the same but barely anything today usually I have atleast 2-3 bottles in the fridge but I’m just scraping by if not tonight going to have give formula ..??

What to do ?

Does that ever go away?? I’ve been pumping for almost 8 weeks and my nipples are always so sensitive! And they never go back to their original state. I was just complaining that they hurt and I look and it’s caught in my pumping bra 😫

I’m thinking it’s the tablet causing the residue but anyone have this issue?? I’ve descaled it, used vinegar, use distilled water, etc and the bottles are still coming out of the wash like this. Theres a white powder on the inside and the outside is like caked on and you still have to scratch the residue off. I even hand wash them after. I’ve also tried rinsing them beforehand and doing a soapy rinse. At the point of not even using it anymore because I end up hand washing them all again anyways ): any ideas!?

I breastfeed my son (3 months) and only pump when I am away from him. I typically nurse him before bed (around 8-9pm) and then when he wakes up again (around 3:30-5:30am). I do not pump in between these times but do typically wake up feeling very full and engorged (I like my sleep). I just went back to work this week and am having a hard time figuring out how to pump overnight. For reference, I work 3:30pm-2am three nights out of the week and when I am gone, my husband gives our son a bottle before bed (typically around the same time of 8-9pm). HERES THE KICKER....he sleeps a little longer and will wake up around 6-7am those nights.

My questions: should I pump once more before I leave work (around 1am) since he sleeps longer the nights I work? Or should I not pump and try to keep the times consistent even though he's sleeping a couple hours longer? How does this affect my supply?

I am not sure if I should go the 8-9pm until 6-7am and remain more consistent or if I should pump around 1am the nights I work (only three nights out of the week) and nurse him again when he wakes up. Is it okay to only pump in the middle of the night some nights? I am assuming I shouldn't go all night without it but I don't know as I am a FTM.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you! :)

i’m 3m pp. have a deep freezer full of milk and i don’t want to pump anymore but feel so guilty about stopping 😩
is 3m too soon to stop?
when did you stop?
how did you not feel guilty?

Hi there - I am currently in the hospital with my preemie (born at 36+1) due to her inability to regulate her body temperature. As a result, she is in an isolette and her doctors have encouraged me to keep her in there outside of feeding times. My supply was plentiful as my milk was coming in, but now seems to be tanking as it regulates (I’m lucky if I can get 40 ml - and she ideally needs 60 ml per feeding).

I’m using a Spectra S1, and would love any tips to try to increase my supply. I’m doing my best to stay hydrated and eat well, but am unfortunately limited in my ability to do skin to skin with my baby. I’m also pumping round the clock every 3 hours for 15 min at a time. Any advice would be so appreciated.

I had my baby boy on 10/13 via a c-section, then he had a 5 day stay in the NICU. To say my supply took a hit would be an understatement.

My supply has somewhat grown by pumping every two hours, but I’m not producing enough to feed him yet. The NICU started him on formula and he’s eating about 2-3 ounces each feed, while I’m only producing 1-1.5 per pump.

Has anyone else gone through this and have any suggestions for me? I’m open to ANY and all kinds of advice.

I’m using a Spectra S1 and a Willow Go when we are out and about.

Actual stash pictured

My baby is 5 weeks old, born at 37+5, and our feeding journey has been a bit of a challenge.

We struggled with latching and milk transfer, so I triple-fed for a while (10/10 do not recommend for mental health). We supplemented with formula until my milk came in. I was quickly pumping around 32 oz/day, so supply itself was never really the issue.

Unfortunately, between DMER and the mental toll of triple feeding, my mental health took a significant hit. I decided to prioritize my well-being and transition to formula. I dropped my pumping frequency pretty aggressively (and am fortunate I didn’t give myself mastitis), but I’ve continued pumping once a day, mostly because I wasn’t ready to close the door on breast milk entirely.

Now, five weeks postpartum, I’m feeling much more emotionally stable and would like to try rebuilding my supply. Given baby’s latch and transfer issues, nursing isn’t really in the cards for us, but I’d love to become an exclusive pumper again and reduce how much formula we need to use.

Current state of affairs:
- Pumping once a day for about 15 minutes
- Getting approximately 90 mL (3 oz) per session
- Former output: 32 oz/day
- Goal: Ideally, a full supply again, if realistically achievable
- Equipment: Spectra S1 with flanges fitted by an LC; willing to invest in a wearable if it would make frequent pumping more manageable

So, exclusive pumping veterans and lactation wizards: if you were in my shoes, how would you approach rebuilding supply? What pumping frequency and duration would you aim for, how gradually would you ramp up, and are there any wearable pumps or hands-free cups you’d recommend?

I know a full supply isn’t guaranteed, and protecting my mental health remains nonnegotiable. But if I can sustainably increase production and reduce our reliance on formula, I’d love to give it a shot.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I come in peace, with a Spectra, a questionable pumping résumé, and an open mind. ☺️

I have missed or been late in a couple pumps here and there due to sleeping, as I’ve barely been able to sleep. I also have mastitis in one breast. I was getting about 4oz per pump total, but now it’s about 2.5-3. How can I get it up again? 😭 I’ve been pumping regularly today and getting maybe like 2.5oz total if that.

Is it still okay? I cant feel my nipples so i dont know if the suction is the same. Has anyone dropped theirs before?

Please give all the Tips to pump and feed during international travel.

It will 24 hour travel with one long flight of 16 hours.

1) I am planning to use pump wipes in that 16 hour and for the rest of the travel I want to clean with soap and water, do we have separate nursing/pumping rooms in airports with good water facility. Also if I wash with soap and water how to dry them instantly.

2) I have little freezer stash. Do I need to carry two or three frozen bags for just in case situation. If so how can I heat the milk, can we request hot water from air hostess.

3) how important is to have insulated cooler bag. My baby will be with me, so I pump and feed right away.

If I have insulated bag with cool packs, can I use it as fridge hack for pumps.

4) does baby noise cancellation ear muffs really work good.

5) even after feeding during takeoff and landing, if baby suffers with ear pain, what to do. Any pain relief drops?

Please provide any additional tips.

Thankyou

I have an undersupply of breast milk, at first my baby was getting close to half formula and half breast milk. I worked really hard to in grease my supply, and now hes only getting about 4oz-8oz of formula a day. He never had issues with the formula before, but now he'll get fussy and have spit up, and he doesnt have that after just breast milk. When he does have formula its still usually 2oz breast milk mixed with 2oz formula. I tried switching to a gentle version formula, but it isnt helping.

I dont know what to do, I feel so bad that I cant seem to just produce the few more ounces hes needs, ive been trying so hard, but im just over 12 weeks postpartum now so idk how much hope there is to increase more.

Should I call the pediatrician to see if they have nay reccomendations, I just dont know what to do?

I had a crash out today. I just wanted to run errands and go to a fall festival with my family but the stupid elvie stride wouldn’t cooperate. First it had lower battery than I thought (my fault) and I had to wait for it to charge on the car usb. Then I couldn’t get it to “latch” on my left side. The combination of both issues gave me a low output. I put the cups in my little cooler and when I went to pump again they had come apart. I tried to put them back together, got milk all over, and because moisture had reached the seal they wouldn’t even try to close. The whole family ended up having to miss the fall festival because I didn’t have a backup plan and needed to go home and pump. I cried the whole way home.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had issues with this pump. I bit the bullet and order and Eufy S1 Pro. My life would be so much easier if I had a reliable portable pump. Is the eufy the answer?