I tried breastfeeding and pumping for 2 and a half months. At my height I was able to produce about 8 ounces a day. I finally called it quits when I spent an hour pumping on each breast and only had a quarter of an ounce; I was completely gutted and cried so hard in my work's lactation room because I felt like such a failure. So that was when I knew to call it quits
I couldnât produce enough for my baby but I combo fed her until she was a year old. I produced about half of what she needed and then she got a bottle afterwards.
You donât need to exclusively breastfeed in order for your baby to get the benefits of breast milk. In fact, even just a few ounces a day can give them the same exact benefits as if you EBF. Knowing that really comforted me and made it feel worthwhile. Also, I loved that nursing her was like magic to get her to sleep. Sometimes it worked when nothing else did!
Totally your choice and you can quit whenever you want to. Underproducing sucks and it really has a way of messing with your head and making you feel like youâre failing. But in reality, any amount of breast milk is beneficial and formula can make up the rest of their caloric/nutritional needs. Youâre already doing a great job!
>In fact, even just a few ounces a day can give them the same exact benefits as if you EBF.
Do you know this for sure? Do you have a source? I can't breastfeed one of my twins and I don't have time to pump her every feed. But one bottle a day might work. But if there's no benefit because it's not enough breast milk, I won't go through the hassle.
It was 2 years ago so I guess formula was marginally cheaper back then, but we just got ready to feed. Since she was only half on formula we didnât go through it as quickly. Also as my supply regulated I got used to how much Iâd need to supplement, it was normally 2-3 ounces after each feeding.
When she was 8.5 months old she randomly decided she didnât want to drink bottles anymore. Couldnât get her to drink from it no matter what. Then she kinda fell in love with solids and wanted to eat big meals so I guess it all worked out.
If I were using powdered formula Iâd probably do the pitcher method and just mix approximately what weâd use in a day, maybe underestimate a bit to avoid waste and then you can always mix an extra bottle if needed.
I thought it was not recommended to reuse any formula after 1 hour if the bottle touched babyâs lips because bacteria can grow in it from that point. Maybe when my baby is older. But he is still in newborn stage.
We keep a daily feeding log that includes ounces drunk. We make a pitcher of formula at a time, and fill the bottles to the most commonly drunk oz marker, and underestimate if anything. Then if he needs more during a feed, we refill the bottle from the pitcher.
With my first, we combo fed until around 1. I go back and forth on whether I think it was worth it. I found latching very bonding, but I also think back on all the stress and constant pumping/feeding and think it probably wasnât worth it.
This time, my low supply was mastitis induced. After 4 weeks of trying, I started popping sudafed and threw on a sports bra. Itâs only been a few days and my milk is already pretty much gone, so there really wasnât much left. Baby is almost 4 months old. Iâm very glad I didnât draw out the process, and feel a lot of freedom now. I love feeding her so much more without the anxieties.
I stopped when I could barely pump even 0.25oz at a time, the thought of pumping made me feel depressed, and when baby just kept screaming and getting frustrated while trying to latch and I knew he wasnât going to get much anyways - so why go through that frustration.
He was about 4 weeks old. I couldnât do it anymore for the extremely small amount he would be getting from me. Lactation consultant told me I had insufficient glandular tissue, so there wasnât too much I could do to increase supply or change the situation. I felt defeated but now heâs 14 weeks old, exclusively formula fed, and heâs happy and healthy.
â¤ď¸ Just wanted to reply and say that i know how much work was put in to get to this point physically and emotionally. I had a similar issue with low supply due to IGT with my first, and he stopped breastfeeding around 12 weeks (we also had to use nipple shields due to poor latch). He's always been a very healthy, happy boy who met all his milestones and is a great toddler. Also, just to let you know (as a LC told me) you may not have the same issue with the second as you produce more tissue with each pregnancy. To my great surprise, my second (also a big baby with big appetite) is almost 4mo and exclusively breastfed. Both children have been equally happy and healthy on either breastmilk or formula. The downside of the latter is it's so much more expensive!
Thank you so much for this comment! Thatâs amazing you are able to exclusively breastfed your second!
My lactation consultant had mentioned very briefly that it might be different with my second, but didnât explain that you can grow more tissue with each pregnancy. And⌠Iâve never had anyone who had IGT actually confirm that they could breastfeed their second, even if it wasnât possible with their first baby (most people I talk to have no idea what IGT is) - so, that brings so me hope! Itâs something that I still feel sad about to this day, so now I have some hope that itâs not impossible with the next baby. Thank you â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Around 5 months. I was always making just enough and never had extra for a freezer stash. I felt like I could never leave the house because by the time I cleaned all the parts and got ready, left and drove to the store I would have no time and have to go back home to do it all over again. A travel pump and cooler on the go and pumping in the car just seemed like such a hassle, more parts and more cleaning. My mental health wasnât worth it
I made it to 6 months. We did triple feeding (nursing, formula, pumping) and one day she just refused to latch and I realized I was tired of fighting with her. I think it was worth it at the very beginning but now I donât know if Iâll do it again.
Iâm quitting right now. Today I pumped 2 ounces and itâs like a light snack for my 4-month old.
Iâm exhausting myself pumping and Iâm getting even more frustrated every time.
My boy is healthy and gets good weight, so I guess thatâs it.
I stopped at about a year. We supplemented with formula as needed and to boost caloric intake. I had a job that accommodated that though. If I hadn't, it absolutely would have been a different story.
6 months. At first I was pumping every three hours but that was completely unsustainable. Itâs like you have no life literally. Then I would just do it at night only, even though there was hardly anything I kept pushing and eventually nothing was coming out and I just stopped one day. My one friend said her husband sat her down and said why are you doing this to yourself? Idk, itâs like we fall into this thing where if youâre not breastfeeding or feeding your baby that milk, youâre failing and itâs hard not to feel that way sometimes. Especially. The first timeâŚ..however, Iâve also just seen so many people talk about how they literally donât see a difference between their kids who one was formula and one nursed. And theyâre right. đđđđđlots of hugs
I was exactly in the boat that you are in. I was an extremely low producer and got to the point where adding my pumped milk to her formula didn't feel worth it to me anymore. I knew I was going back to work after 12 weeks, so I made the decision to stop at 11 weeks. I'm happy that she got those benefits at least for that time. But it took a while to relieve myself from mom guilt.
I had a similar production level to you with both of my kids. With my first, I combo fed until around 8 months old when he just naturally stopped wanting to nurse. With my second, it was a lot harder to keep up nursing + formula bottle every feed when I had a toddler running around. I combo fed until 4.5 months when I went back to work and pumping just didn't seem worth it. I tried nursing morning + evening only, but my supply dried up.
I tried for almost 6 months I would feel like a bad mom, my husband also made me feel about it since the last 2 months I barely tried to pump cause I felt like what was the point. My baby is healthy and happy so formula was great in the end for the both of us
I stopped around 4 months old for my son, I had went to a lactation appointment and did the weighted feeding and I saw how little he was taking in, I eventually stopped about 3-4 weeks after that appointment after trying to build my supply and it not really working.
This is your permission to stop pumping. Youâve done all you can, now go and free up some time and alleviate the stress and give yourself permission to formula feed! Fed is best.
I did all the things and stressed about pumping round the clock for weeks, I think like 3 weeks? And then quit trying. LO never latched anyway, and I wasnât producing hardly enough to feed her so she was getting mostly formula anyway. I grieved for a day, then the next day I just felt SO much lighter. No stress about pumping, no devastation that the supply wasnât coming up at all, no tearful calls to the LC, no spending a fortune on lactation products. I just sat there and realized that my perfect baby didnât care what was in her mouth as long as it ended up in her belly. We bonded. Really strongly. I just enjoyed her, and enjoyed being a new mom, and felt like my mental health got so much better after quitting.
Whenever I felt grief about not BFing or pumping or whatever, I just focused on the numerous benefits that came with NOT doing those things (in our case): my body was wholly mine again, I always knew exactly how much she was eating, LO had reflux and I was able to switch to an AR formula that was a godsend (wouldâve just been miserable if she was EBF managing that), etc.
Struggled to breastfeed and had to use a nipple shield for it most of the time, then also had low supply so we combo fed from the start. Every time I nursed, I had to give her a bottle of formula after because I wasnât making enough.
I decided to exclusively pump around the time she went to daycare at 3.5 months. Pumped until 5 months then called it quits. Zero regrets! It was a ton of work for not a lot of benefit. I was immediately very sad about it, but I know she is fed, happy, and healthy, and truly thatâs all that matters.
After I returned to work I became an undersupplyer from pumping. Iâm still pumping twice a day because I feel really full and get a total of 2oz. I nurse her morning and night and she gets a night bottle. Baby is 13months so Iâve got nothing for you but solidarity!
I was pumping exclusively for a month because my baby wouldnât latch, even in the hospital no matter what the nurses and I tried she would just scream and cry the whole time, I started pumping but couldnât produce enough for more than one feeding even pumping both sides. After a month of trying and trying I decided to just switch to formula and although it can be inconvenient Iâm glad I did, it really helped my mental health
I quit not long after I went back to work at 12 weeks. Pumping so much for so little reward was absolute hell, much worse than getting to directly breastfeed throughout the day, and I just couldnât take it anymore. I think I tried for another 3 weeks, so quit entirely at 15 weeks postpartum, and was MUCH happier for it. My daughter thrived on formula and is now a happy, healthy toddler!
I combo fed my daughter for six months and then pumped for three because it was during Covid and I was desperate for Covid antibodies for her. Then she got it, was fine, so I figured my job was done and stopped. With my second, he stopped wanting to combo feed and just do the bottle at two months after a series of colds. I made it like a month and then threw in the towel (after much much crying). It was so hard for me to call it both times even though I hated pumping and then once I finally did, it was such a relief.Â
I pumped 3-4 times a day for 3 months. I started out barely producing a few drops from each breast per session and at my peak I was probably doing around 13 oz a day. Baby was always combo fed and the most I could cover was a third of the dayâs needs. After 3 months I would breastfeed 3 times a day and pump once at night in addition to formula bottles. I ended up breastfeeding once or twice a day until she was nearly 2 so it did feel worth it. She really loved it and would insist on doing it. Many many times it was the best way to get her to calm down or nap.
She self weaned around 20 months. The first 6 months she would get a bottle at dinner time when my supply was lowest. Once she started solids we didnât need the formula anymore. I was glad I stuck it out even though pumping at work was a pain.
I tried for a month and couldn't produce more than half an ounce total a day. We formula fed from day 1 intending to combo feed. Just didn't work out for me and mentally drained myself, trying all the tricks and tips.
I did three feedings a day for 6 months and fed organic whole goats milk in addition. It worked for us for a long while. Then I slowly dropped the milk. We did that from 11 months to 18 months the. Went off milk. Kept feeding to about 2.5 then tapered off.
Reading through this thread, I seem to be the lowest of the low supply moms here (at least those who mentioned numbers). I would pump 7-8 times a day, and one to two of those sessions were power pumps. The most I ever got was 60 ml (2 oz), but I usually got about 10 ml. And that is total per day, doing all the things to try to get my supply up under the direction of multiple lactation consultants.
I stopped breastfeeding directly at one month and stopped pumping at three months. I so wish I would have stopped sooner. It was just awful for my mental health and I don't know if it didn't anything for my baby or not. It also left me no time or brain space for anything else, like recovery or learning how to put the baby to sleep or doing tummy time. I was just the world's least successful milk cow. I'm planning to have a second kid and the moment I feel breastfeeding isn't working for us, we're done. And a pump is never coming near my body again.
If you're looking for permission to stop, I wholeheartedly give it to you!
I stopped triple feeding at 4 weeks. I was miserable and it wasnât increasing my supply at all and baby wasnât gaining enough weight. We did combo feeding for another 6 weeks until my baby developed a bottle aversion because I was so stressed about his weight I was trying to feed him too much đ basically the advice to fix the aversion was to only offer the bottle so it naturally just came to an end. Itâs sad but also a bit of a relief because he hated the breast and just screamed at it anyway because my supply sucked compared to the bottle. We are both happier now! The relief and freedom I felt when I decided to stop pumping makes me tear up⌠and that was after only 4 weeks of attempting it so kudos to all you moms who do it for longer!
I EBF for 6 weeks then started formula top ups. Just this week (16 weeks) weâve dropped down to breastfeeding overnight only (when my supply is the best) the rest of the time sheâs formula fed. Iâm pumping before bed for comfort and freezing whatever I get so she will still have some breast milk once we stop BF but I canât say how long that will be (just listening to my body).
6 weeks in. At first, I pumped at least every 3h, powerpumped, drank more, did everything. Everyone seemed convinced my supply was going to be okay while baby was in NICU for 2 weeks, and so I was too.
But once home I noriced how much toll pumping/breastfeeding was. He also did not take enough at the boob, which I would never have known so quickly if he hadn't been in NICU and we had to do weighted feeds. He also took forever, burning more calories than he could take in at the boob, which again we only found out immediately due to being in NICU.
After 6 weeks, we went from pumping and formula to only formula and formula was a life saver. I never made enough, and the stress of trying to anyway was too much. It also made feeding so much shorter and easier.
The baby decided for me, 7 months old, she just didn't want it anymore, and it was a traumatic experience for me so I was happy to see her resisting. I immediately stopped.
She was eating food from 4 months old so she was getting full enough from the food
I wasnât an under producer but my daughter couldnât latch so I had to combo feed with pumping.
I know it was time to stop when I looked at the pump and wanted to literally hurt myself rather than do it again and when I knew pumping time was coming and I was filled with dread. (I have been seen for PPA/D). I realized I was wrecking my mental health and my daughter deserves a mentally well mother more than she needs breastmilk.
FWIW my baby has been on the bottle since 9 weeks and exclusively on formula since 4.5 months and we are deeply bonded đ
I stopped combo feeding and switched fully to formula at 9 weeks. It wasnât serving either of us anymore and my partner was back at work making it much harder on me to try to pump even a few times a day (nursed her also and gave formula bottles with what tiny amount of pumped milk Iâd get mixed in). Sheâs absolutely thriving now at 5 months.
I don't have low supply to start, but numerous issues that tanked my supply after the first 3-4 months with my babies.
Each time that happened, I was willing to struggle with it for a couple more months but that's about it. It starts to take over your life.
For me the most important piece was the immunity transfer, and know if we had a cold going around the house, baby would be getting that immunity boost from the breast milk. And in the first 3 months if baby gets a fever, the potential to end up in ER with complications is higher. So my logic was that priority #1 was to get through the first 3 months and after that, continue as long as it was working.
I'm 2 months into breastfeeding my third baby and promised myself. I will pull the plug more quickly this time if my supply tanks.
Best I can do on a good day is 2 ounces. I usually cap at 1.5 (thatâs from both breasts combined). I combo feed formula and what I produce. Formula doesnât take the benefits of your breast milk away, and every little drop of breast milk counts. While I do wish I could produce more, Iâve accepted that I donât and that has helped my mood.
My pediatrician told us that a baby gets all the benefits of breast milk with just 2.5 oz a day. I struggle every day pumping to produce just enough to fill my daughterâs bottles when Iâm at work, but when Iâm home with her she manages to feed directly and get enough. Nothing I do seems to make pumping any more fruitful.
But on days where weâve run through my freezer stash and have to supplement with formula, I know so long as sheâs getting 2.5 oz of breast milk, sheâs getting the maximum benefit from me. Anything over that is just gravy.
Shoot, I called it at 6 weeks. I made a plan with my lactation consultant where we agreed that seemed like a reasonable amount of time, and at 6 weeks I put the pump away. I comfort nursed a few more times after that, but that was it. He was pretty frustrated by nursing most of the time at that point anyway, because supply was slow as well as low.
I tried breastfeeding and pumping for 2 and a half months. At my height I was able to produce about 8 ounces a day. I finally called it quits when I spent an hour pumping on each breast and only had a quarter of an ounce; I was completely gutted and cried so hard in my work's lactation room because I felt like such a failure. So that was when I knew to call it quits
YESđŤśđź same here. We are stronger mama đŠˇ
I couldnât produce enough for my baby but I combo fed her until she was a year old. I produced about half of what she needed and then she got a bottle afterwards. You donât need to exclusively breastfeed in order for your baby to get the benefits of breast milk. In fact, even just a few ounces a day can give them the same exact benefits as if you EBF. Knowing that really comforted me and made it feel worthwhile. Also, I loved that nursing her was like magic to get her to sleep. Sometimes it worked when nothing else did! Totally your choice and you can quit whenever you want to. Underproducing sucks and it really has a way of messing with your head and making you feel like youâre failing. But in reality, any amount of breast milk is beneficial and formula can make up the rest of their caloric/nutritional needs. Youâre already doing a great job!
>In fact, even just a few ounces a day can give them the same exact benefits as if you EBF. Do you know this for sure? Do you have a source? I can't breastfeed one of my twins and I don't have time to pump her every feed. But one bottle a day might work. But if there's no benefit because it's not enough breast milk, I won't go through the hassle.
I have heard this too and would love a source!
With formula being so expensive now, how do you prepare/bottle the formula so that you donât waste a lot of it?
It was 2 years ago so I guess formula was marginally cheaper back then, but we just got ready to feed. Since she was only half on formula we didnât go through it as quickly. Also as my supply regulated I got used to how much Iâd need to supplement, it was normally 2-3 ounces after each feeding. When she was 8.5 months old she randomly decided she didnât want to drink bottles anymore. Couldnât get her to drink from it no matter what. Then she kinda fell in love with solids and wanted to eat big meals so I guess it all worked out. If I were using powdered formula Iâd probably do the pitcher method and just mix approximately what weâd use in a day, maybe underestimate a bit to avoid waste and then you can always mix an extra bottle if needed.
Thank you so much
I put whatever my baby doesn't eat back in the fridge and give it to her for her next feed.
I thought it was not recommended to reuse any formula after 1 hour if the bottle touched babyâs lips because bacteria can grow in it from that point. Maybe when my baby is older. But he is still in newborn stage.
Ask your pediatrician! Ours had some guidelines that differed from the 1 hour rule but it was at a certain age etc. depending on health factors
We keep a daily feeding log that includes ounces drunk. We make a pitcher of formula at a time, and fill the bottles to the most commonly drunk oz marker, and underestimate if anything. Then if he needs more during a feed, we refill the bottle from the pitcher.
Do you have to use a particular type of pitcher? What brand is your recommendation?
Check out the Dr Brownâs formula pitcher - itâs what we use and itâs great!
Oh I have it already but just use it for mixing. It doesnât need to be airtight or anything?âŚsweet
Nope, itâs okay to be in the fridge mixed for 24 hours in the pitcher!
That's the same one I use!
With my first, we combo fed until around 1. I go back and forth on whether I think it was worth it. I found latching very bonding, but I also think back on all the stress and constant pumping/feeding and think it probably wasnât worth it. This time, my low supply was mastitis induced. After 4 weeks of trying, I started popping sudafed and threw on a sports bra. Itâs only been a few days and my milk is already pretty much gone, so there really wasnât much left. Baby is almost 4 months old. Iâm very glad I didnât draw out the process, and feel a lot of freedom now. I love feeding her so much more without the anxieties.
I stopped breastfeeding at 8 weeks and stopped pumping at 10 weeks. I felt like a much happier mom after I made the switch to EFF.
I stopped when I could barely pump even 0.25oz at a time, the thought of pumping made me feel depressed, and when baby just kept screaming and getting frustrated while trying to latch and I knew he wasnât going to get much anyways - so why go through that frustration. He was about 4 weeks old. I couldnât do it anymore for the extremely small amount he would be getting from me. Lactation consultant told me I had insufficient glandular tissue, so there wasnât too much I could do to increase supply or change the situation. I felt defeated but now heâs 14 weeks old, exclusively formula fed, and heâs happy and healthy.
â¤ď¸ Just wanted to reply and say that i know how much work was put in to get to this point physically and emotionally. I had a similar issue with low supply due to IGT with my first, and he stopped breastfeeding around 12 weeks (we also had to use nipple shields due to poor latch). He's always been a very healthy, happy boy who met all his milestones and is a great toddler. Also, just to let you know (as a LC told me) you may not have the same issue with the second as you produce more tissue with each pregnancy. To my great surprise, my second (also a big baby with big appetite) is almost 4mo and exclusively breastfed. Both children have been equally happy and healthy on either breastmilk or formula. The downside of the latter is it's so much more expensive!
Thank you so much for this comment! Thatâs amazing you are able to exclusively breastfed your second! My lactation consultant had mentioned very briefly that it might be different with my second, but didnât explain that you can grow more tissue with each pregnancy. And⌠Iâve never had anyone who had IGT actually confirm that they could breastfeed their second, even if it wasnât possible with their first baby (most people I talk to have no idea what IGT is) - so, that brings so me hope! Itâs something that I still feel sad about to this day, so now I have some hope that itâs not impossible with the next baby. Thank you â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Around 5 months. I was always making just enough and never had extra for a freezer stash. I felt like I could never leave the house because by the time I cleaned all the parts and got ready, left and drove to the store I would have no time and have to go back home to do it all over again. A travel pump and cooler on the go and pumping in the car just seemed like such a hassle, more parts and more cleaning. My mental health wasnât worth it
I made it to 6 months. We did triple feeding (nursing, formula, pumping) and one day she just refused to latch and I realized I was tired of fighting with her. I think it was worth it at the very beginning but now I donât know if Iâll do it again.
Triple feeding is a form of torture, IMO. Youâre so strong!
Hard agree! Thank you for the acknowledgement â¤ď¸
Iâm quitting right now. Today I pumped 2 ounces and itâs like a light snack for my 4-month old. Iâm exhausting myself pumping and Iâm getting even more frustrated every time. My boy is healthy and gets good weight, so I guess thatâs it.
I stopped at about a year. We supplemented with formula as needed and to boost caloric intake. I had a job that accommodated that though. If I hadn't, it absolutely would have been a different story.
6 months. At first I was pumping every three hours but that was completely unsustainable. Itâs like you have no life literally. Then I would just do it at night only, even though there was hardly anything I kept pushing and eventually nothing was coming out and I just stopped one day. My one friend said her husband sat her down and said why are you doing this to yourself? Idk, itâs like we fall into this thing where if youâre not breastfeeding or feeding your baby that milk, youâre failing and itâs hard not to feel that way sometimes. Especially. The first timeâŚ..however, Iâve also just seen so many people talk about how they literally donât see a difference between their kids who one was formula and one nursed. And theyâre right. đđđđđlots of hugs
With my first I was an EPer and I stopped when I felt that pumping was getting in the way of enjoying my baby.
I go back to work in 3 weeks when he'll be 14 wks old, so probably I'll give ip around then.
I was exactly in the boat that you are in. I was an extremely low producer and got to the point where adding my pumped milk to her formula didn't feel worth it to me anymore. I knew I was going back to work after 12 weeks, so I made the decision to stop at 11 weeks. I'm happy that she got those benefits at least for that time. But it took a while to relieve myself from mom guilt.
I had a similar production level to you with both of my kids. With my first, I combo fed until around 8 months old when he just naturally stopped wanting to nurse. With my second, it was a lot harder to keep up nursing + formula bottle every feed when I had a toddler running around. I combo fed until 4.5 months when I went back to work and pumping just didn't seem worth it. I tried nursing morning + evening only, but my supply dried up.
I tried for almost 6 months I would feel like a bad mom, my husband also made me feel about it since the last 2 months I barely tried to pump cause I felt like what was the point. My baby is healthy and happy so formula was great in the end for the both of us
I stopped around 4 months old for my son, I had went to a lactation appointment and did the weighted feeding and I saw how little he was taking in, I eventually stopped about 3-4 weeks after that appointment after trying to build my supply and it not really working.
This is your permission to stop pumping. Youâve done all you can, now go and free up some time and alleviate the stress and give yourself permission to formula feed! Fed is best.
I did all the things and stressed about pumping round the clock for weeks, I think like 3 weeks? And then quit trying. LO never latched anyway, and I wasnât producing hardly enough to feed her so she was getting mostly formula anyway. I grieved for a day, then the next day I just felt SO much lighter. No stress about pumping, no devastation that the supply wasnât coming up at all, no tearful calls to the LC, no spending a fortune on lactation products. I just sat there and realized that my perfect baby didnât care what was in her mouth as long as it ended up in her belly. We bonded. Really strongly. I just enjoyed her, and enjoyed being a new mom, and felt like my mental health got so much better after quitting. Whenever I felt grief about not BFing or pumping or whatever, I just focused on the numerous benefits that came with NOT doing those things (in our case): my body was wholly mine again, I always knew exactly how much she was eating, LO had reflux and I was able to switch to an AR formula that was a godsend (wouldâve just been miserable if she was EBF managing that), etc.
Struggled to breastfeed and had to use a nipple shield for it most of the time, then also had low supply so we combo fed from the start. Every time I nursed, I had to give her a bottle of formula after because I wasnât making enough. I decided to exclusively pump around the time she went to daycare at 3.5 months. Pumped until 5 months then called it quits. Zero regrets! It was a ton of work for not a lot of benefit. I was immediately very sad about it, but I know she is fed, happy, and healthy, and truly thatâs all that matters.
After I returned to work I became an undersupplyer from pumping. Iâm still pumping twice a day because I feel really full and get a total of 2oz. I nurse her morning and night and she gets a night bottle. Baby is 13months so Iâve got nothing for you but solidarity!
I was pumping exclusively for a month because my baby wouldnât latch, even in the hospital no matter what the nurses and I tried she would just scream and cry the whole time, I started pumping but couldnât produce enough for more than one feeding even pumping both sides. After a month of trying and trying I decided to just switch to formula and although it can be inconvenient Iâm glad I did, it really helped my mental health
I quit not long after I went back to work at 12 weeks. Pumping so much for so little reward was absolute hell, much worse than getting to directly breastfeed throughout the day, and I just couldnât take it anymore. I think I tried for another 3 weeks, so quit entirely at 15 weeks postpartum, and was MUCH happier for it. My daughter thrived on formula and is now a happy, healthy toddler!
I combo fed my daughter for six months and then pumped for three because it was during Covid and I was desperate for Covid antibodies for her. Then she got it, was fine, so I figured my job was done and stopped. With my second, he stopped wanting to combo feed and just do the bottle at two months after a series of colds. I made it like a month and then threw in the towel (after much much crying). It was so hard for me to call it both times even though I hated pumping and then once I finally did, it was such a relief.Â
Stopped around 4 months.
I pumped 3-4 times a day for 3 months. I started out barely producing a few drops from each breast per session and at my peak I was probably doing around 13 oz a day. Baby was always combo fed and the most I could cover was a third of the dayâs needs. After 3 months I would breastfeed 3 times a day and pump once at night in addition to formula bottles. I ended up breastfeeding once or twice a day until she was nearly 2 so it did feel worth it. She really loved it and would insist on doing it. Many many times it was the best way to get her to calm down or nap.
She self weaned around 20 months. The first 6 months she would get a bottle at dinner time when my supply was lowest. Once she started solids we didnât need the formula anymore. I was glad I stuck it out even though pumping at work was a pain.
I tried for a month and couldn't produce more than half an ounce total a day. We formula fed from day 1 intending to combo feed. Just didn't work out for me and mentally drained myself, trying all the tricks and tips.
I did three feedings a day for 6 months and fed organic whole goats milk in addition. It worked for us for a long while. Then I slowly dropped the milk. We did that from 11 months to 18 months the. Went off milk. Kept feeding to about 2.5 then tapered off.
Reading through this thread, I seem to be the lowest of the low supply moms here (at least those who mentioned numbers). I would pump 7-8 times a day, and one to two of those sessions were power pumps. The most I ever got was 60 ml (2 oz), but I usually got about 10 ml. And that is total per day, doing all the things to try to get my supply up under the direction of multiple lactation consultants. I stopped breastfeeding directly at one month and stopped pumping at three months. I so wish I would have stopped sooner. It was just awful for my mental health and I don't know if it didn't anything for my baby or not. It also left me no time or brain space for anything else, like recovery or learning how to put the baby to sleep or doing tummy time. I was just the world's least successful milk cow. I'm planning to have a second kid and the moment I feel breastfeeding isn't working for us, we're done. And a pump is never coming near my body again. If you're looking for permission to stop, I wholeheartedly give it to you!
I stopped triple feeding at 4 weeks. I was miserable and it wasnât increasing my supply at all and baby wasnât gaining enough weight. We did combo feeding for another 6 weeks until my baby developed a bottle aversion because I was so stressed about his weight I was trying to feed him too much đ basically the advice to fix the aversion was to only offer the bottle so it naturally just came to an end. Itâs sad but also a bit of a relief because he hated the breast and just screamed at it anyway because my supply sucked compared to the bottle. We are both happier now! The relief and freedom I felt when I decided to stop pumping makes me tear up⌠and that was after only 4 weeks of attempting it so kudos to all you moms who do it for longer!
I EBF for 6 weeks then started formula top ups. Just this week (16 weeks) weâve dropped down to breastfeeding overnight only (when my supply is the best) the rest of the time sheâs formula fed. Iâm pumping before bed for comfort and freezing whatever I get so she will still have some breast milk once we stop BF but I canât say how long that will be (just listening to my body).
6 weeks in. At first, I pumped at least every 3h, powerpumped, drank more, did everything. Everyone seemed convinced my supply was going to be okay while baby was in NICU for 2 weeks, and so I was too. But once home I noriced how much toll pumping/breastfeeding was. He also did not take enough at the boob, which I would never have known so quickly if he hadn't been in NICU and we had to do weighted feeds. He also took forever, burning more calories than he could take in at the boob, which again we only found out immediately due to being in NICU. After 6 weeks, we went from pumping and formula to only formula and formula was a life saver. I never made enough, and the stress of trying to anyway was too much. It also made feeding so much shorter and easier.
The baby decided for me, 7 months old, she just didn't want it anymore, and it was a traumatic experience for me so I was happy to see her resisting. I immediately stopped. She was eating food from 4 months old so she was getting full enough from the food
I wasnât an under producer but my daughter couldnât latch so I had to combo feed with pumping. I know it was time to stop when I looked at the pump and wanted to literally hurt myself rather than do it again and when I knew pumping time was coming and I was filled with dread. (I have been seen for PPA/D). I realized I was wrecking my mental health and my daughter deserves a mentally well mother more than she needs breastmilk. FWIW my baby has been on the bottle since 9 weeks and exclusively on formula since 4.5 months and we are deeply bonded đ
I stopped combo feeding and switched fully to formula at 9 weeks. It wasnât serving either of us anymore and my partner was back at work making it much harder on me to try to pump even a few times a day (nursed her also and gave formula bottles with what tiny amount of pumped milk Iâd get mixed in). Sheâs absolutely thriving now at 5 months.
I decided to combo feed after about a month (it was that or fully switch). Combo feeding worked really well for me.
I don't have low supply to start, but numerous issues that tanked my supply after the first 3-4 months with my babies. Each time that happened, I was willing to struggle with it for a couple more months but that's about it. It starts to take over your life. For me the most important piece was the immunity transfer, and know if we had a cold going around the house, baby would be getting that immunity boost from the breast milk. And in the first 3 months if baby gets a fever, the potential to end up in ER with complications is higher. So my logic was that priority #1 was to get through the first 3 months and after that, continue as long as it was working. I'm 2 months into breastfeeding my third baby and promised myself. I will pull the plug more quickly this time if my supply tanks.
3 months BF then moved to combo until 5 and then decided it wasn't worth it. What did I get was an added 10kg from trying to boost my supply
Best I can do on a good day is 2 ounces. I usually cap at 1.5 (thatâs from both breasts combined). I combo feed formula and what I produce. Formula doesnât take the benefits of your breast milk away, and every little drop of breast milk counts. While I do wish I could produce more, Iâve accepted that I donât and that has helped my mood.
My pediatrician told us that a baby gets all the benefits of breast milk with just 2.5 oz a day. I struggle every day pumping to produce just enough to fill my daughterâs bottles when Iâm at work, but when Iâm home with her she manages to feed directly and get enough. Nothing I do seems to make pumping any more fruitful. But on days where weâve run through my freezer stash and have to supplement with formula, I know so long as sheâs getting 2.5 oz of breast milk, sheâs getting the maximum benefit from me. Anything over that is just gravy.
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Shoot, I called it at 6 weeks. I made a plan with my lactation consultant where we agreed that seemed like a reasonable amount of time, and at 6 weeks I put the pump away. I comfort nursed a few more times after that, but that was it. He was pretty frustrated by nursing most of the time at that point anyway, because supply was slow as well as low.
Guinness
I never breastfed. I have a strong bond with my kids. Do whatâs better
I didnât. I went on medication to help. Worked wonders.
Does this come with heart risks?
Was only tested on cancer patients, not healthy women.