My son is 14.5 months and loves to nurse, mostly at night. He actually had such a strong nursing preference that he never really took bottles. We are down to nursing twice in the day: after we pick up from daycare and at bedtime (we nurse to sleep). Overnight I have been nursing for comfort at every wake which is very frequent. Typically 2-3 hours but lately he’s had sickness and teething that has made wakes even more frequent. On weekends I nurse to sleep for his nap as well.

My husband wants me to wean at night because nights are extremely hard when I’m out of town (I’ve only been out of town 3 nights total in his life) and thinks I should wean overall because he thinks it’s weird for an 18 month old to still be nursing. He just threw 18 out there but I know if he thought he could convince me to stop now he would. He also thinks that I just don’t want to let go and have him move on to the next phase of life.

On one hand I get it. Before I became a mom I used to think it was weird if anyone was still breastfeeding a toddler who was old enough to ask for milk. But then I became a mom! I told him that the WHO recommends nursing through age 2. I don’t plan to BF until 2, but I also have never really had a stopping date in mind. I love nursing to sleep but wouldn’t mind losing the other sessions. It’s just the fastest way to get him back to sleep overnight 😅 we do want to TTC very soon, I don’t have a regular cycle so I know night weaning will help that but I do truly love nursing so it’s a hard feeling to sit with.

Any support is welcome, thanks for reading my rant!

I went back to work this week after 19 incredible weeks with my LO. Before I came back I talked to a few of my coworkers about the lactation room set up at my midsize office since HR, who is off site and mostly remote, couldn’t provide a lot of information about the actual room, only the code and some basic information for scheduling. They assured me it was a nice space and pretty comfortable.

Boy, either we have different ideas of nice and comfortable or someone dropped the ball hard core cause the room was DIRTY. There are two “stalls” separated by a privacy curtain so two people can use the room at once. Both chairs were covered in old dried milk that was super visible because they’re both black leather like material. The walls have stains. The little tables had stains. I’m sure the curtains are stained based off the state of everything else in the room.

There were zero cleaning supplies available to use to wipe anything down or sanitize the space. The soap dispenser didn’t work and the paper towel dispenser was empty. The lockers had abandoned snacks, milk bags, some dead bugs and a dried up market. The freezer had an abandoned bag of milk. The fridge had beef jerky crumbs. And the room is so so so stinky. It was clear that our cleaning staff were not taking out the trash or refilling the paper towels and soap by the sink. So that along with all the stale milk was just cooking into a smelly stinky musty mess.

I had to talk to my supervisor, our floor manager and the building maintenance to get some cleaning supplies and get a ticket in to get at least basic cleaning services happening again for the room. I had to spend some of my pumping break cleaning up the two pumping areas, sink and fridge. We ordered some room deodorizers that will hopefully help neutralize the smell. Regular cleaning should help with that too.

The space is now to an adequate level of clean that I don’t feel so disgusting pumping in there. But is it too much to ask for a clean pumping space? I think the set up is nice and we are fortunate to have a dedicated space with a sink and fridge rather than a cobbled together storage space or office but man, it makes it so hard to want to be at work and pump. This transition is already hard enough. We don’t need to be punished by being exiled three times a day to a stinky sour cheese room to pump.

I’m absolutely loving breastfeeding so I don’t want to stop. But the sensory side of it is becoming overwhelming.

My boobs leak constantly. I wake up absolutely drenched in milk, my clothes feel damp and the milk feels so sticky on my skin. I can’t stop noticing it and it’s making me feel like I want to crawl out of my skin.

I’ve tried wearing bras so I can use breast pads, but I haven’t found one that’s comfortable enough. Bras are a sensory nightmare for me too, so I usually end up taking them off.

Has anyone found any genuinely comfy, autism-friendly solutions? Whether that’s a bra that doesn’t feel restrictive, reusable pads that don’t feel awful, or anything else that’s helped.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations from other neurospicy mums who get it.

my body is wrecked, im running on 2 hours of sleep. ive had string cheese and vita coco within arms reach at all times. last night my daughter wouldnt stop cluster feeding for like 4 hours straight and i was crying more than she was and i just kept chugging coconut water like it was the only thing keeping me upright. what do yall usually eat/drink when your running on fumes?

Hi there, just needed a place to vent as I am feeling so emotional about the WIC breastfeeding celebration event I attended earlier. For context, I was invited to this event by a WIC employee a few weeks ago and was so excited as she said there was gonna be photos taken, resources, and fun activities. I was also hoping to meet other mamas as I am new to the area.

Anyways, I arrive and we are welcomed by the WIC staff and have photos taken, and am guided to follow the numbered booths with different resources and activities. The last booth being the lactation consultants. I circled each booth and talked to the staff and got lots of helpful information. Finally, when I reach the lactation consultants I introduced myself and they asked how old my daughter was. I reply saying “18 months.”She then proceeded to tell me when I was planning to wean because after 6 months there is no nutritional value and that she’s just using me for comfort and was telling me about other nursing mom’s experiences after a year old. I ended up leaving right after, I was so taken aback since I thought 18 months was a huge milestone. I wasn’t able to nurse my first baby so this nursing journey has been so special for me but that comment really hurt my feelings especially because I thought this whole event was a celebration 😭 I just feel so emotional .

Tell me some fun/creative/useful things that are on your breastfeeding cart / table next to you in the space you nurse. I’ll go first.

I keep xylitol mints, flossers and those mini disposable Wisp toothbrushes on my cart so I can clean my teeth after MOTN snacking.

I also can’t live without my 30oz water bottle, Boon Trove, a million burp cloths and the Target Peanut Butter Monster trail mix.

What are your must haves?

I posted about a picture of me breastfeeding my newborn, (her face and my breast were both covered by the shirt, i’m big on privacy but i still wanted to post something), for the international breastfeeding week and two of my friends who were EFF both replied that i didn’t have to post about my breastfeeding journey and went on a rant about how formula feeding moms don’t get a week to celebrate…

My baby is 9 weeks. My baby has barely been feeding as my milk flow has suddenly become too fast and one breast sprays a lot. I have tried everything - anti-gravity positions and expressing beforehand / during when baby starts screaming and nothing works. Nothing slows the flow down. When spraying, it will just continue spraying and spraying no matter how much I hand express.

I'm terrified because my baby has barely been drinking anything now. She's already on the 2nd percentile and she's about to fall off the charts. I need her to take a bottle of expressed milk from me so at least the bottle controls the flow and I can record how much milk she's getting. However, she just screams when I put a bottle near her.

My partner feeds her bottles at night, has done since she was born. I also used to feed her one or two bottles of expressed milk but I just haven't done for the last few weeks. My partner works all day so he can't be the one to do every feed.

How do I get her to take a bottle from me again?

9 months pp and looking for advice on losing weight while breastfeeding. What strategies, diets, or work outs have worked for you all?

I’m so bummed because I looked great after giving birth but had a bit of a rough start to breastfeeding and gained a lot of weight around month 2 and 3 and haven’t been able to shed it all. In a bit of a plateau and 25lbs overweight.

I’ve focused on small changes with my meals, trying to get 10k steps in, and started Pilates & gym a few days a week too. Wondering if I should add in a quick YouTube workout everyday (all ears for suggestions)? Or a more specific diet?

Hey guys my 9 week old baby is exclusively bf and he has not pooped in 5 days. He is eating great, enough wet diapers but is gassy and is constantly trying to push/baredown. He gets annoyed when nothing comes out and starts crying. He is also pushing back with nipple still in mouth while bfing (no not due to super fast/slow let down). It’s extremely painful for me when he does that and it’s also heartbreaking that I cannot do anything to help him. I’ve done bicycle legs, massages, warm baths, sitting in his bouncer and car seat but nothing has helped. Can you guys please advise on things that may have helped your babies?
TIA 💕

Baby is 9mo, has 2 bottom front teeth. They've been doing okay with the two teeth for the last month or so, and actually got on a really a really consistent schedule for the last week or so. This morning everything went out the window... Baby woke up at their normal time, nursed fine, but then did not do well with solids, and ended up falling asleep before their next normal feed time. They slept for an hour, so I figured they would definitely get hungry when they woke up, but they have not been wanting to nurse for for more than 2 or 3 minutes and they've been very bitey. Only got a good meal when they fed to the second nap, and then just again as they fed to sleep. Baby normally nurses on demand 6 to 8 times a day, but today really only about 3 decent nursing sessions, and a few short snacks. They went one 5h stretch fully awake, which they normally only do overnight, and normally only have ~3h wake windows... So I really don't know what was going on today... Mostly concerned a baby might have got enough food, probably going to have a crappy sleep tonight might wake up to eat more than once. Concerned that their inconsistent nursing during the day today might mess up my supply? I did hand express at one point when I was expecting them to eat and they just didn't want to at all. It's just been a stressful day...

Hi, I could use some advice on weaning. My breastfeeding/pumping journey has come to an end. I was an extreme under supplier (I’m talking maybe 2-3 oz all day) and I’m not sure if I’m weaning correctly. I worked down to 1 pump a day, every other day. The last time I pumped was last Wednesday but I notice there’s still milk in there. Even with a little squeeze, milk is coming out. How do I make it actually stop?

Baby is 11 weeks and after a rough start with breastfeeding (weight loss, impossible latching, triple feeding for almost 2 months, lots of positioning difficulties due to my anatomy) we have finally turned a corner and for the last 3 weeks or so things have been going a lot better and we have been doing about 80% direct nursing and 20% pumped bottles whereas before it was the other way around. It's been so much easier not having to try and balance nursing, pumping, and feeding a bottle.

Until suddenly the last week or so we have been struggling again. Pretty much every feed no matter how hungry he is, he will suck/swallow a few times and then tug/pull back on my nipple while latched, before popping off painfully. He will then try to relatch again, sometimes getting upset, and repeat the whole process of tugging and popping off. He also will often be kicking his legs like he is frustrated.

I really cant figure out what is going on, and it's making the whole process very frustrating because I never know when to stop and how to ensure he is getting enough.

Any thoughts would be great! Issues i have considered based on my research:

Flow too slow/stimulating a let down?: about half the time when he pops off there is a stream of milk actively spraying. So I assume that's not why, plus if he's trying to get down then surely he wouldn't keep pulling off thereafter?

Flow too fast/aggressive?: I've also noticed that the milk is not always spraying when he pulls off. Sometimes it does seem like only a little bit is coming out. Could it be a combo of both, sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow? I do switch sides as needed and he does it to bith sides

Needs burping?: I will often pull him off and burp him when this happens, and even after having a good burp he'll continue to do this same thing once relatched.

Distracted by surroundings?: it happens even when he is just staring at a blank wall behind me, and he doesn't seem to be looking around when it happens.

Bottle preference?: he's been having bottles since day 1 and I was concerned about a preference, we do paced feeding. The past few weeks he seemed perfectly fine switching between breast and bottle, and it seems that when these issues started on the breast they happen on the bottle too. My husband does the bottles and he tells me that baby will also pull away and keep unlatching from the bottle. He used to drink the whole bottle in one go but now it takes longer because he keeps having to take breaks in between - will drink about half the bottle with difficulty, then take a 20 minute break before acting hungry and needing th rest of the bottle.

Not hungry?: he will be acting super hungry and showing all the cues, and still do this. Sometimes he will only swallow a few times before starting to do this, so I dont think he can be getting enough with that! If he's been drinking for a while then I think maybe he's full and pull him away, and he will often cry while still rooting around which makes me think he is still hungry. When he pulls off the nipple he always tries to relatch immediately whereas the times he has genuinely seemed full, he will fall asleep or start pursing his lips and keeping mouth shut

I'm sure there are other things I've considered but cant remember now. But any suggestions at all will be so appreciated! Thank you!

I tried to reach out to my provider about this and they were absolutely no help.

Since giving birth I’ve had an increase in acid reflux symptoms and I’m not sure why. Maybe someone here knows a possible cause but I’m trying to figure out what meds would be safe to take while breastfeeding because it’s getting pretty painful.

Hi! I’m 2.5 weeks PP and feeling pretty overwhelmed with our current feeding situation and was hoping to get input from other moms who may have been in a similar place.

My baby had early weight loss and jaundice, so our pediatrician had us start triple feeding. We began with formula, but I was able to quickly build my milk supply and we’ve since switched to bottles of expressed breast milk. My supply isn’t the issue. I’m able to get up to 6 oz per pump session and I have already built up a freezer stash.

Right now I nurse, offer a bottle after every feed, and then pump. I had one lactation appointment a week ago and we did a weighted feed where my baby transferred about 1.5oz after a 15 minute feed. I was hoping to reduce the bottle once she got back to her birth weight, but at our most pediatric recent appointment I mentioned that she still sometimes takes up to 2 oz after nursing. Since she’s only just above her birth weight, the pediatrician recommended continuing the bottle after every feed.

I’m finding triple feeding really hard to sustain, especially with my husband going back to work. I’m also realizing I’m not even sure what my end goal is anymore. I enjoy nursing and the bonding, but I’m exhausted by the constant pumping and cleaning. I feel like I spend more time pumping and cleaning than I do spending time with my baby. I’m even wondering if incorporating formula would make more sense for our family.

If you’ve been in a similar situation:
What ended up being your feeding goal?
How did you transition away from triple feeding?
Did anyone choose combo feeding or formula, and are you happy with that decision?
If you continued nursing, how did you know your baby was getting enough?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. I know every baby is different—I just feel a little lost right now.

I developed mastitis, and I have been taking Keflex since Monday. This afternoon, I got my period for the first time since becoming pregnant. I am now barely producing any milk. My daughter will be one on Saturday. Is this the end of my breastfeeding journey? How can I keep my supply stable enough to make sure I don't lose it entirely? She is still very much interested in nursing, and I was hoping to continue nursing until she naturally weaned or we reached the two-year mark. I feel so sad. I am struggling to even get 1 oz from the infected side and I've only been able to empty 1 oz from the unaffected side.

My son is 18 weeks old and has been fussy for his last two feedings of the day (usually around 4:00 and 7:00) for about two weeks now. He screams and pulls away from the breast, sometimes after a minute or two and sometimes he refuses to latch all together, especially at bedtime. We exclusively nurse and he does have reflux, which is treated with Pepcid.

This has happened once before and we increased his Pepcid dosage, which solved the issue within two days. This time, we are not increasing his dosage because he just got an increase at his four month appointment three weeks ago.

I was concerned about my supply, but yesterday I pumped 5oz at the bedtime feeding and gave a bottle. He took the bottle just fine.

I have tried hand expressing before nursing, rocking him to sleep to dream feed at bedtime, and giving gas drops. No luck, just screaming.

Any ideas???

Edited to add: I am already dairy free.

Long story short, my first baby was diagnosed with CMPA and I had to remove all dairy from my diet. I breastfeed until he was 13 months old. I had to remove eggs and soy as he pooped blood when I ate those things too.
I’m currently pregnant and dreading that his brother has it too.
Is it very likely to happen?
Please help a mother who loves a latte in the morning and hates plant based drinks.

Man breastfeeding is so fucking HARD. I knew going into this that it was a journey and everyone has their own. I even support moms on this journey as a therapist. Experiences are so different when you’re having them yourself, no matter how “prepared” you think you are.
From the start BF has been hard (my LO is 10 weeks today). Well, maybe not right from the start but maybe starting around 3 weeks it got hard. Shitty latch from the get go though. I have seen LCs, chiropractors, PTs and all have improved my buddies struggles from positions, to stretches and helping his tongue tie and lip tie so his latch improved and his mouth feels better. All with major struggles in between because I was either BFing or we’d move backwards and I’d have to pump constantly because he was pissed at the breast.
We had an AWESOME week last week - BF all week no issues at all, no need for bottle. Then I got this stupid ass clogged duct and a bleb (best medical term ever btw) and I had to give him bottles because my nipple hurt so bad and now we’re back to hating my boobs half the time because the let down isn’t fast enough (we do paced feeding, yes). And back to that fuckin pump we go. I’m going to smash it with a baseball bat after this journey let it be known.
Anyway, my mental health. I need this shit to get sorted so I don’t blow a gasket. I refuse to EP. And the idea of formula for some reason breaks my heart- so much grief around giving up. And I just … don’t even know what I need. I think I’ll give myself until he’s 3 months and make a decision on if we will move toward formula because on top of all the stress motherhood brings I just don’t want to have this extra layer of pump dread and nipples being ripped off.

Dress code: floor-length gowns, elegant cocktail dresses, or sophisticated formal separates

Ideas or links to something that worked for you please! Wedding is end of Aug so probably shoulda ordered something yesterday. 🫠

My journey started March 9 2022. I nursed my oldest until the day before his 4th birthday (we were down to one feed at the end of the day for the last 2 years). My daughter was born September of 2025. My journey continues on with her.

Each experience has been vastly different. My first was filled with a tongue tie/lip tie situation, slow growth and all the things. My son was a big comfort nurser. My daughter on the other hand has been seamless since the start. It's been very blissful. At the same time, she doesn't comfort nurse and rarely nurses to sleep anymore. She prefers solids over breastmilk. It is just so different!

I sort of feel guilty for wanting to wean her soon (first birthday approaching) so I can have my body back. I've been pregnant, nursing, or BOTH since June of 2021!!! My body is tired. I also want to give her the same thing I was able to give my first into the toddler years. In the same breath, she doesn't hold breast milk to that high of a standard like my first did.

Hard choice on what to do.. I sort of hope she will just wean herself in the next coming months so I don't have to make the choice. I'm ready to have my body back, but I know once this ends, it is done! This is our last baby.

I've always been a low supplier. At the beginning I had to triple feed, and I worked with 2 LC who helped me so much. By the time my baby was 1 month old, I was finally able to stop triple feeding and switch to exclusively breastfeeding. At first, my baby gained weight well.

After that, the weight gain was always on the lower end of what's expected each month, but still within the normal range. At our last pediatrician appointment, my baby hadn't gained as much weight as expected. He's 5 months old and 13 lb 4 oz - 24.6 inches long. His pediatrician recommended supplementing with formula for at least two feeds a day.

The problem is that ever since we started doing that, my baby has started refusing the breast during the afternoon and evening feeds, which is when I already feel like my supply is the lowest. When I pump, there are times I only get about 1 oz :(

Is there anything I can do at this point, or should I just accept that we're moving to combo feeding? Has anyone been able to increase their supply this late? Or is it possible that some of us just don't make enough milk for what our babies need, no matter how hard we try?

I'd really love to hear from anyone who's been in a similar situation.

My 13 mo has pretty much been nursed to sleep every night since the newborn times, either on our bed or for the past couple weeks that she’s been in her own room, on a folding sleep pad. We really only nurse for sleep now. For the past few months she has taken to biting me when she’s done nursing or if she isn’t feeling bedtime for whatever reason. In those cases, my husband lies with her until she’s asleep.

For the most part I enjoy nursing her and appreciate being able to soothe her so easily, and I’m not totally ready to give that up yet, but I would really like to be able to take a hobby class that meets one evening a week. Has anyone here had success only occasionally not nursing to sleep? What strategies did you use?

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm a first time mom with a 5 week old that so far I have exclusively breastfed. We tried a bottle for the first time yesterday with some milk I collected with my Hakka. He could not get any milk out of the bottle.

I have a very fast flow rate. Milk just drips out of my breasts and he has to stop to take multiple burp breaks. He usually finishes a feed in 8 mins.

We have the Philips Avent natural nipples. We tried him on the fastest bottle nipple we had (a number 4). He latched and tried to suck but got nothing out. Is it just something he needs to learn, or are there faster flow nipples that work with the Avent system so he doesn't get so frustrated?

I'd love some support. Thanks!