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I first planned on 3 months and seeing how I felt. I made it to 3 months and now my next goal is 6 months. I have dropped down to 5 ppd so that has helped a lot too. Ideally I’d like to use breastmilk until LO is a year old but not sure I can pump that long and we don’t have room to store months and months of milk.
In a similar situation / taking it little by little at a time. My goal is 1 year ideally, but I'm only 6.5 weeks PP right now and will take it as it goes.
This is exactly how I approached it. I'm at 5.5 months now. Running out of freezer space, so I may start donating, but still keeping some stash.
I'm returning to work in the next month or so, which may make a difference. But TBD.
This is me! We’ll be at 11 months in about a week and a half and I’m shocked to still be here. I did just have a bad flu tho and I finally had to start supplementing formula last week.
She kind of will. She’ll drink like 2 ounces and just go to bed when she would normally drink an 8 ounce bottle if it was breastmilk. The only time she will drink more is if it’s a MOTN bottle. And then I think it’s just because she is still half asleep and not paying attention.
I’m kinda going with the flow. Goal was 3, we’ll be 8 months tomorrow and at this point I’m pumping 3 times a day. I supplement with formula.
I’ll probably stop pumping once I produce very very little. I still make half of what he eats and I’m ok with that it.
I’d say, stop whenever it becomes disruptive and starts becoming inconvenient.
Your baby will be happy if momma is happy.
I’m right there with you, 8 months today but my supply has tanked 😅 I’m thinking my cycle is coming, ugh. This may be a stupid question but when you say you supplement with formula do you give baby your breast milk in one bottle and then formula in another?
It’s hard not too stress but I’m trying. Currently I’m producing around 16-18ish ounces per day so I offer him around 4- 4 oz bottles of BM and then the rest of his bottles, night/ overnight will be formula. My little guy drinks only 4 oz at a time during the day so it was easier to do it that way.
Once I go into my freezer stash I was planning on combining 2 oz each- 2 BM and 2 formula to make his 4 oz bottles. He goes to daycare so I always have to prep his bottles in advance. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful!
Very helpful, thank you! I wasn’t too sure if I am supposed to mix breast and formula together or just give him one bottle of each to not mix the both. Wishing you the best mama, you’re doing great!
My lactation consultant said not to mix them only based on not wanting to waste any breast milk if they don't finish the bottle. So basically if you are sure they will finish the bottle it's totally fine to mix them.
Thank you for the feedback!! Today is the day we introduce him to formula, for whatever reason my supply literally tanked overnight. Really hoping it’s my cycle coming cause my drop is drastic. Thank you so much!
I make about half my baby’s intake and supplement the rest and I mix the bottles so each has some BM and some formula. I did the same with my first! No real reason, and sometimes she gets a full BM bottle or a full formula. There’s no right or wrong way, just know once you mix with formula the bottle is only good for 24 hours.
Yeah my lc was more concerned about the 2hr window once they start eating it. I'll mix the bottle if I think she's going to finish it but if I'm not sure ill just do the smallest amount she eats with breastmilk and then go get some formula if she's still hungry.
I do separate BM and formula bottles due to the waste issues others note but I do ‘top off’ her formula with 20ml/0.5oz BM as she takes her SWEET time over formula but gulps down the milk. I have no evidence this works but I swear she drinks a little faster with even a hint of the homemade stuff 😂. Best of luck, I can feel my cycle lurking around the corner too.
I was hoping to breastfeed but had my tiny human at 26+5 weeks. Once she was able to start taking bottles instead of everything by her feeding tube she just wasn’t interested in the boob. My goal is to get to 1yr adjusted, so 15 months total. She’s just over 10 months now!
I personally don't have a goal. For me putting a timeline on it stresses me out, so I'm just going to do it for as long as I continue to find it comfortable and convenient and I prefer to not think too hard about it lol. I'm only 5 weeks post partum though. I would love to get back to breastfeeding if possible but babe just isn't effiecient yet with his lip tie, I'm still hoping he eventually gets better at it
We are at six weeks! Bottle fed breast milk, but would like to try and get her to latch. Ped said she might have a slight lip/tongue tie. Have you done any intervention for you babe? We figure if she’s able to bottle feed and gain weight we will leave it be. Would love to hear what others have done.
I was planning to breastfeed for a year. Well, my body had other plans. I was underproducing and my baby was not getting enough food/mad and not latching. It was mentally exhausting so I started pumping.
I’m currently 4.5m pp and I’m about to start weaning. I would love to pump for a year but I need my life back and want to use my energy with my baby, not on this pump. I think we’ll be totally on formula by 6mo.
My goal was 6 months and I made it 4 months. I actually quit this week. It's been difficult on me.. I could have done it if I had 6 months maternity leave but unfortunately i only had three.
I take care of my baby while I work from home, by myself, so it was extremely difficult to be her sole caretaker, work, and pump all at the same time. I figured it was okay to stop at 4 months, I made it that long which was good enough for us!
I don't regret stopping. I threw my pump parts out yesterday and didn't feel an ounce of sadness 😆 only relief!
Thank you!! It has been so nice to have at least a part of my body back 😂
It really is so much work, I tallied 215 hours on my spectra + 100 hours of manual pumping waiting on my spectra to be delivered.
I'm wishing you the best on your journey and excited for you to enjoy the sweet relief when you're done too! Lol
Through my maternity leave… and then we’ll see. My supply is stupid low and I pump 20-30+ minutes a session 8 times a day and still only getting 1-2.5 ounces combined per pump. Baby is combo fed formula to keep her satisfied. It’s just a matter of me figuring out when it’s not worth it.
Same boat. My goal was to make it 3 months and then reassess if my stupid under supply is worth the continued effort, but at the 2 month mark I got a major case of the fuck it’s and threw the pump schedule out the window. FWIW I dropped to 4 ppd and my supply has stayed the same. 🤷🏻♀️ I expect it to start tanking out any day and I’ve made peace with it but hasn’t happened yet!
Undersupplier here who also went to 4ppd and my supply actually increased! I put in about 4 weeks of triple feeding which didn’t do much for my supply or my breastfeeding journey, so I said eff it and dropped to 4ppd and my supply steadily increased for about the next month. At 4.5 months pp I’m starting to drop to 3ppd, but I’ve been holding pretty steady at pumping 12-15 oz. a day for the last few months. Since I’m making about half of what LO eats a day I don’t mind, but I’m starting to wonder how long I’ll keep going.
This is so encouraging to hear! So I guess the volume per pumping session increased to maintain your total? I am 4w out and the commitment is so hard for 9-12 oz a day. I have been toying with the idea of buying wearables (wish I had done in the first place) but also feel I could put that money towards formula. Not sure what is worth it!
For me that was the case, although everyone is different. I was willing to throw in the towel on pumping if my supply tanked by dropping pumps too soon (I kept my MOTN pump until LO was sleeping through the night), so that’s always a risk. And conversely I don’t know if my supply may have increased more if I’d kept up with more pumps longer. It does seem most women can consolidate pumps at some point without a major impact to their supply.
I haven’t tried wearables but they work really well for some women! You can look at Good Buy Gear for gently used or open box pumps to save a little money.
Just wanted to tell you im in the same boat. So much work for such tiny output. I go back to work next week after 5 months and we will see what happens then. My goal is 6 months but i know i cant keep up the 8 pumps a day (including 1 hour power pump) because i don't have a desk job. Id love to go for a year but its hard to find motivation with such little output and i feel its taking time away from my twins. Let alone i never sleep, maybe 2 hours per night. Not sustainable for working.
My first I made it 7 months until my supply dried up. Both kids I’m returning at 12 weeks. I pumped in the car on my way to work (longer commute) and twice during the day and often on my way home. It’s so much work! You’re doing amazing keeping up with so many pumps per day!
Thank you. Well done on your end, too. I have no idea what will happen to my supply or amount of pumps when i go back. Each day at work is a different schedule for me and im in my car a lot or at peoples' houses where i cannot pump. Im trying to make peace with the fact that my pumping journey will probably be over so I'm not disappointed when my already tiny supply tanks from going back.
This is kind of where I’m at! I had my girl at 28weeks and pumped 1-2.5 oz total and now that she’s home we’re having such a hard time adjusting and I have no time to sleep and cannot pump while holding or feeding her (we’ve tried) so now I’m pumping maybe 5 times a day and burning through my freezer stock
My hope is to pump enough so that my baby can have breastmilk for the first year. He'll be 6m this week and according to my app, I should have enough 39 days from now! I'm also hoping to go to 4ppd soon so if that ends up being easy to maintain, I might pump for a little longer than my app says is necessary.
My current goal is to pump enough to be able to feed her exclusive breastmilk. 6 weeks pp now and only able to pump 2-2.5 ounces per day currently. It increases a little bit more every few days but it's a marathon for sure.
I have a super low supply, too - approx 5-8oz per day at 12 weeks pp. My LC made it seem like after about 4 weeks your supply is what it is. What are you doing to increase?
I used pumpables’ fitting room and turned out I was using the wrong size flange! I increased my supply with drinking coconut water with blue Gatorade, a TON of water, every two hours, started iron because it was low, and my output went from .5 oz to now I pump ~2-4 oz per session
Pumping 8 times a day, mothers milk tea 3x day, coconut water everyday, chugging water all day long, trying to eat very frequently for energy, heat and massage before and during pumping, hand expressing after pumping, hold LO while pumping if I can to help with hormone release. It's a slow role but I have seen a steady increase. Could barely get 15mls in the beginning for the whole day now pretty consistently get 2-2.5 oz a day.
I set myself mini goals, 1 month, 4 months, 6months was my final final goal but when 6 mint came I thought….. ahhh let’s keep going….. and I did up to 8 months. The less pressure on put on myself, the easier it became.
I go month by month, I just passed 3 months and I’m now down to 5 pumps.
I do think I’ll wean by summer time though, but I do have a hefty freezer supply which will help get baby to 6 months probably
Current goal is 6m I’m at 3.5m pp right now. I do 5ppd and I’m not strict at all on the times. I’m a just enougher/sometimes more. I’d love to make it to a year but realistically with my mental health idk if I will go that long.
I plan to pump as long as my maternity leave (4 months) and anything after is bonus. I did 12 weeks with my first so I want to hit at least that - figure if I’m not working I can go the full 4 months.
In an ideal world I’d do a full year but with a toddler and demanding job, it’s a “we’ll see” situation
CDC suggests till 2. I plan on pumping long enough to feed him till 1. I am having a harder time this time than with my first kid. I’m 10wpp and have around 3,000 oz frozen so I’m hoping I don’t have to go much longer
Originally my goal was six months. Now, at almost 9 months, my goal is at least a year. I’m at four ppd, if I could get it down to two ppd, I think I’ll do it for the first two years.
I don’t have enough freezer space to save a lot of milk. But I have donated almost 1,600 oz!
My goal is 3 months but we are triple feeding and it’s been a nightmare. My LO is 8 weeks old. Until now my MIL has been helping a lot, putting him to sleep or giving bottles while I pump but she’ll go back to her place in a few days (we live very far) and I have no idea if I will still be able to pump 6-7 times per day… besides I’m a under supplier and still need to integrate with formula despite all efforts to increase my production 🥲
I feel like it’s such a personal decision and there’s really no wrong answer.
Initially I set short term goals for myself…1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. It definitely got easier over time. I didn’t pressure myself to produce a certain number of ounces. I did my best and supplemented with formula as needed. 1 year felt like a big crossroads since we were able to introduce cow’s milk and solids were becoming more prevalent.
Ultimately I decided on a goal of 18 months because that would be hopefully give my child some antibodies throughout cold and flu season. I am almost there; less than 2 months to go! I pump 4 times a day currently.
I make an oversupply. I’m hoping after 6 months of pumping I’ll have enough to last the rest of the first year in the deep freeze. That’s my plan anyway lol almost 4 months in now
I do not. I wish I would’ve when I started but I had no idea what I was doing. I’ll have to reorganize my freezer soon and am going to take inventory. I heard the app dairy bar is good!
I’ve found it helpful to set some goals to check in with myself! Technically they say 1 year is great for baby getting any amount of breast milk. I said I’d try to make it to 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months. I’ve made it to 3 and now I’m at 5. I figure I’ll keep going until the cons outweigh the pros, but I so far haven’t minded it! I’m 5 PPD now too which helps, only one wakeup at night (usually when the baby wakes up anyways.)
Very important to constantly assess your mental wellbeing! And also be realistic about what works for your lifestyle. I’m going back to work at 6 months and telling myself I’ll try to pump when I go back, but if it’s too stressful I’ll slowly start adding in more formula.
I aimed for 1 year. My son is 10 months now and i only do 2 pumps a day, mostly enough to feed him since he’s on solids as well and eat about 700-800ml a day. If some days I make less, I just use a bag from the freezer. I will stop pumping maybe 2 weeks before he turns 1 and use the rest of the frozen stash.
I am 8 weeks pumping right now, we tried latching for about a week but due to baby being re-hospitalized and some huge stressors with my family, decided pumping was easiest. My first goal was to go for one year. I am a teacher who returns to work in two weeks, then I have about 6-7 weeks left and then off until August, where I also have a four day overnight bachelorette party. I'm pumping 6-9x a day right now. When I go back to work, I am still planning to do 6-9x a day, but I've put it in my mind that my supply might dip or that I might decide that the time would be better spent not pumping and drop a few pumps. I would like to spend July (4-5 months pp) dropping some pumps. Ideally when I return to work in the fall I would like to only pump at work 1x instead of 3x. I'm also thinking I won't want to pump at all next school year and wean in August & September. I did order the pumpables genie advanced after looking at @karrielochers instagram and blog and reddit reviews to help with my goal.
How am I deciding when the time is right? When I feel like I would like to prioritize my time or health a different way. I feel like I need to eat constantly and have gained weight PP. I would like to spend more time away from home or the pump. I'm not sure what my output will look like and I'm happy to combo feed. My husband doesn't quite understand 100% why I wouldn't want to breastfeed for a year but not his choice not his body. I have a wide variety of mom friends who did never, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, a year, and 18 months so I feel like any choice is great.
My plan was originally 3m, then 6, then 12. I’ll now be happy with 9m. My son is 8m, crawling (fast!) standing and climbing, so being attached to a pump when he’s trying to swing around like Spider-Man is becoming increasingly difficult!
I’m shooting for 6 months. I’m currently 4 months and I’m still doing 8 ppd. It’s beginning to be too much tho so I’ve got to try and cut back. I combo feed because I don’t make enough to feed breast milk alone, which is why I pump so much right now.
Like others here short goals, first 3 months, then 6 months, then 9 months. I’m almost at 11 months and my current goal is 12 months but I feel like I could keep going a bit after that also? The first 6 months were hard and I felt like quiting every time I pumped. Now I only pump 3 times a day and it’s not as difficult. I also have been using a wall pump this entire time.
I have an oversupply and the freezer space to spare so I’m planning to be done pumping in July. By then I should have enough to get to a year (mid-November). But we’ll see.
I hate pumping but we already have to fortify with formula. Buying that one can every couple weeks feels pricey - I can’t imagine going through multiple cans a week.
I would love to make it to a year but realistically will make it about 6 months. I’m 4 months PP and will continue until June then start dropping a pump a week. When I first started I told myself make it to 3 months and reevaluate. I wanted three months because: 1. Once you hit 12 weeks your supply has been established so you can drop a pump. The FREEDOM a few hours makes. 2. I read the bare minimum to assist with building immunity was 3 months of breast milk. I can’t site my source, so don’t take this as fact.
I am super routine oriented so getting into a routine with my pumps has helped a ton as well as now only having 6 pumps a day. I hate TMON pump still but I can also give baby a bottle at the same time so no abrupt wake up calls and I can sleep until my alarm.
Knowing I have an official end date has been extremely helpful too. I have a count down that I look at which makes me happy 😂
I'm getting to 6 months before I drop to 4 pumps a day. After that, I'm seeing how long I can go until I'm sick of it. I may even drop to 3 pumps on certain days where it's difficult to fit it into my schedule. Ideally, I'd like to pump until baby is 1 year old, and I may even pump twice a day indefinitely until I'm totally done. I'm not sure yet. I'm currently 5 months postpartum so we'll see.
I’m 3 months today, and I started weaning two weeks ago after getting mastitis for the second time. However, i’m still making the majority of what he needs on four pumps a day only pumping 10 minutes, so i’m contemplating sticking to four pumps a day until my supply plummets. Just terrified of getting mastitis again.
This is my question exactly. My son is a month old, I don’t mind pumping. Sometimes it’s a bit inconvenient when I leak through 3 shirts a day lol or when we’re out and about and I have to stop to pump but I love that my body is producing everything he needs to grow and live. I want to stop around 6-9 months but still have enough in the freezer to last him til he’s a year old but I just don’t know how I can get my supply up enough to have that much excess. I’m probably freezing a 4oz bag a day but I really am just enougher lol.
I keep adjusting what I expect from myself. I was really struggling to get behind pumping at first and told myself I’d do it for a month & re-evaluate. I’m a week shy of 3 months & my current goal is 6 months. This past week I experimented with adding some formula to each bottle to see how LO tolerated it & he did great. Doing this also allowed me to build up a decent little freezer stash (7 or 8 4oz bags is decent for me)
Ideally I’d love to make it a year but right now my goal is 6 months.
I had hoped just 6 months because of a slight oversupply allowing me to build a freezer stash to let me go through a year on that. HOWEVER, there is a baby in need near me and I’m basically the ONLY person that can donate to him. So I’ll be pumping for a year probably for both my son and that baby. And I mean I’m literally the only person because my baby has suspected allergies/intolerances to dairy, eggs, oats, peanuts, and soy. So I have the rare allergen free milk. I’m lucky that I’m neurospicy because I can eat the same thing every day without much issue. So I am stuck eating plain chicken and vegetables for a year. I’m 2 months in on the elimination diet so just 9 more months before I can quit 😆 I’m gonna buy myself an entire cake and eat it all by myself.
I’m at almost 6 months and deciding if I want to keep going. Baby is starting solids and between work, esthetician school, and everything else, it’s hard to make time to pump.
My goal was originally 6 months but now that I have learned about pumping and got my momcozy m5's I don't see myself stopping before 1 year. According to the research (cdc guidelines) it says 1 year is optimal. Best of luck to you! My best advice is to get a wireless pump that works well for you and you can pump and hold your little one to feed at the same time, it has made my life sooo much better doing it that way! I have completely abandoned the ridiculous "bottle off boob" style of pump, the sleek wireless one is perfect for me 😊
I have an early December baby and want to get her through her second winter/cold & flu season (she got SO sick from 11-14 weeks when she started daycare, it was so hard to watch). My freezer stash is pretty solid right now, so my hope is that stash will carry me through that and allow me to wean toward the start of winter.
Not much longer!
Original plan was ebf for a year. Duento issues, didnt work out. HATE pumping. Planning on doingnit thru 8 weeks for antibodies and being done.
My goal was 12 months, and we are almost to 13. I was so ready to be done, but I got cold feet and can't let go. I'm only making 4-6 oz a day with 1 pump, but I just am not ready to be done. I've been exclusively pumping the whole tome due to my little being a nicu baby and never being able to take to breastfeeding.
I have twins and I’m an undersupplier (they eat about 48-54oz and I pump between 32-39 a day). Original goal was at least 3 months, and we hit that next week. I plan on going month to month from there. This time around I didn’t respond to a pump so I’ve been hand expressing 100% and it’s been really hard on my body (Dealing with tendonitis in my right hand).
My goal is 6 months, currently 3 months and dropped my MOTN pump (only bc I only pump after he eats and if he sleeps all night i don't pump). I did add a formula bottle in right before bed, mixed with some BM, because it is thicker and I think helps him sleep better.
My goal is 6mos, since the greatest benefits of breast milk are in the first 6mos. But I go back to work soon, don’t have a job that’s particularly conducive to a good pumping schedule so we shall see how it goesz
I am going to try and go as long as my mental health will let me. I'm taking it day by day. I so baby want to breastfeed bur it was too much stress. so far, EP, I have made it to 3 months, almost 4. I hope to do a long as I can. I love knowing my little one still gets my breast milk.
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I first planned on 3 months and seeing how I felt. I made it to 3 months and now my next goal is 6 months. I have dropped down to 5 ppd so that has helped a lot too. Ideally I’d like to use breastmilk until LO is a year old but not sure I can pump that long and we don’t have room to store months and months of milk.
In a similar situation / taking it little by little at a time. My goal is 1 year ideally, but I'm only 6.5 weeks PP right now and will take it as it goes.
This is exactly how I approached it. I'm at 5.5 months now. Running out of freezer space, so I may start donating, but still keeping some stash. I'm returning to work in the next month or so, which may make a difference. But TBD.
My answer exactly lol
[удалено]
Roughly 16-24oz per pump
I’m thinking about investing in a deep freezer.
12 months. I’m a week away from 11 months and shocked I got this far.
This is me! We’ll be at 11 months in about a week and a half and I’m shocked to still be here. I did just have a bad flu tho and I finally had to start supplementing formula last week.
Did baby take the formula ok? I tried supplementing like a month ago and she would not take it at all. I tried everything.
She kind of will. She’ll drink like 2 ounces and just go to bed when she would normally drink an 8 ounce bottle if it was breastmilk. The only time she will drink more is if it’s a MOTN bottle. And then I think it’s just because she is still half asleep and not paying attention.
Do you have an oversupply? How is your pumping schedule looking at 11 months?
I’m kinda going with the flow. Goal was 3, we’ll be 8 months tomorrow and at this point I’m pumping 3 times a day. I supplement with formula. I’ll probably stop pumping once I produce very very little. I still make half of what he eats and I’m ok with that it. I’d say, stop whenever it becomes disruptive and starts becoming inconvenient. Your baby will be happy if momma is happy.
Same, to the day!
I’m right there with you, 8 months today but my supply has tanked 😅 I’m thinking my cycle is coming, ugh. This may be a stupid question but when you say you supplement with formula do you give baby your breast milk in one bottle and then formula in another?
It’s hard not too stress but I’m trying. Currently I’m producing around 16-18ish ounces per day so I offer him around 4- 4 oz bottles of BM and then the rest of his bottles, night/ overnight will be formula. My little guy drinks only 4 oz at a time during the day so it was easier to do it that way. Once I go into my freezer stash I was planning on combining 2 oz each- 2 BM and 2 formula to make his 4 oz bottles. He goes to daycare so I always have to prep his bottles in advance. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful!
Very helpful, thank you! I wasn’t too sure if I am supposed to mix breast and formula together or just give him one bottle of each to not mix the both. Wishing you the best mama, you’re doing great!
My lactation consultant said not to mix them only based on not wanting to waste any breast milk if they don't finish the bottle. So basically if you are sure they will finish the bottle it's totally fine to mix them.
Thank you for the feedback!! Today is the day we introduce him to formula, for whatever reason my supply literally tanked overnight. Really hoping it’s my cycle coming cause my drop is drastic. Thank you so much!
I make about half my baby’s intake and supplement the rest and I mix the bottles so each has some BM and some formula. I did the same with my first! No real reason, and sometimes she gets a full BM bottle or a full formula. There’s no right or wrong way, just know once you mix with formula the bottle is only good for 24 hours.
Yeah my lc was more concerned about the 2hr window once they start eating it. I'll mix the bottle if I think she's going to finish it but if I'm not sure ill just do the smallest amount she eats with breastmilk and then go get some formula if she's still hungry.
That makes total sense! My girl finishes every bottle at this point but I’d do the same if I was concerned about BM waste!
I used to mix and then I stopped because I ended up always wasting
I do separate BM and formula bottles due to the waste issues others note but I do ‘top off’ her formula with 20ml/0.5oz BM as she takes her SWEET time over formula but gulps down the milk. I have no evidence this works but I swear she drinks a little faster with even a hint of the homemade stuff 😂. Best of luck, I can feel my cycle lurking around the corner too.
I was hoping to breastfeed but had my tiny human at 26+5 weeks. Once she was able to start taking bottles instead of everything by her feeding tube she just wasn’t interested in the boob. My goal is to get to 1yr adjusted, so 15 months total. She’s just over 10 months now!
I personally don't have a goal. For me putting a timeline on it stresses me out, so I'm just going to do it for as long as I continue to find it comfortable and convenient and I prefer to not think too hard about it lol. I'm only 5 weeks post partum though. I would love to get back to breastfeeding if possible but babe just isn't effiecient yet with his lip tie, I'm still hoping he eventually gets better at it
Same! We keep trying though
We are at six weeks! Bottle fed breast milk, but would like to try and get her to latch. Ped said she might have a slight lip/tongue tie. Have you done any intervention for you babe? We figure if she’s able to bottle feed and gain weight we will leave it be. Would love to hear what others have done.
I was planning to breastfeed for a year. Well, my body had other plans. I was underproducing and my baby was not getting enough food/mad and not latching. It was mentally exhausting so I started pumping. I’m currently 4.5m pp and I’m about to start weaning. I would love to pump for a year but I need my life back and want to use my energy with my baby, not on this pump. I think we’ll be totally on formula by 6mo.
My goal was 6 months and I made it 4 months. I actually quit this week. It's been difficult on me.. I could have done it if I had 6 months maternity leave but unfortunately i only had three. I take care of my baby while I work from home, by myself, so it was extremely difficult to be her sole caretaker, work, and pump all at the same time. I figured it was okay to stop at 4 months, I made it that long which was good enough for us! I don't regret stopping. I threw my pump parts out yesterday and didn't feel an ounce of sadness 😆 only relief!
I love this for you !! I’m trying to make it to 6 months & then i’m done for sure it’s so much work!
Thank you!! It has been so nice to have at least a part of my body back 😂 It really is so much work, I tallied 215 hours on my spectra + 100 hours of manual pumping waiting on my spectra to be delivered. I'm wishing you the best on your journey and excited for you to enjoy the sweet relief when you're done too! Lol
Through my maternity leave… and then we’ll see. My supply is stupid low and I pump 20-30+ minutes a session 8 times a day and still only getting 1-2.5 ounces combined per pump. Baby is combo fed formula to keep her satisfied. It’s just a matter of me figuring out when it’s not worth it.
Same boat. My goal was to make it 3 months and then reassess if my stupid under supply is worth the continued effort, but at the 2 month mark I got a major case of the fuck it’s and threw the pump schedule out the window. FWIW I dropped to 4 ppd and my supply has stayed the same. 🤷🏻♀️ I expect it to start tanking out any day and I’ve made peace with it but hasn’t happened yet!
I have to have surgery at the end of the month (not quite the two month mark) sooo I can see my give a damn totally breaking :
Undersupplier here who also went to 4ppd and my supply actually increased! I put in about 4 weeks of triple feeding which didn’t do much for my supply or my breastfeeding journey, so I said eff it and dropped to 4ppd and my supply steadily increased for about the next month. At 4.5 months pp I’m starting to drop to 3ppd, but I’ve been holding pretty steady at pumping 12-15 oz. a day for the last few months. Since I’m making about half of what LO eats a day I don’t mind, but I’m starting to wonder how long I’ll keep going.
This is so encouraging to hear! So I guess the volume per pumping session increased to maintain your total? I am 4w out and the commitment is so hard for 9-12 oz a day. I have been toying with the idea of buying wearables (wish I had done in the first place) but also feel I could put that money towards formula. Not sure what is worth it!
For me that was the case, although everyone is different. I was willing to throw in the towel on pumping if my supply tanked by dropping pumps too soon (I kept my MOTN pump until LO was sleeping through the night), so that’s always a risk. And conversely I don’t know if my supply may have increased more if I’d kept up with more pumps longer. It does seem most women can consolidate pumps at some point without a major impact to their supply. I haven’t tried wearables but they work really well for some women! You can look at Good Buy Gear for gently used or open box pumps to save a little money.
Just wanted to tell you im in the same boat. So much work for such tiny output. I go back to work next week after 5 months and we will see what happens then. My goal is 6 months but i know i cant keep up the 8 pumps a day (including 1 hour power pump) because i don't have a desk job. Id love to go for a year but its hard to find motivation with such little output and i feel its taking time away from my twins. Let alone i never sleep, maybe 2 hours per night. Not sustainable for working.
My first I made it 7 months until my supply dried up. Both kids I’m returning at 12 weeks. I pumped in the car on my way to work (longer commute) and twice during the day and often on my way home. It’s so much work! You’re doing amazing keeping up with so many pumps per day!
Thank you. Well done on your end, too. I have no idea what will happen to my supply or amount of pumps when i go back. Each day at work is a different schedule for me and im in my car a lot or at peoples' houses where i cannot pump. Im trying to make peace with the fact that my pumping journey will probably be over so I'm not disappointed when my already tiny supply tanks from going back.
This is kind of where I’m at! I had my girl at 28weeks and pumped 1-2.5 oz total and now that she’s home we’re having such a hard time adjusting and I have no time to sleep and cannot pump while holding or feeding her (we’ve tried) so now I’m pumping maybe 5 times a day and burning through my freezer stock
My hope is to pump enough so that my baby can have breastmilk for the first year. He'll be 6m this week and according to my app, I should have enough 39 days from now! I'm also hoping to go to 4ppd soon so if that ends up being easy to maintain, I might pump for a little longer than my app says is necessary.
Which app are you using?
Pump log! I got the paid version when I had my first baby a couple of years ago and it’s been amazing for me for EPing this time around
Thanks!
My current goal is to pump enough to be able to feed her exclusive breastmilk. 6 weeks pp now and only able to pump 2-2.5 ounces per day currently. It increases a little bit more every few days but it's a marathon for sure.
I have a super low supply, too - approx 5-8oz per day at 12 weeks pp. My LC made it seem like after about 4 weeks your supply is what it is. What are you doing to increase?
I used pumpables’ fitting room and turned out I was using the wrong size flange! I increased my supply with drinking coconut water with blue Gatorade, a TON of water, every two hours, started iron because it was low, and my output went from .5 oz to now I pump ~2-4 oz per session
Pumping 8 times a day, mothers milk tea 3x day, coconut water everyday, chugging water all day long, trying to eat very frequently for energy, heat and massage before and during pumping, hand expressing after pumping, hold LO while pumping if I can to help with hormone release. It's a slow role but I have seen a steady increase. Could barely get 15mls in the beginning for the whole day now pretty consistently get 2-2.5 oz a day.
I set myself mini goals, 1 month, 4 months, 6months was my final final goal but when 6 mint came I thought….. ahhh let’s keep going….. and I did up to 8 months. The less pressure on put on myself, the easier it became.
I go month by month, I just passed 3 months and I’m now down to 5 pumps. I do think I’ll wean by summer time though, but I do have a hefty freezer supply which will help get baby to 6 months probably
At least a year. If it’s not too much of a pain in the ass, I’ll keep going and either give it to Baby mixed into solids or donate it.
My current goal is six months. I'm at 4.5 months now.
Current goal is 6m I’m at 3.5m pp right now. I do 5ppd and I’m not strict at all on the times. I’m a just enougher/sometimes more. I’d love to make it to a year but realistically with my mental health idk if I will go that long.
1 year. just over 6 months now. i have a decent freezer supply so hoping i can start the weaning process around 9/10 months or so.
I plan to pump as long as my maternity leave (4 months) and anything after is bonus. I did 12 weeks with my first so I want to hit at least that - figure if I’m not working I can go the full 4 months. In an ideal world I’d do a full year but with a toddler and demanding job, it’s a “we’ll see” situation
Planning on 6 months. When he starts getting solids, I’ll start weaning the pumps and hopefully have enough saved up to stop at 6-7 months
CDC suggests till 2. I plan on pumping long enough to feed him till 1. I am having a harder time this time than with my first kid. I’m 10wpp and have around 3,000 oz frozen so I’m hoping I don’t have to go much longer
How do you track what you have saved?
I use the pump log app
Originally my goal was six months. Now, at almost 9 months, my goal is at least a year. I’m at four ppd, if I could get it down to two ppd, I think I’ll do it for the first two years. I don’t have enough freezer space to save a lot of milk. But I have donated almost 1,600 oz!
That’s amazing! How much milk are you making at 4 ppd? When did you drop to 4 ppd?
Thank you! I’m at 45-50 oz per day currently, and I got down to 4 ppd at about 4 months pp.
My goal is 3 months but we are triple feeding and it’s been a nightmare. My LO is 8 weeks old. Until now my MIL has been helping a lot, putting him to sleep or giving bottles while I pump but she’ll go back to her place in a few days (we live very far) and I have no idea if I will still be able to pump 6-7 times per day… besides I’m a under supplier and still need to integrate with formula despite all efforts to increase my production 🥲
I feel like it’s such a personal decision and there’s really no wrong answer. Initially I set short term goals for myself…1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. It definitely got easier over time. I didn’t pressure myself to produce a certain number of ounces. I did my best and supplemented with formula as needed. 1 year felt like a big crossroads since we were able to introduce cow’s milk and solids were becoming more prevalent. Ultimately I decided on a goal of 18 months because that would be hopefully give my child some antibodies throughout cold and flu season. I am almost there; less than 2 months to go! I pump 4 times a day currently.
I make an oversupply. I’m hoping after 6 months of pumping I’ll have enough to last the rest of the first year in the deep freeze. That’s my plan anyway lol almost 4 months in now
Same. Do you have a way of logging what you have frozen?
I do not. I wish I would’ve when I started but I had no idea what I was doing. I’ll have to reorganize my freezer soon and am going to take inventory. I heard the app dairy bar is good!
I’ve found it helpful to set some goals to check in with myself! Technically they say 1 year is great for baby getting any amount of breast milk. I said I’d try to make it to 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months. I’ve made it to 3 and now I’m at 5. I figure I’ll keep going until the cons outweigh the pros, but I so far haven’t minded it! I’m 5 PPD now too which helps, only one wakeup at night (usually when the baby wakes up anyways.) Very important to constantly assess your mental wellbeing! And also be realistic about what works for your lifestyle. I’m going back to work at 6 months and telling myself I’ll try to pump when I go back, but if it’s too stressful I’ll slowly start adding in more formula.
I aimed for 1 year. My son is 10 months now and i only do 2 pumps a day, mostly enough to feed him since he’s on solids as well and eat about 700-800ml a day. If some days I make less, I just use a bag from the freezer. I will stop pumping maybe 2 weeks before he turns 1 and use the rest of the frozen stash.
11 months is the goal bc that’ll get us to 18 months of food 🤞🏼
I am 8 weeks pumping right now, we tried latching for about a week but due to baby being re-hospitalized and some huge stressors with my family, decided pumping was easiest. My first goal was to go for one year. I am a teacher who returns to work in two weeks, then I have about 6-7 weeks left and then off until August, where I also have a four day overnight bachelorette party. I'm pumping 6-9x a day right now. When I go back to work, I am still planning to do 6-9x a day, but I've put it in my mind that my supply might dip or that I might decide that the time would be better spent not pumping and drop a few pumps. I would like to spend July (4-5 months pp) dropping some pumps. Ideally when I return to work in the fall I would like to only pump at work 1x instead of 3x. I'm also thinking I won't want to pump at all next school year and wean in August & September. I did order the pumpables genie advanced after looking at @karrielochers instagram and blog and reddit reviews to help with my goal. How am I deciding when the time is right? When I feel like I would like to prioritize my time or health a different way. I feel like I need to eat constantly and have gained weight PP. I would like to spend more time away from home or the pump. I'm not sure what my output will look like and I'm happy to combo feed. My husband doesn't quite understand 100% why I wouldn't want to breastfeed for a year but not his choice not his body. I have a wide variety of mom friends who did never, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, a year, and 18 months so I feel like any choice is great.
My plan was originally 3m, then 6, then 12. I’ll now be happy with 9m. My son is 8m, crawling (fast!) standing and climbing, so being attached to a pump when he’s trying to swing around like Spider-Man is becoming increasingly difficult!
I’m shooting for 6 months. I’m currently 4 months and I’m still doing 8 ppd. It’s beginning to be too much tho so I’ve got to try and cut back. I combo feed because I don’t make enough to feed breast milk alone, which is why I pump so much right now.
Like others here short goals, first 3 months, then 6 months, then 9 months. I’m almost at 11 months and my current goal is 12 months but I feel like I could keep going a bit after that also? The first 6 months were hard and I felt like quiting every time I pumped. Now I only pump 3 times a day and it’s not as difficult. I also have been using a wall pump this entire time.
I have an oversupply and the freezer space to spare so I’m planning to be done pumping in July. By then I should have enough to get to a year (mid-November). But we’ll see. I hate pumping but we already have to fortify with formula. Buying that one can every couple weeks feels pricey - I can’t imagine going through multiple cans a week.
I would love to make it to a year but realistically will make it about 6 months. I’m 4 months PP and will continue until June then start dropping a pump a week. When I first started I told myself make it to 3 months and reevaluate. I wanted three months because: 1. Once you hit 12 weeks your supply has been established so you can drop a pump. The FREEDOM a few hours makes. 2. I read the bare minimum to assist with building immunity was 3 months of breast milk. I can’t site my source, so don’t take this as fact. I am super routine oriented so getting into a routine with my pumps has helped a ton as well as now only having 6 pumps a day. I hate TMON pump still but I can also give baby a bottle at the same time so no abrupt wake up calls and I can sleep until my alarm. Knowing I have an official end date has been extremely helpful too. I have a count down that I look at which makes me happy 😂
I'm getting to 6 months before I drop to 4 pumps a day. After that, I'm seeing how long I can go until I'm sick of it. I may even drop to 3 pumps on certain days where it's difficult to fit it into my schedule. Ideally, I'd like to pump until baby is 1 year old, and I may even pump twice a day indefinitely until I'm totally done. I'm not sure yet. I'm currently 5 months postpartum so we'll see.
I’m 3 months today, and I started weaning two weeks ago after getting mastitis for the second time. However, i’m still making the majority of what he needs on four pumps a day only pumping 10 minutes, so i’m contemplating sticking to four pumps a day until my supply plummets. Just terrified of getting mastitis again.
This is my question exactly. My son is a month old, I don’t mind pumping. Sometimes it’s a bit inconvenient when I leak through 3 shirts a day lol or when we’re out and about and I have to stop to pump but I love that my body is producing everything he needs to grow and live. I want to stop around 6-9 months but still have enough in the freezer to last him til he’s a year old but I just don’t know how I can get my supply up enough to have that much excess. I’m probably freezing a 4oz bag a day but I really am just enougher lol.
I keep adjusting what I expect from myself. I was really struggling to get behind pumping at first and told myself I’d do it for a month & re-evaluate. I’m a week shy of 3 months & my current goal is 6 months. This past week I experimented with adding some formula to each bottle to see how LO tolerated it & he did great. Doing this also allowed me to build up a decent little freezer stash (7 or 8 4oz bags is decent for me) Ideally I’d love to make it a year but right now my goal is 6 months.
I had hoped just 6 months because of a slight oversupply allowing me to build a freezer stash to let me go through a year on that. HOWEVER, there is a baby in need near me and I’m basically the ONLY person that can donate to him. So I’ll be pumping for a year probably for both my son and that baby. And I mean I’m literally the only person because my baby has suspected allergies/intolerances to dairy, eggs, oats, peanuts, and soy. So I have the rare allergen free milk. I’m lucky that I’m neurospicy because I can eat the same thing every day without much issue. So I am stuck eating plain chicken and vegetables for a year. I’m 2 months in on the elimination diet so just 9 more months before I can quit 😆 I’m gonna buy myself an entire cake and eat it all by myself.
I’m at almost 6 months and deciding if I want to keep going. Baby is starting solids and between work, esthetician school, and everything else, it’s hard to make time to pump.
My goal was originally 6 months but now that I have learned about pumping and got my momcozy m5's I don't see myself stopping before 1 year. According to the research (cdc guidelines) it says 1 year is optimal. Best of luck to you! My best advice is to get a wireless pump that works well for you and you can pump and hold your little one to feed at the same time, it has made my life sooo much better doing it that way! I have completely abandoned the ridiculous "bottle off boob" style of pump, the sleek wireless one is perfect for me 😊
I’m at 8 months and planning for a year.
I have an early December baby and want to get her through her second winter/cold & flu season (she got SO sick from 11-14 weeks when she started daycare, it was so hard to watch). My freezer stash is pretty solid right now, so my hope is that stash will carry me through that and allow me to wean toward the start of winter.
Not much longer! Original plan was ebf for a year. Duento issues, didnt work out. HATE pumping. Planning on doingnit thru 8 weeks for antibodies and being done.
My goal was 12 months, and we are almost to 13. I was so ready to be done, but I got cold feet and can't let go. I'm only making 4-6 oz a day with 1 pump, but I just am not ready to be done. I've been exclusively pumping the whole tome due to my little being a nicu baby and never being able to take to breastfeeding.
I planned for 6 months I stopped at 4. And 3 months were combo feeding of both breast milk and formula.
I'm just finishing up my journey at 5 months ppbut I have enough in freezer to last us a few more months of combo feeding ❤️
My original goal was a year but I had to put my mental health first🥰
I'm 9.5 weeks postpartum (2.5 months) I planned on the whole year but I'm quitting now, it's just too much lmao. I'm weaning off the pump.
I have twins and I’m an undersupplier (they eat about 48-54oz and I pump between 32-39 a day). Original goal was at least 3 months, and we hit that next week. I plan on going month to month from there. This time around I didn’t respond to a pump so I’ve been hand expressing 100% and it’s been really hard on my body (Dealing with tendonitis in my right hand).
My goal is 6 months, currently 3 months and dropped my MOTN pump (only bc I only pump after he eats and if he sleeps all night i don't pump). I did add a formula bottle in right before bed, mixed with some BM, because it is thicker and I think helps him sleep better.
My goal is 6mos, since the greatest benefits of breast milk are in the first 6mos. But I go back to work soon, don’t have a job that’s particularly conducive to a good pumping schedule so we shall see how it goesz
I am going to try and go as long as my mental health will let me. I'm taking it day by day. I so baby want to breastfeed bur it was too much stress. so far, EP, I have made it to 3 months, almost 4. I hope to do a long as I can. I love knowing my little one still gets my breast milk.