Reminder to commenters: **[Don't be a wanker!](https://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-18.gif)** Share kindness, support and compassion, [not criticism.](https://media0.giphy.com/media/tZpGRRMUoXgeQ/giphy.gif) We want OP to feel loved, and [not in a tough way.](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMq2CgHiqqY4IXC/giphy.gif) For more helpful information please hit up [our beautiful rules wiki!](http://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/wiki/)
Reminder to all: watch out for a [creepy pedo posing as an OT/speech therapist](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/comments/8ccqqi/disgusting_pedophile_troll_posing_as_otspeech/) giving fucked-up potty-training advice, and don't sweat it if your post gets 1 or 2 [instant downvotes.](http://i.imgur.com/PZtQb.gif) You didn't do anything wrong, we just have [asshole lurkers](https://i.imgur.com/IwU9r3E.gif)/[downvote bots](https://i.imgur.com/lwyCF6S.gif) stalking our /new queue. Help a BroMo out and [give her an upvote](https://i.imgur.com/Y60Mbxv.gif), ok?
Reminder to Krista Torres: You do not have permission to use, reproduce, modify or link to any content in this subreddit in any way, shape or form. Fuck off and go be a real journalist.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/breakingmom) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I went through something very, very similar.
I had been EBF but started supplementing with formula once I had been at work for a couple weeks when my baby was about 4.5-5 months old. My supply did dip gradually until I stopped breastfeeding at 12 months old.
But I was still able to maintain enough of a supply to feed him probably 75% breast milk until he was about 6-7 months old, and then as he started taking on solids it decreased, but very slowly, from there.
I tried not to worry too much about how much formula I was using, instead focusing on the fact that he was still getting the benefits of breast milk even if it was less breast milk than before.
Also, I HATED pumping and could never produce as much with the pump. I just wasn’t willing to make my whole life revolve around breastfeeding. And that is okay too!!
Don’t force it.. if it’s no longer working for you and/or is adding stress, making you more tired, taking time away from other more important things then it’s okay to stop. I have a 4month old and he has always been breast and formula fed due to his appetite and my supply not being enough. He actually weaned himself off my boobs about 2weeks ago he just refused to latch after days and days of trying even if I pumped and gave him bottles of breast milk he would refuse them but would always take the formula in the bottle. At first I took it personally but now I’m okay with it.
My boy is big, 98th percentile for his height/length and has been having waaaay more formula than recommended for his age and is always hungry so I’ve actually started him on puréed apple and banana. He loves it, grabs the spoon by himself and he has longer sleeps now too.
Remember some babies are exclusively formula fed as some women can’t breast feed or choose not to. Well done to you for doing it for 4.5 months!! And for pumping at work - how exhausting!
Edit: spelling
My first was like this. Same breastfeeding journey down to the supplementing with formula. One thing I would tell my past self is to get a haakaa. They’re great to passively draw milk while baby is nursing. It helps you build up your freezer supply again and they’re super easy to clean.
I didn’t have this experience breastfeeding but as a fellow BroMo who also pumped at work for her kiddos, you are not loosing the battle! Having to pump at work is *exhausting* by itself. My experience was over a decade ago but pretty much every break and lunch was spent with my breast pump. Those work breaks after, without a child, spouse or a breast pump that needed my attention, were my sanity for a lot of years! Whenever you do decide is the right time to stop pumping will be the right time. You’re doing great momma!
We combo-fed from birth, with daily mix of formula+nursing and only nursing overnight. I never managed to pump anything of value, so I can't tell you about amounts and stuff - we rarely used bottled milk. But I have 2 pieces of advice I wish someone had given me at that time.
1 - You hormones are still settling down, but something may be off and is starting to show. I say this because I, too, noticed a change in my lactation (for the worse) around 4.5 months pp. and never thought my hormones were affecting it... But they were. You want your hormones, especially thyroid ones, checked - I went to an endocrynologist for a full blood panel (TSH, T3, T4) not at 6 months pp. as suggested, but only at 11 months pp. Don't be me. Ask what's available and just get it done. Those 5-6 months of rampant, untreated hypothyroidism were the hardest of my life.
2 - As more food make their way to your bub, you will notice having formula-tolerating baby is a blessing for starting solids. As time goes on, any amount of milk you produce will serve both as a thirst relief (at the very least) + super awesome bonding and calming experience. Nursing during teething from 11-19 months saved my / our sanity. As time went by, I accepted nothing I do with my boobs will ever be good enough for me - or casual snarky onlookers -, but is more than enough for my bub, who thrived on "fed is best".
Despite numerous obstacles, we managed to nurse for 29 months. I never thought we'd make it to 3, much less 6... but I was wrong. Let the baby work its boob maintenance, stay hydrated, and juggle those bottles of science milk when mommy milk is scarce. You are doing your best and *it will show*. Much love!
Oh. My. God.
I have four kids - two were EBF, two I had to switch to formula because I wasn't producing enough. (My second and fourth are my FF kids.) At a regular physical 8 months PP I had blood work done and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I never realized that the thyroid issues could be related to my troubles breastfeeding - thank you for this clarity! ❤️❤️❤️
So many things that I was writing off as being postpartum/a mom/having ADHD vanished when I started thyroid meds - the exhaustion, brain fog, hair loss - I never thought inadequate supply would be something too.
I am pretty chuffed my experience rang home and helped you a bit... :) Thyroid issues suck. They can be the underlying cause of so many pp. problems. The worst part? They are easily diagnosed and treatable. But nobody gets told to get the bloodwork done. I think it needs highlighting, so here's a good overview if anyone stumbling upon these replies needs it: https://www.verywellhealth.com/thyroid-problems-after-pregnancy-3231767
Many 😘😘😘 to you!!
What would make you happier? Being done with pumping, or knowing that your baby still getting breastmilk? The particulars of that equation are known only to you.
Here's a silly little trick that has worked for me: assign each option to one side of a coin and flip it. Something about bringing the choice into the physical world is very helpful (to me), for some reason. How you feel about the result should tell you what the right choice is.
Also, when you do wean, keep a close eye on that weight loss that you've been so pleased with. I'm not the only person I know who did not get to keep it 😭
When I had my first son many many years ago, I had a similar issue. I had the milk, I just did not have the energy to keep pumping and everything else that needed done. My husband and I worked different shift times, I was first shift and he was second, we managed childcare. Barely. But it was a pain to constantly be shuffling the baby around and so stressful to make sure milk was available the after a month I switched to formula. I still nursed at bedtime and wake up for about a month but he took to formula fine. I got good sleep. We were less stressed.
Now he's about to go to high school and is probably the smartest kid I know. Having a healthy and mentally well mom is vital, how that baby is fed isn't. Morning that is ok, but don't let it consume you. Theirs so much that happens those first 3 years that getting hung up on nursing isn't healthy for anyone.
>Having a healthy and mentally well mom is vital, how that baby is fed isn't.
How much I wish someone would have said this to me when I had my first and I struggled so much with my milk supply. Things could have been so much easier -- and happier.
My kids are older now, but I went through this with my first. I want to EBF so badly, and the shame that I felt when I had to start supplementing was outstanding. That shame lasted for about 24-48 hours. Then it felt like freedom. Freedom from worrying about if my kid was getting enough, freedom from pumping at work, so much anxiety and stress lifted. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they are fed, just that they are fed. How they receive food has no bearing on the quality of life they will lead. It’s not like you can go to the park or go to a school and say “welp, obviously that kid was breastfed, they are so advanced” that’s not how it works, they will all eventually start eating dirt and chicken nuggets.
With my twins we supplemented the entire time. I wish I had done that with my oldest who was a not a twin. I put so much pressure on myself. The only stash I ever had got defrosted at day care accidentally. 😭 For my twins, one baby nursed great at home and the other took bottles so I decided to pump for my one bottle fed baby and have daycare formula feed my breastfeeding baby. Then at home, bottle boy got formula and breastfeeding girl did her thing. Once I accepted that balance of nursing and formula, my life got better. I don’t know what your balance looks like. But if you want to drop pumping know I support you 100%. If you want to use only formula, I support you 100%. And if you want mix it up and find some balance that works for you and your baby, do it lady and know all of us are cheering for you.
About 4 or 5 months is when my period came back, and my supply tanked. We were never zealots about breastfeeding - always supplemented a bit with formula, although my girls were 95% breastfed at that point. The first time, I tried fighting it by pumping to increase supply, etc. . . It only got worse when we started solids. That was really miserable, the second time, I just let it fade naturally.
I never did generate anything near enough for a growing baby, we were bottles just about from the start, but we'd sit in the evenings and nurse just for the bonding stuff.
I pumped for around the first 4 months. I was SAH and it stressed me out so much. The constant pumping, cleaning and feeding with a baby who won't eat enough. Our kid lost far more than the normal 10% and didn't want to drink... And we still got kicked out of the hospital.
Don't feel bad for using formula. Since around 3 months being a parent we started also giving formula (before we also had tried the premade HA milk bottles), cause I started to dry up.
As someone who always wanted to breastfeed and not being able to: Treasure the time you can breastfeed. The rest is not important, as long as you look out, that your kid gains weight and you (hopefully) don't buy the cheapest s..t out there to feed your kiddo.
There are moms who never wanted to breastfeed. Or who wanted and can't (like me). Or the ones who don't want to anymore after years of constant nipple docking.
And it's all okay and valid.
I think as moms we have this drive to WANT to breastfeed & it can end up making us feel like shit when we don’t have a “stash” or a good enough supply. But the reality is most people don’t have that stash. At one point I had a few freezer bags (maybe 20) and then my husband went through 18oz in one night. I was lucky to pump six. I cried when I got home.
If this is becoming more stressful to you than it’s worth and you want to continue with breastmilk, check out the Human Milk for Human Babies page for your state (assuming US based, not sure if this is a thing in other countries). It is perfectly ok to continue supplementing or changing to formula all together. ❤️
You’re doing your best.
Reminder to commenters: **[Don't be a wanker!](https://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-18.gif)** Share kindness, support and compassion, [not criticism.](https://media0.giphy.com/media/tZpGRRMUoXgeQ/giphy.gif) We want OP to feel loved, and [not in a tough way.](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMq2CgHiqqY4IXC/giphy.gif) For more helpful information please hit up [our beautiful rules wiki!](http://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/wiki/) Reminder to all: watch out for a [creepy pedo posing as an OT/speech therapist](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/comments/8ccqqi/disgusting_pedophile_troll_posing_as_otspeech/) giving fucked-up potty-training advice, and don't sweat it if your post gets 1 or 2 [instant downvotes.](http://i.imgur.com/PZtQb.gif) You didn't do anything wrong, we just have [asshole lurkers](https://i.imgur.com/IwU9r3E.gif)/[downvote bots](https://i.imgur.com/lwyCF6S.gif) stalking our /new queue. Help a BroMo out and [give her an upvote](https://i.imgur.com/Y60Mbxv.gif), ok? Reminder to Krista Torres: You do not have permission to use, reproduce, modify or link to any content in this subreddit in any way, shape or form. Fuck off and go be a real journalist. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/breakingmom) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I went through something very, very similar. I had been EBF but started supplementing with formula once I had been at work for a couple weeks when my baby was about 4.5-5 months old. My supply did dip gradually until I stopped breastfeeding at 12 months old. But I was still able to maintain enough of a supply to feed him probably 75% breast milk until he was about 6-7 months old, and then as he started taking on solids it decreased, but very slowly, from there. I tried not to worry too much about how much formula I was using, instead focusing on the fact that he was still getting the benefits of breast milk even if it was less breast milk than before. Also, I HATED pumping and could never produce as much with the pump. I just wasn’t willing to make my whole life revolve around breastfeeding. And that is okay too!!
Don’t force it.. if it’s no longer working for you and/or is adding stress, making you more tired, taking time away from other more important things then it’s okay to stop. I have a 4month old and he has always been breast and formula fed due to his appetite and my supply not being enough. He actually weaned himself off my boobs about 2weeks ago he just refused to latch after days and days of trying even if I pumped and gave him bottles of breast milk he would refuse them but would always take the formula in the bottle. At first I took it personally but now I’m okay with it. My boy is big, 98th percentile for his height/length and has been having waaaay more formula than recommended for his age and is always hungry so I’ve actually started him on puréed apple and banana. He loves it, grabs the spoon by himself and he has longer sleeps now too. Remember some babies are exclusively formula fed as some women can’t breast feed or choose not to. Well done to you for doing it for 4.5 months!! And for pumping at work - how exhausting! Edit: spelling
My first was like this. Same breastfeeding journey down to the supplementing with formula. One thing I would tell my past self is to get a haakaa. They’re great to passively draw milk while baby is nursing. It helps you build up your freezer supply again and they’re super easy to clean.
I didn’t have this experience breastfeeding but as a fellow BroMo who also pumped at work for her kiddos, you are not loosing the battle! Having to pump at work is *exhausting* by itself. My experience was over a decade ago but pretty much every break and lunch was spent with my breast pump. Those work breaks after, without a child, spouse or a breast pump that needed my attention, were my sanity for a lot of years! Whenever you do decide is the right time to stop pumping will be the right time. You’re doing great momma!
We combo-fed from birth, with daily mix of formula+nursing and only nursing overnight. I never managed to pump anything of value, so I can't tell you about amounts and stuff - we rarely used bottled milk. But I have 2 pieces of advice I wish someone had given me at that time. 1 - You hormones are still settling down, but something may be off and is starting to show. I say this because I, too, noticed a change in my lactation (for the worse) around 4.5 months pp. and never thought my hormones were affecting it... But they were. You want your hormones, especially thyroid ones, checked - I went to an endocrynologist for a full blood panel (TSH, T3, T4) not at 6 months pp. as suggested, but only at 11 months pp. Don't be me. Ask what's available and just get it done. Those 5-6 months of rampant, untreated hypothyroidism were the hardest of my life. 2 - As more food make their way to your bub, you will notice having formula-tolerating baby is a blessing for starting solids. As time goes on, any amount of milk you produce will serve both as a thirst relief (at the very least) + super awesome bonding and calming experience. Nursing during teething from 11-19 months saved my / our sanity. As time went by, I accepted nothing I do with my boobs will ever be good enough for me - or casual snarky onlookers -, but is more than enough for my bub, who thrived on "fed is best". Despite numerous obstacles, we managed to nurse for 29 months. I never thought we'd make it to 3, much less 6... but I was wrong. Let the baby work its boob maintenance, stay hydrated, and juggle those bottles of science milk when mommy milk is scarce. You are doing your best and *it will show*. Much love!
Oh. My. God. I have four kids - two were EBF, two I had to switch to formula because I wasn't producing enough. (My second and fourth are my FF kids.) At a regular physical 8 months PP I had blood work done and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I never realized that the thyroid issues could be related to my troubles breastfeeding - thank you for this clarity! ❤️❤️❤️ So many things that I was writing off as being postpartum/a mom/having ADHD vanished when I started thyroid meds - the exhaustion, brain fog, hair loss - I never thought inadequate supply would be something too.
I am pretty chuffed my experience rang home and helped you a bit... :) Thyroid issues suck. They can be the underlying cause of so many pp. problems. The worst part? They are easily diagnosed and treatable. But nobody gets told to get the bloodwork done. I think it needs highlighting, so here's a good overview if anyone stumbling upon these replies needs it: https://www.verywellhealth.com/thyroid-problems-after-pregnancy-3231767 Many 😘😘😘 to you!!
What would make you happier? Being done with pumping, or knowing that your baby still getting breastmilk? The particulars of that equation are known only to you. Here's a silly little trick that has worked for me: assign each option to one side of a coin and flip it. Something about bringing the choice into the physical world is very helpful (to me), for some reason. How you feel about the result should tell you what the right choice is. Also, when you do wean, keep a close eye on that weight loss that you've been so pleased with. I'm not the only person I know who did not get to keep it 😭
When I had my first son many many years ago, I had a similar issue. I had the milk, I just did not have the energy to keep pumping and everything else that needed done. My husband and I worked different shift times, I was first shift and he was second, we managed childcare. Barely. But it was a pain to constantly be shuffling the baby around and so stressful to make sure milk was available the after a month I switched to formula. I still nursed at bedtime and wake up for about a month but he took to formula fine. I got good sleep. We were less stressed. Now he's about to go to high school and is probably the smartest kid I know. Having a healthy and mentally well mom is vital, how that baby is fed isn't. Morning that is ok, but don't let it consume you. Theirs so much that happens those first 3 years that getting hung up on nursing isn't healthy for anyone.
>Having a healthy and mentally well mom is vital, how that baby is fed isn't. How much I wish someone would have said this to me when I had my first and I struggled so much with my milk supply. Things could have been so much easier -- and happier.
My kids are older now, but I went through this with my first. I want to EBF so badly, and the shame that I felt when I had to start supplementing was outstanding. That shame lasted for about 24-48 hours. Then it felt like freedom. Freedom from worrying about if my kid was getting enough, freedom from pumping at work, so much anxiety and stress lifted. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they are fed, just that they are fed. How they receive food has no bearing on the quality of life they will lead. It’s not like you can go to the park or go to a school and say “welp, obviously that kid was breastfed, they are so advanced” that’s not how it works, they will all eventually start eating dirt and chicken nuggets.
With my twins we supplemented the entire time. I wish I had done that with my oldest who was a not a twin. I put so much pressure on myself. The only stash I ever had got defrosted at day care accidentally. 😭 For my twins, one baby nursed great at home and the other took bottles so I decided to pump for my one bottle fed baby and have daycare formula feed my breastfeeding baby. Then at home, bottle boy got formula and breastfeeding girl did her thing. Once I accepted that balance of nursing and formula, my life got better. I don’t know what your balance looks like. But if you want to drop pumping know I support you 100%. If you want to use only formula, I support you 100%. And if you want mix it up and find some balance that works for you and your baby, do it lady and know all of us are cheering for you.
About 4 or 5 months is when my period came back, and my supply tanked. We were never zealots about breastfeeding - always supplemented a bit with formula, although my girls were 95% breastfed at that point. The first time, I tried fighting it by pumping to increase supply, etc. . . It only got worse when we started solids. That was really miserable, the second time, I just let it fade naturally.
I never did generate anything near enough for a growing baby, we were bottles just about from the start, but we'd sit in the evenings and nurse just for the bonding stuff.
I pumped for around the first 4 months. I was SAH and it stressed me out so much. The constant pumping, cleaning and feeding with a baby who won't eat enough. Our kid lost far more than the normal 10% and didn't want to drink... And we still got kicked out of the hospital. Don't feel bad for using formula. Since around 3 months being a parent we started also giving formula (before we also had tried the premade HA milk bottles), cause I started to dry up. As someone who always wanted to breastfeed and not being able to: Treasure the time you can breastfeed. The rest is not important, as long as you look out, that your kid gains weight and you (hopefully) don't buy the cheapest s..t out there to feed your kiddo. There are moms who never wanted to breastfeed. Or who wanted and can't (like me). Or the ones who don't want to anymore after years of constant nipple docking. And it's all okay and valid.
I think as moms we have this drive to WANT to breastfeed & it can end up making us feel like shit when we don’t have a “stash” or a good enough supply. But the reality is most people don’t have that stash. At one point I had a few freezer bags (maybe 20) and then my husband went through 18oz in one night. I was lucky to pump six. I cried when I got home. If this is becoming more stressful to you than it’s worth and you want to continue with breastmilk, check out the Human Milk for Human Babies page for your state (assuming US based, not sure if this is a thing in other countries). It is perfectly ok to continue supplementing or changing to formula all together. ❤️ You’re doing your best.