Support and knowledge about breastfeeding

If you choose to post breastfeeding photos here, be aware that as a public sub anyone can see those photos, and that includes the occasional creepy perv. Should one of those creepy pervs decide to comment, PM you, or send you a chat, there are a variety of options to report and block them depending on the type of message and how you're accessing Reddit, so I've done some tinkering and put together a visual guide on how to report and block creepy pervs.

If you are on a desktop browser: and you're using old Reddit, you can report a comment using the report button directly underneath the comment in question. This will report it to the mod team and we can ban the user and/or escalate it to the admins as necessary.

If you get a creepy PM: the first thing you will need to do is copy the permalink URL to the PM, then navigate to old.reddit.com/report and report it to the admins as targeted harassment. Then you can go back to the PM and click the "block user" link to never hear from them again. NOTE: if you block them first, the message will disappear from your inbox and you won't be able to get the link required to report it to the admins.

If you get a chat message from a creepy perv, hover your mouse over the message and a flag icon will appear - click this to report the message to the admins. This also works in new Reddit on desktop!

If you're browsing in the redesign, you'll first need to click the three dots underneath the comment - this will open a menu with the report option, and reporting the comment will also ask you if you want to block the user.

If you're using a mobile browser, the steps are mostly the same as the redesign - look for the 3 dots which will open the report menu.

If you're using the official Reddit app and you need to report a PM, again look for the 3 dots to the right of the message which will open the report menu.

To report a chat in the official Reddit app, long press the message until this menu pops up and follow the prompts to report & block the user.

And there you have it! Hopefully that covers most of the bases for dealing with creepy pervs on Reddit. If you use a different app or you have any other questions, feel free to message the mod team and we'll do our best to help. 😊

Got a question you don't want buried in the new queue? Want to share a thought that doesn't really need its own thread? Just looking for someone to chat with? Feel free to put it all in this weekly sticky!

Like the title says - curious if anyone actually enjoys breastfeeding? I do it because it's supposed to be better for the baby but I really don't enjoy feeling like a cow or needing to be attached to the baby 24/7, ky sister's also didn't really enjoy but did it because they felt they should - so wondering if anyone here breastfeeds not just out of a sense of obligation but also because they genuinely enjoy it?

What’s ur take on it? And for those of who has gotten it has it lasted u a long time? I’m think of getting a ring done cause I have 2 bags left over and stopped 3 months ago when babygirl was 6 months old ( though I’m seriously regretting it :( ) and she’s my 5th and finally last baby for sure lol I’m torn on doing it

I know it’s kinda superficial but I want to lose weight so bad currently 4mo pp.. with my second baby. Breastfeeding has me always wanting food no matter how much I eat. Any tips, tricks or even just saying it’s normal would be appreciated.

Does everyone just wear a nursing bra/top and breast pads at night to sleep? I usually have an over supply and leak if I don’t but it’s killing me to wear a bra in this weather.

How do you and your partner split duties for nighttime feedings? I have a two month old. LO wakes up 2-4x a night and I do all of the night time feedings. I can’t help but to feel resentful when I hear my partner snoring and I’m on the rocker chair breastfeeding our child.

Hi all, I may have a unique situation but I’m hoping some may be in the same boat or experienced something similar. My gorgeous girl was a NICU baby for 3 weeks. She required an NG tube for that time. I was lucky that I had a great supply almost straight away so we were able to feed her with my pumped BM. I was able to pump around 120ml in about 20 minutes every 3 hours.

When we brought baby home, she established a great latch and I ditched the pump all together and I’ve now been EBF for 4 1/2 months.

Unfortunately I go back to work soon and want to establish a good freezer supply if I ever can’t be there to feed her.

Problem is I’ve started to pump again and hardly anything is happening? I know it’s not a supply issue because she feeds great but I can’t seem to pump more than 30mls?? Do I just need to stick to it? How do I return to my former pumping glory?? Lmao. any advice is appreciated.

Sorry for the long post and formatting, on my phone.

Again, no judgment! I know so many people who say, “I breastfed or breastfed and pumped for the first 4, 6, 8, etc months…” I’m curious their reason why they stopped but it’s also not my business and I don’t want my asking to be perceived as a judgment/make them feel bad. But I’m genuinely curious. Anyone want to share? Thank you!

My 23mo has recently learned what nursing is by watching me feed his 12wks baby sister and now wants to try. He couldn’t nurse after 2wks due to failure to thrive and other medical complications (including stress drying up my supply as I watched my baby almost die) so was a formula to cow milk baby. I’ve been lucky with his sister and been able to breastfeed so now he’s asking to try. I’ve been trying to let him but his teeth scare me. Anyone else been in this situation with a formula fed firstborn asking to nurse when they see the baby nursing? I wouldn’t mind at all if he didn’t have so many teeth! It’s also cute watching him suddenly start “nursing” his baby dolls (and other various toys). Sometimes he’ll get a drop or two of milk out (usually because he asks me to hand express it for him) and then he smiles and walks away. He says he likes mama milk but also vehemently denies liking it. I don’t really know what to do or how to approach the situation. I’m planning on nursing his sister until she’s his age at least (unless something goes wrong and I need to stop sooner) so his age doesn’t cause me any issues I just don’t know how to teach an almost 2yo to nurse. He also doesn’t NEED to nurse he just likes to be included and does it for comfort (not physical comfort, the mental comfort of knowing mama still loves him just as much as the new baby). I really just don’t know how to handle this situation or anyone who’s been in a similar situation I could talk to.

Reoccurring clogged duct in the same spot-desperately searching for similar experiences and support.

I was heaving a beautiful journey breastfeeding my daughter. Around 10 months in I woke up at with a huge lump in my right breast, which got me totally freaked out for a minute. I knew about mastitis and had a mild case in my left breast before, but I never heard about clogged ducts. However, it was gone by the morning, and I didnt think much of it again.

Fast forward several months, I was 12 months post partum when I got the clog again. In the same exact spot. Then again. And again. In 2 months I got it probably 4-5 times by which point I went to the emergency doctor and got prescribed antibiotics.

The clogs I was getting were huge! Monster size. A good walnut sized ball at the top of my right breast. They would be extremely painful, but would go away within 24 hours, usually after a good feeding session.

I though my struggles were over, but after taking antibiotics, I immediately got a clog again. Same spot, same pattern, which really sent me on a downward emotional spiral. At this point I was/am terrified that it is something much worse than a clog.

Around the time I was prescribed the antibiotics, I also visited a breast specialist, who performed an ultrasound to double check if everything looks normal. According to her, it did. Since then I had 2 additional ultrasounds, both coming back without anything suspicious on the imaging.

I started taking sunflower lecithin, following the ice/ibuprofen protocol and I also began to reduce breastfeeding. At 12 months I was still feeding my daughter around 6-7 times per day, I am now down to 3 feeds but I still got clogged twice this week. Not as bad as previously,probably because of reduced supply, but the clogs continue. Also my breast doesn’t feel right anymore. I dont know if it is me hyper focusing on that breast or what, but I feel like it is sort of swollen’ish, or painful sometimes..or I just feel it there. Its almost difficult to describe.

The only events I can attribute to the start of the reoccurring clogs are my childs teeth coming. Also around the same time I was having issues with my left breast and decided that I will prioritise the right one -the now problematic one- during feeding.

Can anyone out there relate? Has this ever happened to anyone? I have seen numerous posts by women on reddit describing somewhat similar situations but none seem to be as bad as mine. And very few appear to have had clogs in the same exact location.

This has taken a huge toll on my mental health. At this point I just wanna cry and not get out of bed every time I feel a clog coming on. In addition, I am super worried something is seriously wrong that the doctors cannot see.

I would be grateful for any kind of input.

I understand some people get their periods back while breastfeeding but I’d like to hear from those who only got it back after weaning.

Once you weaned, how long did it take for you to get it back? Were they consistent/every month from the start?

Had a friend who dropped weight right away after she weaned..said her body was “holding onto the extra weight” while BFing. Truth to this..? Give me hope. Lol

That’s it. That’s the post

TL;DR: my 6 week old only nurses for 10-15 minutes. Can it be enough?

ETA: often she spits up if i try to force a longer nursing session which leads me to believe she may be getting overly full but my anxiety is really getting the best of me right now and i’m wondering if any other babes this young are in the same situation

I’ve had 3 appointments with a lactation consultant and each time she’s done a weighted feed, helped me pump and assured me that i have a stellar milk production (and probably a fast let down). My 6 week old is gaining weight (she’s chunky! 90th percentile!) and has plenty of dirty and wet diapers a day.

But for the last week she only nurses about 5 minutes a side for 10 minutes total (still every 2-3 hours). Sometimes she’s too fussy to go longer, literally pushes away from the breast, doesn’t want it at all no matter how many burps, breaks or other tricks i try. And sometimes she’s sleepy and perfectly content after 10 minutes (no matter how many burps, breaks or tips I try). I’ve never quite been able to read her hunger or fullness cues well.

Though I’ve been reassured, i am so anxious that she doesn’t get enough, 6 weeks seems too young to be that efficient at breastfeeding 😔😔😔

Has anyone used milk collection shells? Not the haakaa but the completely passive ones that just collect your let down with no suction. If you've used them, what did you think? What brand did you use? Was it worth the faff? How much of a faff was it??

I'm not sure how to find if someone has asked/answered this. But I was wondering how longer stretches of sleep go if your exclusively breastfeeding? Do our boobs slowly get more okay with only being emptied every 4 hour and then 6 hours but then a lot more often during the day? Or will I always be pumping even when baby sleeps more? Or is it a matter of time like getting the supply going for a certain number of months? Im at 5 weeks but just got our first surprise 4.5 hour stretch and woke up to sore engorged boobs

Hi! One of my breasts is painful.. no warmth, redness, lump, or fever. Just really tender when pressure placed on it or when in holding my baby against me. Could this be mastitis? What should I do and when should I head to a doctor? I have been resting, using ice and Tylenol as I read it’s not recommended to use heat anymore?!

Why does this happen Omg

It stingssss

Hi I've been lucky that I've had an easy feeding journey till now. My baby is 9 months and feeding less now he's getting solids but still feeding several times a day. A few days ago he bit me quite hard and I've been a bit sore since but it's getting worse particularly when be feeds. It now really hurts when he feeds. I'm unsure if it's a clogged duct or if its the bite as it seems he has bitten through the nipple skin a bit. Or if its both I suppose. Its a sharp pain that feels like it's inside and it hurts so bad when he feeds. Any help?

I also can't take ibuprofen so if its a clogged duct when else can I do?

baby will be 4 months old in 2 weeks and I really don't like breastfeeding anymore. He squirms, scratches unlatches and struggles to relatch himself. I get overstimulated and have been feeding more bottles and more formula. My supply is at an ATL. 2 oz every sometimes 4 hours at the pump. I'm not really latching baby anymore because he just won't stop squirming. No matter what position I try. Side lying, cross cradle, football, it's like no matter what he's just uncomfortable. I feel trapped with my baby. Like I have to latch him but I get so frustrated and start to resent him because he hurts me. I'm just so disappointed in myself. Taking care of myself and the baby is more than a full time job and leaves me feeling like I have no time for myself.

I've been breastfeeding for 2 years today. My original goal was 6 months!! Then 12, then 18, then as long as she wants to.

I'll be honest, I've hated it for the last 2-3 months, but not so much that I've decided to stop. My daughter has CMPA so I'll keep giving her my milk in one form or another until she can have cows milk.

2 years!!! The hardest I've ever worked ha!

I have now heard this from SEVERAL. Why why why why why? This is dangerous & way WAY too common. One person told me she gave her baby rice cereal at 3 weeks. 3!! I’m tired of explaining it’s not ok & I won’t be doing it & them asking why after I literally just told them. “Ok fine choose no sleep” OKKKK? Why not ask me if I need help? Or offer better advice? I change the convo at this point. People really think that if baby is eating every 30min-2 hours they must not be getting full. UGH. Sorry just venting!

Has anyone taken this for a tummy bug while breastfeeding? It says to ask my doctor before taking but it says that about everything.

When I got pregnant I was the smallest I had been in 10 years. I was on Ozempic and I gave ALL my bigger clothes away. During pregnancy I gained 65 lbs. 🫣 I was buying maternity everything because I was just rapidly growing everywhere.

Now I’m sitting here with no clothes!! I did not expect to breastfeed throughout my entire pregnancy and never got any nursing tops.

I’ll be placing an order on SHEIN and Cider here within the next few days so if you have any favorites or recommendations can you comment the name to search for?

I can’t afford much at the moment so I’m trying to stick with the cheaper options.

For a lot of reasons I've had to exclusively pump for my little one, who is now 15 weeks (9 weeks adjusted). The plan had always been to breastfeed and to say I was upset about this would be an understatement.

Recently she has started feeding in the night, which has been amazing for us both. Last night she unfortunately woke up for a feed just after a really good (for me) pump, I was empty, I put her to the breast and she was just inconsolable screaming and upset. This broke me emotionally and I had to go sleep downstairs, I woke my husband to give her a bottle.

In the day she is so variable, sometimes she will take the breast, sometimes she will only take a bottle, sometimes she takes one then the other.

I want to maximise her chances to feed, but damn it's hard. I'm also scared that if I reduce the frequency of pumping my supply will go down. I've only just got it up to provide enough for her most days. But pumping this often means a lot of the time she isn't able to get enough from me when she needs it.

Has anyone successfully transitioned to breastfeeding? Any advice or tips at all?

Hello! FTM here, I have been EBF (on demand) my 1 month old from the start, and I pump two times a day when my husband gives her bottles. I am starting to have a stash of frozen bags and I’m wondering how/when to feed it to her. I make enough each day (and a little extra to keep freezing) that I don’t need to dip into it yet.

I go back to work when LO is 13 weeks, so I will be pumping at work and breastfeeding when I am with her. Presuming my milk supply doesn’t drop and I keep making enough each day, when will I use this frozen milk?

I also keep reading things that “your body makes what your baby needs when they need it” and that “newborn milk is different than older baby milk” so is this milk that’s pumped when she was a week old even going to be nutritionally beneficial to her when she’s 3-4 months old?

I was thinking I could mix some of this older milk and some of the newer milk so she would have half older milk and half new milk each day as she gets older to get everything she needs? Does that make sense or if I could continue giving her fully freshly expressed milk is that better?

Sorry for the dumb questions and thank you in advance for any advice!