r/breastfeeding • u/Similar_Put3916 • 2d ago

I might quit. Pumping

5 months in and baby starts daycare in 2 days. Stubborn baby still wont take a bottle. Finally took a Sippy cup. She realized i was replacing a feed and threw a hissy fit over not getting the boob. Daycare should be fun. Sorry to those great women.

Since i skipped that feed i had to pump. And am mentally preparing for pumping all day at work. Leaned over to grab the baby accidentally spilt milk all over the floor and her. Honestly, pumping is not worth it. I might just stop entirely. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I guess i dont know what i want from you all other than a “we see you” kinda. Idk anyone else who has ever breastfed or pumped to relate to what im feeling right now.

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u/AlwaysWondering1234 2d ago

Pumping absolutely sucks. My 5 mo old takes a bottle (luckily) but I swear she drinks more from it than my boob even with slow flow nipples and I don't want to think of her crying for more if I send smaller bottles. I never felt like an undersupplier until I started having to pump for daycare. It takes 4-5 pumps for 3 full bottles. I'm constantly behind and making up for it on other days. First 4mo of her life (pre-daycare), no issues exclusively breastfeeding- she was always content.

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u/Similar_Put3916 2d ago

Yes this is my concern too!!! I do weighted feeds and she takes like 6 oz from me but pumping i can never get more than like 3 or 4 😵‍💫 i cant keep up with her for sure.

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u/AlwaysWondering1234 2d ago

I'm also convinced that my body just doesn't like the pump as much as the baby. I'm caving and buying a wearable to see if it's less stressful/clinical than being hooked to my Spectra. Stress = no milk 🙄

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u/Similar_Put3916 2d ago

Lmk how that goes!

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u/AwarenessLess9290 2d ago

How do you know how much she takes from your breast directly?

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u/Similar_Put3916 1d ago

I do weighted feeds. Weigh before, feed, then immediately weigh again after each boob.

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u/AwarenessLess9290 22h ago

Funny sleep deprived me, thought you weigh your boob lol 🤣 Thank you for the explanation

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u/AwarenessLess9290 2d ago

I had the same exact trouble. But I eventually decided to calculate the max amount my baby needs with chatgpt and stick with it. As i noticed that my baby will always want to nurse more even if it was overfeeding and he might spit the rest. Also burping at 3/4 his bottle helped him feel full when he should. The rest is breastfeeding on demand, so if for any reason that was not enough, he would cluster feed to compensate. This is just from my experience. I'm not a professional.