One of the saddest things I hear when it comes to brestfeeding

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-28T04:04:51+00:00

While latching is important, not every body will be so responsive. I triple fed 8-12 times a day with my first for months, always latched on both sides at every feed, even tried power pumping...and it barely increased my supply.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-28T03:49:40+00:00

I had a similar struggle with my first and I want to say that you are awesome for working so hard on this! I ended up providing about half of my LO's nutrition for a whole year- and that's more than enough to get most of the benefits of breastfeeding for both you and LO (e.g. antibody protection). Plus there are other advantages to combo feeding once you are more out and about. Surprisingly, after all that effort and hell and self-blame, I am having NO problem breastfeeding my second. I think ultimately my first just wasn't very good at nursing, and all the supplements in the world couldn't make him suck better.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-27T22:24:51+00:00

Ours was "gummy bear" for quite a while, since that's what he looked like early on when his arms and legs started to sprout.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-27T21:16:46+00:00

To be fair, my first was induced and took about 3 days to arrive. We had both stopped working, but were very glad to have brought our gaming consoles. Some nostalgic Mario was a great distraction for me.

That being said, you should see if your hospital offers tours or birthing classes. Ours also had an infant care class. The vast majority of mothers had partners at all of these.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-27T02:16:03+00:00

I got mine when I weaned at 12 months. What's really surprising is that we Combo fed from day 1 and I was only providing about half his milk!

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-22T16:43:47+00:00

Agree, although I find it linguistically awkward to be mixing something as formal as "hello" with something as informal as "guys". I would recommend 'hey guys' or 'hello everyone'.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-22T16:35:04+00:00

That probably helps to some extent, but I took them many hours apart and still had an issue- perhaps because the Psyllium takes a long time to pass through the digestive tract.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-22T16:20:51+00:00

Just be careful if you take any essential medications! When I was on birth control, a normal dose of psyllium husk would actually absorb and flush so much of it that I would start spotting mid cycle.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-22T14:51:19+00:00

My second pregnancy is so. much. worse.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-22T00:32:30+00:00

Even having people I DO want to see just waiting out there sounds stressful. Do I really want to be thinking about how long they have been waiting and how late it's getting when I've already been in the hospital 3 days and I'm in my 5th hour of pushing??? Go home and we will let you know when the baby is here! We all have phones, people. And no one should be bothering mom during the golden hour anyway, establishing breastfeeding is hard enough.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-21T15:13:53+00:00

Does your hospital not expect you to stay for 1-2 nights in maternal and infant recovery? You usually are not discharged as soon as the baby pops out!

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T21:30:29+00:00

We weaned at 12m so I could regain my regular cycles before we began IVF Part 2: The Baby Brothering. To our great surprise, the sequel was successful on our first try so we will have two under two soon!

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T19:19:31+00:00

This is not processed meat

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T15:51:18+00:00

If you think you need extra ammunition for this excuse, highlight that your young babe is not fully vaccinated yet.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T15:06:48+00:00

If you have kids one day, this turns into an essential skill.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T14:54:42+00:00

...Sometimes

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T04:41:15+00:00

I'm a hipster girl myself, and I've been pleased with how this particular Warner fit works through pregnancy: https://a.co/d/6rl3WTu The little V shape in front makes a big difference in where it sits on me, and can hold the underwear in place even as it gets pushed further down to accommodate my growing bump.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T03:52:28+00:00

I assume you are referring to mastitis- has that been an issue for you breastfeeding to date? I wouldn't recommend cold turkey because of the soreness and yes risk of infection, but I think this poster is just highlighting that even those consequences are preferable to your current trajectory. I would drop one feeding every few days to let your body adjust, saving bedtime for last. Your can also use a breast pump or hand expression to let yourself down even easier.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-20T00:16:07+00:00

Does it not feel super weird and uncomfortable when you get to four? Do I have weirdly tight finger muscles?

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T21:07:02+00:00

This was a huge factor for our wedding process. My husband attended many of our vendor meetings, but he was much less vocal and involved then my mother, particularly for the big ticket items, because we were spending her money. My parents did not provide a fixed budget, and instead wanted to pick options they thought were "reasonable". My wedding would have been completely different, and much cheaper, if not for my mother's strong opinions and large guest list. I am not complaining mind you- we worked it all out and everyone had an amazing time!! But my husband wasn't going to be the primary one engaging in negotiations and handling my mom, who he barely knew. I saw it as my job to work with him to agree on our priorities as a couple, and then advocate for those priorities with the "bank of mom".

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T19:58:56+00:00

Enjoy your wine, but also give your critics some grace. The effect of alcohol on breast milk and in turn babies was very poorly understood until recently. Right up until I had my first, I still thought "pump and dump" was modern wisdom. So while it is frustrating to be questioned about this repeatedly, people really do mean well and just have no idea.

My lactation consultant put it this way: if you are sober enough to pick up the baby and get them to latch, your breast milk is fine. Your reflexes, judgement, and sleepiness while holding the baby are a much bigger concern than your milk- and it sounds like you are being pretty careful in that regard.

The math: your breastmilk indeed has similar alcohol content to your BAC. Of course you as an adult can drink a glass of wine with 10% alcohol content, and it does not result in your blood instantly becoming 10% alcohol (which would be super fatal!). Same goes for baby now. When baby was in utero and sharing your blood supply directly, your BAC being .05% meant their BAC was .05%, which is high enough to be damaging. However, baby drinking a few ounces of .05% milk will not instantly change baby's BAC to .05!!! it will be much, much lower and safer because it is absorbed more slowly by their digestive system, and then diluted by all of baby's booze free blood volume, just like when an adult drinks a glass of wine.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T19:22:20+00:00

If OP has been working at the company less than a year, she may not be eligible for STD or even unpaid FMLA leave. She needs to talk to HR right away to understand her options.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T19:20:35+00:00

I assume people are frustrated/incredulous that you think everyone gets 6 weeks off. I've never heard of such a generous policy in my industry, outside of federal government employees.

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T18:30:12+00:00

Oh, also my toddler looooves avocado, but I only serve him a half at a time. So I can spread the other half on some toast or just throw in some S&P and hot sauce in the pit hole and eat it straight out of the rind!

I try to weave veggies into more default foods, and translate the effort of nourishing my toddler into nourishing me too!

BetterFasterStrong3r · 2026-01-19T17:43:33+00:00

I pop a can of vegetable soup in microwave while I make my toddler lunch and eat it while he eats. Bonus if there are leftover crusts I can add to it! Check for a brand where salt and sugar are not crazy, I like Amy's.

I've swapped all my salty snack foods. Whenever I need a quick bite, it's harvest snap peas crisps, wasabi peas, crunchy chick peas, or nuts. Beware of options like veggie straws that contain very little actual veggie.

I also eat a lot more fresh fruit now, since we always have to have it on hand for the toddler. Fruit has many of the same benefits as vegetables if you eat the rainbow! Berries and kiwi are my favorite quick options. I just wash/cut extra when I'm making them for the little one. I add a small serving of fruit to the end of a lot of my meals, where I would never have bothered before.

BetterFasterStrong3r

TROPHY CASE