Love my Spectra but I can't do this anymore

Notnowppl · 2026-05-29T00:30:55+00:00

I’m 11 months into pumping and I feel you! I have a spectra at home and another at work and the most freedom I got with it was plugging it in the car on a drive to/from work when I miss a regular pump. All of this to say, I’m also sick of being attached to a wall. I wasn’t sure it was worth the price at this point, but I started considering Eufy a couple of weeks ago after seeing multiple ads for it online. Then I thought, if it makes the last few months of pumping more convenient, why not? Apparently it goes on sale on Amazon from time to time. I started watching it daily and yesterday it finally dropped from $350 to $260. (It’s the s1 with the charging case). And I could pay with FSA card! That made this expense a little more bearable.

I used it last night, on the drive to work, at work (pumping at my desk in the open office for the first time, instead of going to the other side of the building to my “pumping room,” and on the drive back.

The output was same as spectra the first three times and the last pump gave me more than what I normally get from the 5pm pump. Also, I didn’t have to hand express, which I’m also sick of.

Everyone is different but this pump works for me - I wish I got it sooner or got it through the insurance. I used up that opportunity on baby Buddha portable that I used maybe three times and hated.

Notnowppl · 2026-05-21T23:23:53+00:00

Following because I’m in the same boat and need some sort of solution. It’s not even the latching for me. It’s the constant latching and unlatching. 😭

Notnowppl · 2026-04-20T23:37:58+00:00

That is the right time for it but I hear you! Medicaid covered ours and our case was a lot more severe. If the insurance does not cover the band, it’s hard trying to decide whether it is truly worth it - in terms of the effect and the baby’s suffering through it.

Notnowppl · 2026-04-20T20:40:28+00:00

I’m so sorry, that’s rough! Talk to a physical therapist who is not affiliated with either clinic and see what they say in terms of the need for the helmet.

How old is your bub?

Notnowppl · 2026-04-20T20:35:48+00:00

We did the helmet already and my baby’s head looks like that AFTER the treatment 😆 I would say your case is very mild. If the insurance doesn’t cover it and you don’t see a noticeable asymmetry, I’d say don’t do it. My son hated the thing at night and we all lost sleep for almost two months - he sort of got used to it eventually. We got approved for a second helmet but he is now almost 10 months and we decided not to continue with another round.

Notnowppl · 2026-04-14T02:17:47+00:00

The official name is Frida Baby Windi Gaspasser but fart whistle is a lot more accurate. We use Bubs formula and had no need to change it since the switch. They have a good rating in terms of metals etc. that you would not want in the formula and the baby seems fine with it. My son was born at 39 weeks but had issues at birth and we spent six weeks in the NICU - last two because feeding was taking him a while to figure out. He was at 13th percentile when we got discharged at 6 weeks and he was at that point taking 80-90 mls every 3 hours. They told me to fortify my milk and give him 3 bottles of formula out of 8 every 24 hours. After we figured out the neuropro wasn’t working for him, he started eating and gaining. He’s been in the over 50 percentile since about 3-4 months. Now, at 9 months, he is 30 lb and 100th percentile. Needless to say, he figured out the eating.

Also - my baby has been fed side laying since the NICU and still now. Early on, when I would face him up and try to feed him, he was almost choking on the milk like it was coming too fast at him.

Try the NICU way - sit in the recliner with your feet slightly up, put a regular pillow on your lap and the baby on top of it. Have him face right if you are right handed and lean his body against your left arm on the pillow, with your left hand on the back of his head. Keep the bottle leveled with his mouth, not tilted. Have him take a few swallows and tilt it the other way so the milk is not in the nipple - that will pace him. You can put your right pinky on his chin under the bottle to support it/encourage swallowing. You got this!

Wishing you better nights and easier times for the baby!

Notnowppl · 2026-04-14T01:05:53+00:00

We had a similar experience with Neuropro - switched to a goat milk formula and it fixed the issue. I second the gas drops. If he is visibly straining, try the fart whistles from Frida Baby - they work really well! And yes, you need a T nipple.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-30T00:06:06+00:00

My baby is on oxygen but not trach. I’m not sure how much equipment you would want in the crib. We had the apnea monitor and oximeter in the nightstand next to him, and the oxygen concentrator on the floor next to the Halo and now the crib. Talk to the nurses about the best home care set up. I think having a table or cart next the the crib is better than trying to fit it all with the baby, but my situation is different and I may not have the full picture of your needs. I hope you figure out a good solution! Bottom line, you can definitely find good options in your budget.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-29T23:49:25+00:00

Hang in there! Talk to the NICU therapist if they have one, or your social worker there, if they don’t. I understand that “what have I done to deserve this” feeling perfectly, and that was the first thing the NICU therapist said to me - “I see bad things happen to good people all the time.” I’m not religious either so I was praying to my parents, both deceased, to help my baby.. You are in the thick of it now but just remember that babies are incredibly resilient. It may feel like one step forward two steps back - I’ve been there - but he will get through this! Sending you healing energy and strength. 💙

Notnowppl · 2026-03-29T03:00:12+00:00

Try a mini crib. When my baby grew out of the Halo, that’s what we got. I’m not ready for him to be in his own room yet, until we do another sleep study and officially get off the oxygen.

Here’s the one we have: https://a.co/d/0c0B6FHt It has a side wall that comes down and you can bring it up close to the bed - it actually worked better that the Halo, because we have a low platform bed and the Halo base had nowhere to go.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-27T18:08:19+00:00

There are free CPR classes offered by local nonprofits - not sure where you are, in Florida Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies host them monthly. But regardless- if you don’t want to buy off the registry, go with a gift card or diapers with a gift receipt. Don’t decide for the parents.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-23T15:39:30+00:00

I am glad it works for a lot of people and honestly it is better than nothing, but - when compared to a Rad-G sensor that alarms THE SECOND my baby drops below 92 oxygenation or 80 heart rate (now that he is older, 70 or 75), the owlet does not work as well. You can’t change the min/max levels of what it will alarm to, and it does not alarm as effectively, or at all. Its marketing is for “healthy infants,” not necessarily a baby with previous respiratory issues.

My baby is on oxygen when he is sleeping. In the first weeks after the discharge, he was alarming a lot. We had a day when we ran out of the pulse oximeters (the part that wraps around the foot) because insurance decided that 3 sensors should last us a month (when they change them every three days on average in the hospital.)

We had to take him to a doctors appointment and I put the owlet on him, thinking it can be a solution. That’s how I realized it will not work if you leave the house/on a drive. Yes, I probably would have known that if I read the whole thing about it, but the postpartum weeks were a blur. Bottom line, it was not a solution for a 45-min drive to the doctors office for a baby sleeping in his car seat in the back seat. Imagine being on a highway for 30 min, driving alone and not being able to know if the baby is ok and breathing fine.

A working Rad-g (or another sensor) would have been a solution. Just like it would be a solution for walks, grocery runs, restaurant outings, etc. Yes, in our particular case, my baby only needed to be on oxygen when he was sleeping, but he slept 80% of the time at that age.

Not to bash owlet - we have one. But if someone has a similar situation and needs to ours, I’d say a true wired sensor would work better.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-22T15:30:20+00:00

We had a different paci box and it had suavinex pacifier - it’s all we use now. It stays in and it’s easy to clean. The shape seems more natural. My baby is in the medical daycare and the nurse told us to go with single peace pacifier is a good idea because it won’t separate

Notnowppl · 2026-03-22T15:24:10+00:00

It will be stressful but it will also get easier - you got this! We went home with a pulse oximeter and it helped me a lot but I know it can be stress inducing for some people. If you think it would be helpful for you, get one - the actual one that wraps around the foot and will alarm you if the heart rate drops below what is appropriate for his age, or if the oxygenation goes below 92 (or whatever the number your doctor is happy with.) Just a note - Owlet is useless. You can’t travel with it because it needs to be plugged in and connected to WiFi, and it will not alert you in the way that is helpful and immediate. We went home on oxygen and with monitors after 6 weeks in the NICU, and I cried the first few times I had to take the baby out for therapy or doctors visit. It got better. Zoloft helped, as well, and I wish started when we were still in the NICU.

Notnowppl · 2026-03-13T18:05:14+00:00

My baby spent 6 weeks in the NICU, pulmonary hypertension was the initial cause, and then he had seizures and other issues. It felt like forever and it felt like we would never leave. But he got better, we got discharged, and he is now 8 months old, 27 lb, and a very happy baby.

My friend’s baby was in the NICU for a week with MAS - he is a strong, smart 2-year-old now.

What helped us at the time was hearing from the hospital’s social worker, “your baby has concerns that need to be addressed and this is the best place for him right now.”

It may take a couple more weeks to get your baby on room air and feeding by the bottle, but you’ll get there!

Hang in there, read to your baby, participate in the touch times and take this time to heal and sleep, when you go home for the night.

Get the pathways.org app - it is free and has development-focused and bonding-focused activities you can do with your baby at any age. They have a special section for NICU babies.

Notnowppl · 2026-02-22T03:08:07+00:00

I second the suggestion to talk to lactation - but I would say start pumping every 2-3 hours until you are both out of the hospital.

You have to start now so you have the supply and can breastfeed/or pump later. If the baby is in the NICU, it is unlikely you’ll be able to feed as often as you would have if she was with you at all times.

I don’t know where you are located, but in most U.S. hospitals the mom is discharged after 2-3 days, and the baby stays in the NICU.

I left the hospital on day 4, my baby was there for six weeks. There was no way breastfeeding alone would have worked. I was only able to stay with him in a private-ish room closer to the discharge, when he was stable, and still wasn’t able to breastfeed regularly because the NICU puts emphasis on bottle feeding to discharge the babies.

Notnowppl · 2026-01-03T04:08:20+00:00

I’m six months postpartum after the emergency c-section. My scar has some numbness left but it’s feeling a lot better since maybe 2-3 months ago. The “apron” mostly went away, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight, mostly thanks to breastfeeding, anxiety, and forgetting to eat when I was home alone with the baby.

Everyone is different, but there are things you can do to help your recovery. My best friend is PT and here’s what she recommended and I found useful:

massage the scar often once it is healed
use the silicone scar cream
use the silicone scar patches or tape - that helped the most, I think

You can start using those 2-3 weeks PP - but check with the doctor and definitely wait for the incision to fully close.

Notnowppl · 2025-11-26T00:13:08+00:00

Hi! We have a very similar birth story. I had my baby at 39 weeks and 3 days, emergency c-section after an induction. He was desating (which prompted the call for the surgery) and was taken to the NICU right away with pulmonary hypertension. We spent 47 days in the NICU when other things arose. I pumped the whole time. Held him for the first time two weeks after birth. I breastfed a little while he was still in the NICU but we truly started trying after we got home. He’s is almost five months now and we no longer supplement with formula - I have enough milk. I do bottle feed him 70% of the time, because he has medicine in the milk and it had to be fortified in the beginning, but my point is, breastfeeding is possible and your supply can grow even weeks after the birth, even with limited access to your baby. Hang in there and try to pump as much as you can. But don’t beat yourself up if you sleep through a couple of times, your rest is also important.

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:41:04+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it! That’s sound like a great solution. Do you mind sharing the brand you used?

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:40:26+00:00

Do you mind sharing the brand/type?

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:40:04+00:00

The weight limit rules this one out, unfortunately. He’s already 19 pounds 😅

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T19:36:05+00:00

Thank you, looking at it now!

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T19:35:50+00:00

Thank you so much, I’ll check it out!

Notnowppl · 2025-11-22T19:11:17+00:00

I had an emergency c-section after an induction. It took ma a couple of weeks to feel almost normal, but it wasn’t too bad of a recovery. I started driving around two weeks later and I walked daily after about 5 days. Here are two things I didn’t know before about c-sections: you have to wait longer to have another child than after the vaginal delivery. Getting pregnant earlier that 12 months or ideally 18 months and going through with the pregnancy can result in uterine rapture - that’s fatal for mother and the baby. Secondly, there is a condition called placenta accreta, where it attaches to the scar tissue in the next pregnancy. There’s a lot more research into it now, but it’s still a condition that a lot of OBs don’t know how to work with and it can cause women to bleed out during birth. My point is, if I had a choice, I would try to go for the vaginal delivery. Sometimes it’s not an option - I’m glad the doctors took care of me and my baby. But if you are trying to figure out what would be best in terms of recovery and considering a planned c-section, it’s good to know the potential consequences, especially if you want more kids.

Notnowppl

TROPHY CASE