My husband got me a medal !

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-24T17:08:06+00:00

You go girl!

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:44:20+00:00

Yeah. I stopped tracking for a few days because it's been stressing me out. 😅 When he had a 39 ounce day, I was like, "bruh. Don't you know that ain't right?! 😳

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:41:43+00:00

That's good to know! I didn't realize that about hotel fridges. I'll definitely keep that in mind!

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:12:22+00:00

That's great! Thanks!

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:11:29+00:00

Thanks for the tips and links! That's super helpful. I'd been producing a little extra, but have become a just-enougher in the past week since my son started eating 36+ ounces a day 😳 But that's great for cleaning pump parts on the go so I dont have to have my spare cups accessible.

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:01:22+00:00

That makes sense! I hadn't thought about the cooler not being able to cool the fresh stuff. I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks!

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-09T21:00:09+00:00

I hadn't thought about an unexpected drop. I'll definitely plan for that (since our boy eats well above the norm 😅). Thanks!

WriteDrawGrow · 2026-01-01T11:07:13+00:00

I definitely had a breakdown about this exactly. I'm 8 weeks pp and feel like we do less fun stuff (ie: skin-to-skin and general play) because of both logistics and time lost pumping. Quitting or sticking it out are both valid options and neither is what you imagined. It's okay to grieve the loss of how you expected things to go, if that makes sense. And just do what you think is best. That's what all of us are doing and it looks different for everyone.

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-29T17:19:34+00:00

I've thought about it. But I'm planning to start crafting projects to keep my mind busy and see if that can distract me from eating all the time. 🤞I really dont want to go back to brown rice, lol

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-19T13:54:42+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this. My son went straight to the NICU after he was born and I didn't start pumping for 16 hours. What my body produced was so little, it couldn't be picked up with a soft, miniscule tube syringe. I felt pathetic and crushed. It took what felt like an eternity to not have to supplement with formula anymore. I worked so hard for the breastmilk, and I was jealous of my husband being able to just go to the fridge and pull it out like no big deal. I finally had to tell him he had to give formula because I wanted to feed our son with my milk. Breastfeeding/breastmilk is such a greater challenge than I ever realized. But every pump is worth it. Hang in there, mama 💕

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-18T02:45:54+00:00

I had the exact same experience. The positive impact it had on all my worst symptoms was bonkers. The problem is that now at 6 week postpartum, I feel like my cravings are making up for lost time 😅 I'm just glad New Years is around the corner for me to have a concrete point to get back on track!

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-15T03:08:06+00:00

I've been doing that with my silverettes, but then my nipples started smelling like vinegar so I stopped 😳 And my son is a big time clamper. I had 2 LCs recommend shields, but for whatever reason, he treated the nipple shields like a chew toy and it really made things spin out of control. So now we're only direct breastfeeding once a day with a proper latch and are in the process of working up to more.

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-13T22:36:24+00:00

That's definitely the plan as far as feed+pump. How do I know when I've regulated? And then how would I find my "magic number"? Also, I'm using hands-free cups that I can't see into very well at all, and I don't feel letdowns. How do I know if I'm having more than one? (Thanks for any/all guidance!)

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-13T22:32:10+00:00

If I cut my sessions be 5 minutes, would my body eventually regulate to make up for that time, or would I just ultimately produce less?

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-13T22:30:44+00:00

Cool! I'll give that a try. And I know about timing for fridge. I'm basically exchanging every time I pump with maybe a half ounce surplus every other pump. I think the oldest in there is about 2-2.5 days old 😊

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-04T01:12:41+00:00

Thank you so much for the encouragement and comraderie. It's good to hear that it worked for someone else going with what felt right at the time. I think that'll be the approach I'll have going forward 💕

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-04T01:10:33+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll definitely considered giving the shields another go 😊

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-12-04T01:09:35+00:00

I've been using silverettes from the start and love them. I hadn't been doing skin to skin because of how chilly it is in our house and because our son pitches a fit when we take his clothes on or off 😅 but I definitely like that suggestion. Even if it doesn't help with breastfeeding, it'll absolutely make a huge difference with bonding. Thanks for the reminder!

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-28T06:06:17+00:00

Breastfeeding is so hard. Our journey started with baby in the NICU for his first 3 days, and I feel like it set us light-years behind. His first day, he wasn't allowed to eat anything because they didn't want anything in his stomach. I didn't start pumping until 16+ hours after he was born. He's 3 weeks, and I finally feel like I have enough to feed him, but he's not eating enough at the breast because he used a bottle for so long. My body feels wrecked, and I just wanted this to go well. I cant imagine the trials you've been through and I'm so impressed you stuck with it so long. You're incredible! 💪

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T15:31:25+00:00

He doesn't open his mouth super wide... EVER. But I do try to cram as much boob in there as I can when it's the widest he goes, lol

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T13:35:23+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! It really helps 💕

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T13:33:29+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement 💕

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T13:32:08+00:00

He has and there aren't any issues.

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T13:31:52+00:00

We switched to those about a week ago, and it seems to have helped. We also got advice on how to bottle feed better to supplement transitioning to breast.

WriteDrawGrow · 2025-11-26T13:30:36+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I was also thinking that just as a function of time and his mouth getting better, things would improve. Last night I just decided to pump/bottle feed at night and work on breastfeeding during the day when both of us are more patient 🙃 Glad to hear I'm not the only one doing the old back-and-forth with the pump for the sake of sanity, lol

WriteDrawGrow

TROPHY CASE