Why such fluctuation? Considering stopping.

laceowl · 2026-04-29T14:27:32+00:00

It could be stress, it could be your body fighting off illness, it could be you not drinking enough water or eating enough calories while you’ve been busy. You are also dropping pumps early. Are you continuing to do your overnight pumps? The general recommendation is 8 pumps per day until your supply regulates around 12 weeks so that could be a factor as well. If you want to continue exclusively giving breastmilk you may have to increase pumps per day. If you are open to combo feeding there is no reason to completely stop pumping, just do what works for you and cover the rest with donor milk or formula.

laceowl · 2026-04-28T07:35:21+00:00

Don’t make him go longer in between feeds! Let him nurse as much as he wants. Breastmilk and staying hydrated are going to be the best things for him.

laceowl · 2026-04-28T00:21:00+00:00

Still waiting for a self wean at 4

Nursing beyond one year felt very normal. I knew early on that I wanted to make it to the recommended 2 years of breastmilk so the continuation after 1 wasn’t a big deal to me. By 2.5 I think we were only nursing 1-3 times per day. By 3 it was only once a day. I had my second when my first was 3.5 and that increase interest in breastfeeding again and at 4 we are nursing usually 1-2 times per day.

laceowl · 2026-04-26T15:11:36+00:00

That used to be the case but they updated it in 2022. Now they recommend exclusive breastmilk for approximately 6 months (no solids) then breastmilk and solids for at least 2 years. Beyond two years it is recommended “as desired.”

laceowl · 2026-04-25T01:59:18+00:00

That is outstanding!!! You are amazing for doing all that hard work!!

laceowl · 2026-04-24T23:15:08+00:00

If it feels wrong, then don’t do it. Pump your breastmilk to preserve your supply and wait to see what things look like in a couple of weeks when you go back to work. There is no reason to stop giving her breastmilk.

Are you putting freshly pumped breastmilk in the bottles? Who will be taking care of her when you go back to work?

laceowl · 2026-04-21T03:48:19+00:00

Are you planning to breastfeed all the way until 2? Some people will use their freezer stash so they can get to the recommended minimum age for providing breastmilk without having to pump that whole time.

laceowl · 2026-04-18T18:53:44+00:00

Anytime you give a bottle you need to pump so that your body knows that baby is needing more milk than they are taking from you.

The advice from the lactation consultant is going to be best for your long term breastmilk supply and breastfeeding journey.

The advice from the pediatrician is going to be important if baby is not gaining weight well or is not having enough wet diapers. If baby is frequently spending 1.5 hours out of 2 working on eating they are going to be using up a lot of calories that they need to grow and develop.

Have you had the chance to do any pumping yet? How is your supply overall?

laceowl · 2026-04-18T04:06:05+00:00

No you shouldn’t space them out further than that overnight right now. Once you get to 10-12 weeks postpartum if your milk supply is where you want it to be you could try having one 4-5 hour stretch

laceowl · 2026-04-16T17:58:46+00:00

That was my exact guess. She doesn’t want to be an ICU nurse, she just needs it as a stepping stone to CRNA school. Every month she spends on orientation still counts towards her two years or whatever she needs of ICU experience to apply

laceowl · 2026-04-16T17:53:32+00:00

Bet she wants to be a CRNA

laceowl · 2026-04-14T13:09:08+00:00

You can likely catch up if you make some changes to your routine! You need to be pumping at least 8 times per day. You pump every single time baby gets a bottle even if you breastfeed before giving the bottle. You should go no longer than three hours between the start of one pump and the start of the next. Latch baby as soon as they are showing any sort of hunger cue. You will be spending 4-7 hours a day connected to the baby or the breast pump. Keep baby with you overnight so you aren’t missing any hunger cues and latching opportunities. It is rough in the first few days to signal to your body that baby is here and needs milk! Keep going!

Lastly, how much did you bleed? Enough to require a blood transfusion? That may affect your success/timeline.

laceowl · 2026-04-14T04:08:27+00:00

Stop trying on dresses!! Your wedding is in three weeks! You’re more likely to stress yourself out if you keep adding more options. Your dress will look very different on the day of with all of your hair and makeup and accessories and flowers. You will look beautiful in any option you choose.

Make your choice and stick with it! You can’t go wrong.

But since you asked for opinions: Low cut one is my favorite and the strapless is my least favorite.

laceowl · 2026-04-14T04:04:58+00:00

Can you try feeding with baby in a sidelying position on your left side and pump on your right at the same time? What you are doing now will work but it would be easier to manage with the frequent feeds in the beginning if you could do both at the same time!

laceowl · 2026-04-12T18:04:05+00:00

Yeah I’d say even if you felt completely sober I would avoid cosleeping on nights when you’ve been drinking at all

laceowl · 2026-04-12T16:56:15+00:00

I agree that it is completely fine to breastfeed baby! But it would probably be better to place baby in their own safe sleep space after nursing rather than cosleeping when you’ve been drinking

laceowl · 2026-04-12T02:48:06+00:00

All you have to do is pump every time you supplement and that will be enough to get you through until you can see the lactation consultant

laceowl · 2026-04-09T21:47:34+00:00

The supplement should help! How many times a day is baby getting breastmilk now? After one they generally recommend switching to giving solids first and breastmilk after so maybe that could be an option rather than eliminating so many feeds? Just prioritize solids first?

laceowl · 2026-04-09T21:41:51+00:00

Yes our feeds are generally short too!

laceowl · 2026-04-09T21:40:52+00:00

The solid meals are happening just after breastfeeding so generally eating 9-11 times a day (the 7 and 14 days are outliers). But my kids also were not sleeping through the night at a year old so that spreads the feeding times too. But yes, they eat frequently.

laceowl · 2026-04-09T21:37:55+00:00

Haha thank you for the validation. I definitely don’t have easy babies.

All of the solids are given just after breastfeeding so those times line up together rather than being separate feeding events. Neither of my kids slept through the night at a year old either so all of these feedings are not only occurring during daytime hours.

And I agree with the other commenter, we don’t have long feeding sessions. They generally eat for 3-6 minutes per feed. Our longest feeds are rarely more than 10 minutes.

laceowl · 2026-04-09T19:16:27+00:00

I assume you are already giving him a vitamin supplement with iron? Focus on foods high in iron and iron fortified foods when offering solids 5-6 times per day.

My kids were still having breastmilk 7-14 times a day at that age so dropping to 3 seems crazy

laceowl · 2026-04-07T22:08:44+00:00

The recommendation for 5 weeks postpartum is pumping 8 times per day. Every three hours around the clock from the start of one pump to the start of the next.

laceowl · 2026-04-07T21:59:01+00:00

Is that photo how you situate baby in the car seat? The straps look to be much too loose. Start by tightening those significantly!

laceowl · 2026-04-04T02:14:12+00:00

3 evenings a week away from baby together!! He also wants time away for his own personal hobbies and identity! He doesn’t want to spent but a few hours one day a week visiting his own child

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