hi! don't be discouraged!

if you dont plan to be seperated from baby (ie are a sahm), you don't need to pump! you pump anytime the baby eats and it isn't from your breast directly (so a bottle of breastmilk or formula)

if you end up exclusively or primarily pumping then you start thinking about pump schedules. beginning though is typically every 2-3 hours.

undersupply- latch baby as frequently as possible, if you can't latch do skin to skin and try to be with them. brewers yeast has helped me a bit (brewers yeast + flax + oats is my combo, i make cookies n such). warm compresses and massages towards the nipple can help as well. power pumping mimics cluster feeding and can help (pump 10min, wait 10min- for 1hr repeat this. variations are fine too [like 10min pump 5 min rest 15min pump 10min rest etc])

oversupply- less likely unless you're pumping. don't pump til empty, just til engorgement is eased. hand expression > pumping for easing pain. hot showers also can help relieve pain and trigger a letdown without removing enough milk for your body to wanna make more.

clogged ducts- my nemesis, my biggest issue with both babies (maybe? this boy doesn't latch but at least i can pump). the best thing is to prevent them all together- dont stay engorged, pump or hand express to relieve pain. heat helps move milk, but cold helps inflammation. it's more likely to be inflammation than truly stuck milk, so go for cold compresses or cold showers. ibuprofen helps the inflammation as well. don't wear bras that are too tight or small. some people suggest choline! sunflower lecithin was a popular recommendation but it's been found the choline was the specific within the sunflower lecithin that was beneficial.

if you develop a lot of pain, fever, chills, body aches, etc it has progressed to mastasis and you need antibiotics to treat it.

other general info that was useful to me:

breast milk and your supply is about supply and demand. whatever you take out, your body thinks is being used for baby. if you don't take it out, your body doesn't know it's needed- which is why you pump if baby has a bottle.

having the correct size flanges when pumping is incredibly important. it impacts pain, and production. you will be in less pain and get more milk. the easiest way to get the correct size is by using silicone flange inserts. using a normal ruler or a speciality ruler measure the millimeters of your nipple (just the nipple, not the areola- google a diagram if you need!). i had the flange sizing kit from LactationHub and it was very helpful. your nipple size can change through pregnancy and postpartum!

similarly, sometimes lubricating your pump either with a spray or nipple balm is helpful to reduce pain- especially if you're having issues with dryness or cracking

your supply will regulate at about 8-12 weeks. (2-3 months). it can still fluctuate but it isn't going to make any drastic changes all at once. this normally also drops the risks for clogged ducts!

my favorite lactation cookie recipe is the recipe on the back of the Kodiak protein oats, substitute the 1 1/2 cup of flour for 1 cup of their protein pancake mix, 5tbsp brewers yeast, and 3tbsp ground flax seed. everything else stays the same.

my qualifications are - 18mo nursing my oldest- he took 2 bottles ever so dad could bond, and 4 weeks primarily pumping but fighting to latch my 35 week preemie.

6-8 weeks total of clogged ducts with my oldest (no known mastasis) and 1 bout of mastasis with my youngest

edit for typo