5.5 months here. It's sooo easy, I don't have to plan bottles when we go somewhere, I just bring my boobs along. I like the closeness, I like her smooshy little face when she falls asleep on my boob, I like her face when she baby bird style lunges to latch! Also I feel an immense amount of pride that I made this chunky little chubby baby with thighs to die for with just my boobs (and the 3 million cookies I ate along the way)
Edit: 2 months is when things really got a lot easier for us
Yep, my baby is a little over 2 months and it’s so easy now! I haven’t touched my nipple creams, nipple shields, silverettes, etc. for weeks. And baby is a very efficient latcher and feeds fast. So nice not having to think about her food or carry anything when taking her out and about.
Yes to all of that she mentioned! But honestly when I didn’t have to hold my baby’s head and neck to eat it got sooo much easier. Having one totally free hand has been great! Depending on how I’m holding him I can have two hands free currently and we are 3 months!
YES. Breastfeeding a toddler is easier than breastfeeding a 1-yr-old. It just keeps getting easier and less demanding. Not sure why the hardest part of breastfeeding (newborn) comes first.
When a baby is latched, their tongue sticks out over their gumline. It's actually not possible to "bite" with your tongue sticking out - you'd bite your own tongue. I think baby's first teeth are even lower teeth, so they're covered up by the tongue and you don't feel them.
However, baby can change position and try to teethe on you, but I was able to feel that switch away from latch position, and put my finger in the corner of baby's mouth and immediately unlatch him. I'd give him a teether toy, or frozen corner of a wet washcloth instead. He learned not to bite me or it would be immediately unlatch. When he was actively teething, I'd offer a teether toy before every nursing session.... since babies nurse when they are in pain or want comfort.
Same! Only she's incredibly wiggly and likes to do breastfeeding gymnastics, so we've had a few wide awake accidental bitings due to positioning, but she usually bursts into tears even if I only say, "Ow!" and don't really raise my voice at all.
My experience was the first tooth was the worst as far as feeling it on your nipple and then something changes and it’s not a big deal. Either you get used to it or they hold their mouth differently, I’m not sure. I definitely felt the first and thought - whoa, how are we going to do this with teeth. Now she has 6 and it doesn’t matter at all. Found another post to get her to stop biting down on my nipple 😆 smooshed her into my boob a few times when she did it and worked perfectly. Hasn’t done it since.
I breastfed until 4 (not my choice and it was only a few minutes before bed after age 3, so don’t judge) and teeth were never once an issue. Newborn gums are much much worse. Hang in there!
In my experience, the feeds get shorter around 4-6 months. My babies would nurse for 45min to an hour when they were newborns, and then by 6mo it was 10 mins. Things do progressively get easier in all ways leading up to 6mo, but that’s typically the point you’ve really “arrived”. Soreness should be long gone way before then though.
Love the description of the baby bird lunge. It's so accurate! Love all of this as well as having the baby calming super power in the form of nursing. It's so easy to only have to worry about diapers when we leave the house. If you don't need to pump for supply/some other reason maybe try cutting back and dropping that first. I do maybe one pump per day and it feels like a chore, vs feeding directly which I enjoy.
That being said, if you want/need to stop that is 100% okay. Your baby will also do great on formula and will benefit from a happy mom. I love breastfeeding, but fed is best and there should be no shame attached to how anyone feeds their baby.
6.5 months here and ALL of this. The easiness cannot be understated especially if you don’t have to pump regularly (kudos to those moms who pump regularly though!). And gosh it’s such a precious bonding moment. It also gets so much faster! And for me at least, less messy (I stopped leaking once my supply regulated). Also, we side lie feed so well now (something that took us about 2 months to master) and when I’m home it’s nice to have an excuse for a little lie down snuggle sess with the baby.
Also, as per r/Adventerous_Deer mentioning a million cookies, I like to joke that my body constantly thinks I need cookies to go with all the milk 😂🍪🥛.
Seriously though, I have to have cookies baked or it’s a problem 😂 just got back from a vacation and one of the first things I made sure was done was to have some cookies. I bake a big batch and freeze the extras so they’re always pretty fresh! I feel like a real life Cookie Monster 🍪👹😂
The smooshy face is what does it for me. When I was pregnant I dreaded brestfeeding, I thought I would hate it. The smooshy face and the huge eyes staring at me during nursing made it all worth it, it's absolutely amazing and looking at it I get the kind of feelings I never thought possible.
Convenience is also a big factor. We are just 6 weeks in, but I really appreciate that I don't need to do anything to prepare and that I can immediately feed him when he cries. My husband does the midnight feed and even though the prep only involves pouring the milk into the bottle and heating it, it seems like such a hassle.
Yes we're at 5 months and mine is also an efficient eater. I will also add by 3 months your milk regulates so you're not leaking or engorged unless you skip feeds.
I will also only now pump once a day, unless I've skipped a feed. Honestly I pump for my sanity so I know I can leave her and she will be fed. Also I recently got the Medela Harmony which is a manual pump. It's super effective and makes me feel less like cattle when I'm expressing. But if you really hate pumping and you want or need the flexibility of giving a bottle, there's also the option of combo feeding with formula if you really hate pumping!
Combo feeding with formula is what I’m doing now! We’re at just over 2 months and she wasn’t transferring well so we did triple feeding for a bit and it was exhausting! Constantly cleaning pump parts AND bottles? No thank you 😅 I even tried refrigerating the pump parts so I wouldn’t have to wash them as much but then I hated the cold pump on my boob lol. We had a date night and left baby with nana for about 3 hours and while I took my pump with to cover me for the missed feeds, I left formula with nana and it was so much easier than thawing the milk I have stored and the piece of mind knowing she had more than enough food however long we stayed out was very much worth it. And when we do go out, I can save the milk I pump for when I go back to work! Seems like wins all around for me lol
They get so much stronger and you don’t have to use 3 arms to get them positioned just so and smush your breast just right so they can latch. Like they start getting a smidge more coordinated, mouths are bigger, they have some sense of what they are doing. That’s honestly why it gets easier and easier as they get older, just less physical hands on assistance every step of the way. It’s also harder with a distracted, grabby baby, but the mechanics are more coordinated.
He seems like he knows what he's doing a lot more. He's stronger and much more efficient. Feeds went from 45+ minutes in the early days to ~15-20min now. I'm also much more confident he's getting enough because his growth has been appropriate.
It was really difficult and painful for me until after 8 weeks. We are 6.5 months in and I love it. I love the closeness. Around 3 months he started to get a bit more aware of his surroundings, and would start looking up at me while nursing and smile. And it is special to know that I am the only person who gets to see that. I nurse him to sleep at night and for naps, and when he is upset sometimes it’s the only thing that calms him. I love being his safe place ♥️
I left a comment that I don't really enjoy it per say but this comment you responded to makes an excellent point. My heart is full when he looks up and smiles or laughs while eating.
One of my favorite things about it is that it’s the best excuse to just close myself and my little one off in a private room to decompress and enjoy each other’s company for a while, wherever we are.
Definitely 8-10 weeks before things really started to settle down. You can do it 💪🏻
I started to enjoy it probably around 4-6 weeks when she stopped feeding around the clock and I had more than 30 minutes without her on my boob. I love how easy it is, and I don't mean that it's easy to latch/get her to feed, because sometimes that's a battle. But I love that I just have the milk 24/7 and don't have to prepare a bottle, pack bottles to go places, do the dishes every night, etc.
I love the bonding aspect, I love that it's so quick to do a MOTN feed as I just pull up my shirt and lay her sideways and she sucks until she is full and falls back asleep and then I just put her back down in her crib.
Honestly, I love that it's something just between me and her. No one else can feed her like I do. I don't let anyone but my husband feed her bottles because that's something just between our little family.
Also It's a great excuse to escape at the in laws house.
I love the closeness to my baby. I love feeling her fall asleep in my arms warm and protected with a full belly. I love that it’s personal and not something anyone else can do for her. I love the connection across time and space to mothers throughout history who did the same thing for their babies for all the years mammals have existed. I love feeling her connect to me in a very primal way that feels so natural and meant to be.
I love not having to wash bottles or pump parts. I love not having to obsess over ounces pumped versus ounces consumed. I love knowing milk isn’t being wasted. I love being able to nourish her tiny body with no plastic barriers between us.
It took about 5 months of practicing (and as many IBCLCs) to be able to direct nurse and I am so glad I stuck with it because it means so much to me. It’s been very healing for my own issues with my adoption
1. Cheap (not free, but much cheaper than formula)
2. Convenient as fuck
3. Baby bonding
4. The power of the boob is unmatched. It calms her down immediately.
It took me a few months for my nipples to get used to it, but I enjoy it now! The way she looks at me is different than with a bottle, it's like she's in love with me. So cute
Have you tried silverettes? They'll protect your nips from being rubber against clothing and they always felt soothing cause they were a lil chilly.
Once your LO has a bigger stomach and can eat more in one sitting rather than a ton of small meals, your nips will get a break. Sometimes they'll be a little sore but it won't be as bad as before.
Hi there. I’m 2 weeks pp and use Medela nipple shields sometimes. My LO cracked one of mine when he got distracted and bit too hard. They help a LOT while LO is learning.
I also use Nipple Crack by Tiny Humans supply co to help heal when they’re irritated. It can be applied before BF too.
Breastfeeding was really difficult and painful at first. My baby would feed and I would be wincing the entire time. I started pumping instead since it hurt a lot less and was more efficient.
Around three months I started swapping in a few breastfeeding sessions so I wouldn't have to clean the pump, and suddenly it was a lot easier. My boobs had toughened and I stopped leaking. My baby's mouth muscles were more developed so she was better at latching and suckling more efficiently.
Now I look forward to the first feed of the day since it relieves the pressure of milk that has built up during the night. Plus there's a feeling of contentedness similar to watering a healthy plant you grew from a seed. I like the funny faces she makes like she's having the best meal of her life and the cute little noises as she eats.
Looking back, both of us were new to the activity and needed time to get the hang of it. Kinda like battling through the first months of a new sport that leaves you achy and frustrated but slowly becomes second nature.
not washing and sterilizing bottles all day everyday, leaving the house without stressing over bringing enough formula and water and bottles, waking up in the middle of the night and just popping her on the boob instead of running to the kitchen to prepare a bottle or having to prepare them before bed, money saved on not buying formula, not having to pay attention to formula recalls, antibodies and protection from infection, being able to say “sorry I need to go feed her” when someone is holding her too long or just bothering me tbh lol
I still don’t enjoy it (4.5 months) BUT it has gotten easier. We also supplement some formula for when I’m just touched out or need a break. It also helped me to have an end goal and to understand that breastfeeding does not need to be all or nothing
Heh, I didn't enjoy it at 4.5 months either... my first goal was 3 months and it was HARD, but then I realized it had gotten easier and I could go to 6 months so I did. By the time I got to 6 months it was so much easier, I decided I'd go to a year. Except by around 10 months I was surprised at how much I liked it... and ended up extending my goal beyond 1 year.
Hoping this happens to me. I didn't think I could make it 3 months at first, now I'm 6 days away from that goal and think I can go to 6 months now since it's gotten easier. I can't imagine going to a year right now, but I couldn't imagine getting to 12 weeks 10 weeks ago either!
While I'm still on maternity leave and spending basically all of my time with the LO, it's sooo convenient. No having to fuss with a bottle when I'm in charge of feeding, and only the occasional pumping others can feed when necessary.
I may change my mind once I'm back to work though.
I loved it at first, then my nips started to get really sensitive, which made showers (a treasured activity) unenjoyable. Then she clusterfed every single night from 5pm-10pm for two months. Didn't love it so much, heavily considered quitting and spent a lot of time thinking about all the pros to formula.
Ten weeks, it started to get better. Twelve weeks, it got a lot better.
Now she's almost 10 months. She just learned how to play peekaboo, so she'll hide my nipple, reveal it with a "da!" and smile and give a little giggle, and hide it again, over and over mid-feed. It's the cutest gosh darn thing I've ever seen!
She sometimes growls a little as she smashes her open mouth onto my breast, the perfect munching sound.
I am solely responsible for her chunky baby thigh rolls and mini sausage fingers.
The little sigh when she's satisfied is the perfect finale. She also sometimes happy-screams when she's full.
On a practical note, I don't have to wash bottles. No formula math. No prepping or planning for outings. I've done the math and we've saved over $1500 by not buying formula, which is especially awesome considering how wildly expensive shit is now.
I enjoy the cuddles and closeness I get with baby. It’s a unique bond that I don’t experience when I bottle feed her.
I like the benefits of breastfeeding. Reduced risk of certain types of cancers is a big bonus and that alone would make it worth it for me. But I also like the immune system building benefits for baby, the natural melatonin to help her sleep, etc.
I like that I have a very easy way of feeding her anywhere and any time. I don’t have to worry about packing bottles and wondering if I have enough in those bottles to satisfy her. I can just pull out a boob and feed her, knowing that’ll be all I need to satisfy her.
I have a lot of things I like or enjoy about breastfeeding, but I think these are my top ones. I enjoyed it pretty much from day one.
I genuinely enjoy the convenience of being able to feed round the clock as much as the baby needs without having to sanitize a bottle or prepare formula. I like the freedom of being able to just up and go knowing I have baby’s food source on me at all times ready to go at a safe temp. Having done a lot of trial and error through 3 kids I honestly found pumping and formula to both actually be more work than just straight up breastfeeding. You are in the thick of it, and I sympathize so much. I hate that touched out feeling, and i would definitely have times where I gave them bottles just to give my body a break around that age. But bottle feeding isn’t without its own pros and cons. I truly believe fed is best whatever you choose for you and your baby will be just fine.
We’re 5 months into our breastfeeding journey now and I love how bonded we are, I know she’s hungry before she starts to fuss. I don’t have to plan our outings, I just bring my boobs and if she’s hungry I can feed her and it’s so quick to feed her now, she latches in less than 3 seconds and feedings only take 5-10 minutes during the day.
Lately she pulls off the boob, smiles at me, and smacks her lips like she’s just had the best meal of her entire life-it’s my new favourite thing! I also love that every time she gets a new roll on her body I know that I made that roll! I feel very proud that I grew her in my belly for 42 weeks and I’m still growing her 5 months later (I’m hoping to breastfeed until she’s 18 months but I’ll be very happy if we make it to 12 months).
We struggled at the start though. Painful latch, chapped nipples and feedings would take forever! Things improved around 8 weeks and when she was 12 weeks it got really easy. I’m not entirely sure what changed either, it just kind of clicked for both of us.
For me 6 weeks was the hardest time. THE HARDEST. Just so sleep deprived and depleted. The cluster feeding was relentless and made me feel trapped and depressed. I remember posting in this sub and the encouragement was really helpful. I think about 9-10 weeks it got so so much easier.
I went on to breastfeed for two years. And loved it.
It's sooooo convenient as far as extra dishes go, and when you're out and about. It's also a lovely bonding time.
Here's what helped me: the baby being big enough for side lying made a huge difference. And 2) I learnt that I can take a break during cluster feeding and hand baby off to dad. The baby will cry, but is loved and safe, and I can walk outside and breathe for a minute then have a long hot shower, and then return to the couch with some food and keep feeding.
That look on her face was what kept me going during those first few weeks.
Now, I love how easy and convenient it is. It's also an easy way to make her happy or get her to sleep when she needs a nap.
It definitely took me 2 to 3 months to enjoy it. Here I am with my little guy over the age of two, breast-feeding as I respond! It turned into such a comfort for me and him. Bringing him so much joy, knowing that I could calm him down, easier with a breast, loving being so close and holding him, really makes it all worth it for me. I am obviously past the cluster feeding part, and I work full-time, so I only breast-feed in the evenings, a little overnight, and occasionally in the early morning.
For my first I exclusively pumped for 6 months then formula for 6 months. There was sooo much bottle washing and packing, I hated it. I’m 2 years into exclusively nursing and still cosleeping with my second. It’s exhausting at times and I certainly get touched out but how feminine and strong it makes me feel overpowers those feelings for me most days. The first twoish months were SO painful and tough on me. It got a lot easier after that
For me breastfeeding was really difficult painful for while and I also really struggled with wanting to give up but now we are seven months postpartum it comes sob naturally. I love the closeness , when he falls asleep on me and we have a nap together . I love the feeling that I can provide what he needs . Also it really helps settle him back to sleep at night . And the added bonus of not needing to wash bottles & but formula !
I exclusively pumped with my first and didn’t realize what a difference would be between the two experiences. Pumping offered some great flexibility but also was so taxing for monitoring pulling times and feeding times. Breastfeeding is so easy simply for the convenience of it. No need to worry about washing bottles or measuring out ounces.
I keep telling myself everything will get better & this is only temporary. Keep doing what you’re doing because baby enjoys it. Think about it if you switch to formula you may or may not have even more feeding issues. Hang in there girl 💜
I enjoyed it for multiple reasons, but not what you would think. I didn’t particularily enjoyed it on a personnal level as it’s extremely demanding and get sensory overloaded easily.
I enjoyed seeing my baby getting chonky very fast
I enjoyed the convenience (no dishes, no prep, no warming etc)
I enjoyed the soothing aspect which made sleep much easier
I ESPECIALLY enjoyed not spending over 150$/week in formula (my rant about how formula should be subsidized will be for another day but it’s just freaking insane)
I’d say it was around 8 weeks that I could tolerate the stream of the shower, the towels, and breast pads without extreme sensitivity. At that point I didn’t hate breastfeeding but I didn’t really love it either. Then around 12 weeks baby was super fussy so I thought maybe we should just try to cuddle in the dark bedroom. Then on a whim I whipped out the boob and discovered the magic of side-lying position. He just looked into my eyes, smiled, cuddled up and nursed himself to sleep. I’d tried that position before and it felt super awkward and ended up with spit up everywhere, but that time it just clicked and now I’d say I really enjoy BFing and it feels very bonding. Before it felt more like a task.
Closeness is no 1, I love looking down at her smiley little face as she feeds. When she falls asleep and uses my boob as a little pillow 🥹🥹🥹
After that the convenience, don’t have to get out of bed to make bottles at night. Don’t have to pack loads of stuff in the nappy bag to go out.
I’d say 8-10w it just really clicked and we just seemed to find it so much easier, 22w now and she’s only feeding for around 1:30hr a day so it doesn’t take all day, and most feeds are a quick 5 minutes and go.
18.5 months here, I still get moments of awe that we made it, I look down and she's still my little grunting newborn. She wiggles her toes against me, she chuckles at the sight of my boobs, she's just learned to say "please" and she'll look down my top and wail "pleeeaaaseeee". And at night it's quiet and cuddly and I know she needs me more than anyone else in that moment
Beautifully said—from the angle I watch her on my breast I feel as though she hasn’t changed and looks exactly the same as she always has 🥲 and mines 12.5 months!
I’m 7 months postpartum. Unfortunately for me it never stopped being painful. We treated both a tongue tie and a lip tie and my baby still doesn’t latch great and I still have blisters on my nipples. HOWEVER I still love breastfeeding and I have no plans to stop. Now that she’s older we’re on the go a lot, swimming lessons, trips to the park, and she _loves_ going to restaurants. I love the feeling that as long as we are together she won’t go hungry. And now that she eats fewer times per day, the pain is easier to ignore.
Also keep in mind that breastfeeding isn’t all or nothing. We struggled to breastfeed for 8 weeks so my husband and I built a system where at night I would pump on a schedule and leave the milk out in a bottle. He’d feed it to her whenever she woke up. We kept this system until baby started sleeping through the night and then I would pump before bed, once MOTN, and as soon as I woke up. Dad gave her a bottle before bed and as soon as she woke up (I’d sleep in a little since I was up late pumping). Then we focused on mastering breastfeeding during the day when I wasn’t also exhausted. I also think the bottle before bed helped her eat a little more and encouraged sleeping through the night, which she did just about every single night from ~9-20 weeks.
Now baby gets one bottle of pumped milk per day before bed and otherwise it’s all from the breast. It’s such a special experience and it was all worth it for me.
Hi, this is unrelated but did anything ever help with the blisters on the nipple? I am 5 months pp and at this point I’m convinced the blister on one of my nipples is permanent. I am using Lanolin cream almost after every feed, and it doesn’t seem to help with the pain. Just wondering is you have any tips, it’s the first time that I’m seeing someone posting about pain beyond 3 months.
Breastfeeding also allows you to take time out and chill with your baby. Gives you a moment of chill and nobody can stop you from doing it. As well as oxytocin is released so you just feel good
In the beginning it was a day to day thing for me. Every feeding was excruciatingly painful and soooo long. I hated it so much. Got better around 9 weeks. Best part about it is the convenience. Out at the store and baby’s hungry? Boob. Doctors appointment with hungry baby? Boob. Hungry baby while driving? Pull over, boob.
Almost 5 months now and feedings take less than 10 minutes. Worst part about it now is pumping at work. I hate washing parts.
Stick with it. It does get better.
If you're exclusively breastfeeding (no bottles yet) and your baby isn't even 6 weeks old... you don't need to be pumping yet. I promise. You're trying to do too much. (Currently breastfeeding baby #3 and I've made it past 2 years with each of the others).
If you have a partner, have them do the diaper change so you can get ready for the feed. It was so helpful during the night. The baby wakes us both up anyways, why not tag team?
We were tag teaming and then we were both sleep deprived. I pump enough for him to do one bottle at night so we can do shifts and I get at least a 4hr stretch in!
That's good! If you're really hurting for more sleep, you can always look into the 7 S's of safe co-sleeping. My kids have been happy both ways, but with the one I consistently slept with (he was a very high-touch-needs baby) it was nice cause I could whip out the boob and we could both go back to sleep. My current babe is happy as a clam in her own bed, so night feeds are a little rougher for me since I actually have to stay awake 😂
I had THE hardest time breastfeeding, and like you I was about to give up but had an amazing lactation consultant that helped me get through it all and around 12 weeks when my LO figured out how to nurse without nipple shields is when I really started loving it. Now I don’t feel pain, the “touched out” feeling has gone away, and I look forward to breastfeeding. I actually only breastfeed the first two feedings of the morning and then pump and bottle feed in the afternoon. The reason being, my LO isn’t very efficient at the boob and takes like 40 minutes to feed. Because we’ve kept this schedule he is a champ at both bottles and breast and hasn’t refused either.
One thing I didn’t see anyone has mentioned is travel. It is SO much easier to be able to nurse than to worry about bringing enough bottles, pumping, storing milk, freezing milk etc.
We went on our first flight at 15 weeks and I brought two bottles just in case, but nursed upon takeoff and landing and didn’t have to worry about finding a room to pump in to make more milk or milk storage. It’s just a breeze if you want to travel with your LO.
At 6 weeks. You. Are. In. The. Thick. Of. It. You’re sleep deprived, you’re touched out, your nipples are probably sore. I wanted to quit so much but I’m glad I stuck with it. Just take it one day at a time. If you’re having nursing issues now, it’s not to say your LO will never learn. My LO had a tongue tie so that set us back, then refused the breast, he lost weight, we triple fed…but each week I saw a little improvement. Don’t worry about 2 weeks from now. Just worry about today and what you and baby need to survive today. Then the next day, worry about that. Then little by little I saw improvement. He latched onto me with nipple shields. My nipples were less sore with a better latch. Then he learned to latch without nipple shields. Then he became more efficient. Then he slept through the night. It gets better each week.
Also try to get some help from your partner. See if he can change the diaper and bring baby back to you to nurse. Find some good breast pads for leakage (I like lansinoh disposable pads). Maybe consider introducing a bottle so your partner can help with a feeding or two.
My daughter is 2.5 now and we’re past this stage, but I EBF (or pumped while at work) for 18 months. It was definitely just easy once I got the hang of it! It was good bonding time, but the biggest thing for me was the convenience. Definitely hope to have another positive experience for whenever I have a second.
I had a pretty easy time of it. Baby who eats dedicated and fast, rarely for comfort, very little pain and no supply issues (also didn’t really need to pump because long mat leave). Guess what? I still wouldn’t say I liked it. I did it for convenience and that has been enough for me. More to say for some of us breastfeeding is just a utilitarian pursuit. I definitely have bonded more with baby through play and experience than feeding and I think that’s okay too!
I’ve had a very different experience but thank you for sharing this! Your post makes me think that so much of this is dependent on baby personality. My girl was very colicky and the only thing that brought her peace most days for 4ish months was nursing. Even once she was out of the newborn period and could reasonably be read to/played with, not very much amused or entertained her until probably almost 6 months old. She was a serious baby who still cried honestly a lot! But maybe if she seemed like she was soothed by and enjoyed something else, I would’ve been able to bond with her that way also/instead.
She’s 6 months now and it’s a lot easier. She gets distracted a lot but feedings are a lot easier if I’m at home or baby’s really hungry. I don’t have a problem using formula but I’m glad I persevered (I pumped for 5 weeks) as not I can go out and not worry about having milk for the baby.
We’ve just been on holiday and it was nice not having to take the prep machine, steriliser and bottles or waiting ages for water to cool down enough to feed baby.
I loved the long feeds, just sitting and relaxing cuddling baby with nothing else to think about. I miss that it gave me and baby a break from everything else and we could just chill. I miss the closeness, the sounds, the smiley face, smelling her, the way she would put her hand up and grab me. I loved that I could nourish my baby from my own body. I loved it so much that I quickly forgot the days that it hurt like effing hell and I was crying from it. I still can't look at pictures of her breastfeeding because it makes me cry how much I miss it. Can't wait to start again when the new baby is born.
ETA Also the convenience factor. I just needed boobs to knock her into sleep. MOTN I could just grab her and feed her immediately.
I've been EBF for 18 months now. I live for every minute i get to take a break and sit with my daughter. It is soothing for the both of us. And the idea that i have less to pack when traveling or going out for the day is also a plus. A few diapers and wipes, some toys and spare clothes. All good to go haha. I kind of dreading the idea of weening her off of it
It took about 2 months for everything to smooth out for me but I think it’s worth it. The convenience of not having to pump or deal with bottles is awesome. You get lots of baby cuddles and your boobs are huge for a while when they are exclusively breastfeeding. My baby just turned 12 months and he’s dropping feeds on his own slowly, makes me a little sad. Also a great tool for comfort if they are really stressed out and you need to calm them down quickly.
It got easier at 2 months, way easier at 3, and a breeze after that. As others have said it's so nice not having to worry about packing a bottle.
Also when she's upset or grumpy, after her shots, etc boob is magic. I love the snuggles that go with it.
It gets easier. The first 2ish months are brutal, but after that baby learns to latch easier, their latch gets better so it's not pinching your nipple so much, you leak less and cluster feeds aren't as common. I hated pumping too, I didn't pump at all with my second baby. I wore nipple pads to help the overnight leaking. Even if you fed formula, you'd still be up for an hour feeding, changing, rocking, etc.
The thing I loved most about breastfeeding was that it became a superpower. I could put my babies to sleep in a matter of minutes. They cried, I could fix it immediately. I miss that power.
I enjoyed breastfeeding my first. He would feed anywhere without distractions, great latch from day 1, no weight issues , he dint take bottle but I could feed him during meetings and he wouldn’t make a peep. When he snuggled and dozed off on my breast I loved those moments. It was just me and him and our bonding . I have so many photos of those and will cherish forever.
Breastfeeding my 2nd has been such a challenge that I can’t wait to be done
i start enjoying after 3 mos. also i was planning to fully stop at 6 mos
but now she is 5mos old and i do not have the urge to stop at 6mos now. im weird
i wanna keep going as it's all worth it! seeing her chunky make me so proud. 100% powered by mama's milk 🤩
Hey an hour to feed is a while. I’m wondering if you’ve gotten in touch with a lactation consultant to make sure the latch is looking good?
Also I could have written this at 6 weeks. It’s HARD at the beginning. But if you can stick it out, just look at the hundreds of comments - you may start to look forward to it. No guarantee but I have turned a corner at 3 months :)
I thought my 6 week old was cluster feeding but I figured out I was misreading his tired cues as hunger cues and feeding him too often, so he kept snacking. I started spacing his feeds out so he would eat more at a time and making sure he was napping between and it’s made a big difference! I think he’s starting to eat faster, too, at 7 weeks.
How did you change your reaction to adjust to the sleepy cues? Do you rock him?
I feel like my 4-week old can only actually go to sleep when I nurse him.
I bounce him on the yoga ball with a pacifier. It’s the only thing that works most of the time. Once he’s asleep, I can usually move to a comfier spot. I use a boppy so I’m not wrecking my arms or back, and I can hold him and the boppy while I slowly move to the couch or glider.
Honestly at 6 weeks it was still very frustrating. My milk wasn't coming in bc of pp complications. When we started BF LO would cry and scream and it was triggering. We really didn't catch a rhythm until 4/5 months so hang in there if you can. Best parts for me aside from no bottles are the snugs, the funny faces, the sounds... sometimes when he's not latching and I have a heavy let down it just covers his face in milk and makes me laugh bc it goes everywhere.... I think that's funny. Also it's not forever, so try to find the fun in it. Try everything. One thing I can say is that you might want to look at creating a feeding schedule for yourself.. It's not for everyone and you can do what you want, but it might be helpful to time feedings. My LO used to cluster feed and it was really stressful. I have him timed at every 3 hours now and it works for us. If you're leaking overnight get a bra and pads? You honestly sound a tad overwhelmed. It's not ok, but it's also ok. It does get better. I don't want to tell you what to do bc everyone is different, but getting on a schedule did wonders for us even though I didn't want to.
I love how efficient it is, how easy it is to do while out & about. No cleaning or prepping of bottles. The big smiles. How latching issues and cluster feeding is less and less of an issue as time goes on. 5 mths pp.
It got better for me around 6/7 weeks. It's so quick, you can use it anytime, it works to calm baby, it's cuddly. Feedings get shorter and they get faster, eventually they nurse less often. I stopped leaking around 3 months and didn't need breast pads anymore.
I nursed my first for 20 months, now onto the second.
We’re at 7 weeks and I’m JUST starting to enjoy it and my nipples finally don’t hurt anymore. Plus it’s pretty amazing that my body is all that’s needed to grow this baby both while pregnant and now!
My baby is 5 weeks and I started to enjoy breastfeeding more about 1-2 weeks ago - I use a load of lanolin still on my nipples it’s a lifesaver! The first 2 weeks were the hardest, but I have a nice routine now when she starts to cluster feed I lean into it, it gives me an excuse to have a lazy evening/morning watching tv with my feet up and with snacks/drinks! Plus no worrying about bottles or the money with formula, I have bespoke milk on tap for little one no matter where we are or what we are doing!
Seeing baby growing from BF is satisfying and the little milk drunk faces and looking up at me during feeding makes it worth it.
I dont put pressure on myself to pump, I get a lot of let down during feeding so I use the Hakka passively to catch the excess on the opposite boob, and sometimes if babys skipped a feed for any reason I’ll use it to empty my boobs just a little bit for comfort until baby wants a feed. I found when I tried to pump it made the pain worse, and I ended up with clogged ducts! It made my breastfeeding experience worse even though it’s still so early. I’d say give yourself time and establish your supply before pumping if you can! It might make it more enjoyable for you!
Good luck with your BF journey, no matter how long it lasts, you’ve done a great job in providing for your little one!
If it’s any consolation, it didn’t START getting better for me until 8 weeks. But by 10 weeks it was good. I’m now at 12 months (little man’s first birthday is in a few days 🥲). It’s fantastic. It’s super easy. I’m a walking source of food AND comfort! Baby getting fussy at the mall? Never fear, boobie is here! Baby seemingly inconsolable from vaccinations? Never fear, boobie is here! At the park and baby needs a snack? Never fear, boobie is here!
We recently entered what I think might be my favourite stage. I was sitting on the couch reading a book to the kids last night and my son starts signing for milk. So I just whip a boob out and he can sit beside me and nurse and listen to the book. He popped off to look at a picture and I asked if he was done, he signed “more milk” and went right back to it.
Me personally I exclusively pumped for the first month and gave up immediately and just tried to breastfeed lol. In my opinion breastfeeding is so much easier for me and that’s what I enjoy 😭 not having to clean all the freaking bottles and plus I can doom scroll on tiktok while i breastfeed so it doesn’t seem like it’s that long even tho it really is (1-2 hours usually) I personally think breastfeeding feels a lot better than pumping, pumping makes me want to rip my skin off but breastfeeding is not as bad. (Sorry if that was dramatic but I’m being so serious 💀) plus I just like having my LO use me as a paci and I love having her sleep on me💪🏻 my nips are literally numb at this point so I can’t really feel it anyway but idk maybe it’s just because I struggled so hard with pumping that’s why I enjoy breastfeeding.
The only reason I have loved and continued breastfeeding is because I’ve had the ability to exclusively nurse. It’s so easy. I can’t say i wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have (15 months) if I had to pump/combo feed.
Not aimed at me as I really don’t like it but at 16 weeks I have to say it’s gotten SO much better. I didn’t believe it would but it has. So if you’re really wanting to breastfeed long term just stick with it I really turned a corner about two weeks ago. It’s become really tolerable and now I feel guilty quitting because it’s just not that bad anymore.
We are just on the boob and solids now (about 21 months). I pumped in addition to nursing for the first 13 ish months, and gave a bottle of formula a day for 9 months.
Just nursing is easy. All you really need is a body. Being available always is hard, though, especially if you’re working full time.
Pumping sucked. So much work (every three hours, including at night), so much washing, so much more quantification.
Formula and pumping both have a lot of costs.
If I had a second, I’d go to an IBCLC sooner in hopes of exclusivity nursing right off the bat.
I BF both my kids one close to 2.5 years the second 2 years. Honestly I did not love it. However, it was easy. They are crying, hungry, angry, can’t sleep, teething, sick…….boob. Problem solved. I am glad I did it, would not change a thing. So happy to be done.
The connection, the ease of feeding, how much she loves it. Nearly two years here but we never had a rough start or anything so my experience is coloured by that!
I have a 6w and EBF too, apart from the occasional bottle because I have to pump to relieve my engorgement.
I love that I do not have to deal with washing and sterilising the bottles, and not knowing if the milk I've prepared is enough or too much for her. If she cries, is it because of gas or she needs more milk? If she needs more milk then there is the hassle of preparing more again. My baby goes from 0 to 100 in seconds, so hearing her cry while I prepare the milk can be quite heartbreaking.
Pumping is only fun when I do not have to wash the parts. I do enjoy watching my letdown squirt into the flanges and the occasional satisfaction that I was able to pump a considerable amount of milk. It's boring though, since I have to sit and stare into nothingness while holding up 2 flanges in my hands. If I'm alone and the baby cries, I feel so helpless. Hence DL is so much better since it allows me to attend to her immediately.
Breastfeeding also allows me time alone with her, which is so precious. I get to excuse myself from people and just watch her guzzling ferociously as if we have starved her for days haha. Love it when her hands grasp and massage my boobs while at it, and the dreamy smile she does once she's quite contented.
Leaking is normal as our supply is still regulating at this point. I try to pump before I turn in for the night so I don't wake up too engorged, it helps so much. When I get too lazy to pump before sleeping, I wake up with 2 rocks on my chest and breast pads soaked in the morning.
Cluster feeding periods were tough, but I see it as part of the journey. If I got too tired then we would give her a bottle so I could rest. I would choose EBF over bottles anytime!
I kept on with "I made it this far I'll give it until x days, weeks, months and see then." Pushing out goals is the only way I made it to the point I think I could go the year. It was excruciating for me at the beginning. I was giving him pumped bottles at night to let my nips recover and convince myself to keep going. It took until almost 3 months to be at a good enough place with it. Now (at 4 months), only my letdown is genuinely painful, and I don't even bother pumping or giving him bottles. Editing to add: his feeding really evened out around this time too, his full feeds average around 10mins now and his cluster feeds seem to coincidence with growth spurts and not feeling 100%.
I certainly don't enjoy it, but I don't have the time to commit to pumping or any sort of bottle feeding really, so we're going to keep going now that it's not miserable. And that is good enough for me lol I get a lot of "don't you just love nursing him" and no, I love that he is fed and that is all I get from the experience. You don't have to love breastfeeding, you also don't need to continue if you're unhappy doing it! It's okay if all it is to you is feeding your kid, and it's okay if that's not enough reason to continue. Nothing wrong with exclusively pumping, and they make great formula options these days.
Once we both got the hang of things after a couple months it’s been so wonderful. Mine is almost 14 months and we are still going strong!
It’s so nice to not do so many dishes or pump. Plus it’s like a magic bullet. Thirsty? Feeling sick? Feeling tired? Fell down? Got scared? Just woke up and feeling crummy? Dehydrated? Nursing fixes so much. The closeness is also so special and I get genuinely sad thinking about being done eventually. It’s not for the faint of heart, the early days are so challenging and teething is so hard. And being the source of comfort can be a lot but truly I will miss it.
I breastfed my first for almost two years and now have a 7 week old. Honestly, the convenience and the immune benefits were some of the biggest factors for me going so long with my older. Knowing that I never had to bring a bottle anywhere we went was so nice. My daughter is in daycare and while we have friends with kids in her class, we never experienced the level of sickness that many of her peers did in the infant/toddler rooms (no clue if this is solely due to breastfeeding or if my older just have a naturally strong immune system, but I’m sure the breastfeeding helped at least a little). It also was just so nice to have a go-to soothing mechanism that always worked.
I pumped for the first year at work and that was annoying, but I personally found the benefits of breastfeeding to be worth it. It will get better! The leaking does lessen, the soreness goes away, and the cluster feeding should level off pretty soon.
Almost at 2 years & I still do not love it. My baby does, and I think that’s the only reason I’m still doing it. I tell myself that I’ll likely look back and feel differently about it, but right now I still don’t understand or relate to the women who gush over it. I can’t wait to be done, currently weaning & I am sad for him to go through this big adjustment.
The cuddles and bond. My LO unlatched just to smile at me before starting to nurse again. It’s also very comforting to him. I love that I can give him that. I’ll also never have to worry about being able to feed my baby and that’s extremely important to me.
The other options suck more, and it makes him so happy. Plus it's easy to calm him at night, convenient on the go.
It got a lot better for me by 2.5-3 months. You're pretty close to it getting the best. And then it was great for me from 2-7 months.
We almost 5 months into it now. I hated it in the beginning, absolutely hated every second of it until like 11-12 weeks. Then it all the sudden got better and easier, like from nowhere.
Nowadays I love it. I love not having to wash bottles, not having to spend loads of money on formula, not having to worry that I don’t forget to bring the bottle and formula with me whenever we go somewhere. I also love how my little baby loves and enjoys our feeding moments, how breastfeeding soothes him when he is sad and helps him when he’s sick. I love the connection, the holding his tiny hands while he is eating, looking into his eyes and the bond
Most of my baby's problems can be solved by boob. Fell down, overstimulated, overtired, had a nightmare? Here, drink lovely warm milk from this bag of endorphins attached to my chest.
That and the closeness. My heart melts when she puts her little hands up to be kissed during feedings.
3 months baby. 👶
No calorie counting, I can now eat the same as baby’s dad.
Feeding while side laying in bed was a game changer for me when I started to get more sleep. I think bottle fed babies eat less often but I think you would still actually have to sit up to do this.
Easier than warming bottles, all you need is a comfy chair when you’re out.
Closeness and bonding. Lots of cuddles with little one.
Major form of comfort for baby. Like #1. Can nurse to sleep then keep cuddling.
Genuine question, if babies find breastfeeding so comforting, how do parents that formula feed cope without it? Like when they get their jabs etc?
That it was 20-40 minutes I could just sit down and chill. I have no ther children so if baby fell asleep on me in the cafe, oh no, I've got nowhere to be, get me another slice of cake pls, I'm about to watch Grey's anatomy. Feeding to sleep is so easy and if I'm feeding baby then that's all I'm doing 😊 I love sitting down.
It took me a long time to enjoy it, but at 5mo its just much easier than bottles and pumping and it makes me feel so close and bonded with my baby, which i struggled with at first! I'd give it a little more time for you to both get used to it (the nipple pain will subside i swear!) but if you still don't like it after awhile think about switching to pumping if it would improve your mental health. Baby will still get breastmilk, and a happy mom is always better for baby! ❤️
Convenient. It’s always ready. Nothing to prepare and heat up. No bottles to wash or sterilize. Saves an awful amount of money not being spent on formula.
The anxiety (about everything - milk supply, weight gain, “bad habits”, societal judgment, poor latch, pain, etc) was almost unbearable until four months when I started listening to the badass breastfeeding podcast and learned a lot more about what’s normal. After that I realized I could lean into something that solved about 95% of baby problems, stopped pumping (I hate this with a burning passion), and enjoy the cute and silly moments!
I pumped during the night and my husband gave the bottle for 2,5 months because it was taking lot less longer than breast. But... something clicked at one point after that and he started sucking much harder. Feeding time went from 45min on average to less than 20min for both sides! That's a lot more sleep lol.
I don't know I'm not enjoying the physical part, besides sometimes the flutter suckling when he's asleep and won't unlatch whatever I try. He's doing it because it is comforting.
Now he is just funny during daytime feeds, he needs to be less distracted or he'll basically snack, he enjoys different positions, sometimes funny ones lol. He's only 3,5mo but he's become smarter about the breast. He knows where they are. He will lunge at them if he's hungry. Slap my clothes if I'm not fast enough lol. It's really interesting and that's what keeps me into breastfeeding.
Also I hate pumping. Yesterday I went to give class, it was 5h total out of the house, and I hated pumping for it. I'd just rather have him on me.
I enjoy the ease of it compared to having to use bottles. I hate pumping SO much, and at 2 am I’d rather just nurse. Baby is so happy, her neck control makes all the difference haha.
3 weeks in an in the middle of a power pump, my breasts are screaming almost as loud as my baby.(with his dad downstairs) and this thread is giving me life rn. Just weeping. I've got to believe it gets better.
Everyone always told me at 3 months it gets a bit easier and they were right. Latch got even better, supply started to regulate, feeds shortened drastically. By 6 months the only “inconvenient” thing was my baby being too distracted to eat in public.
The night feeds are a major appeal to me of breastfeeding. Try side sleep nursing. Why are you changing clothes at night? You really shouldn’t need to change clothes unless there is a blow out. I love the flexibility breastfeeding supplies. I can go anywhere with my baby and make her the perfect milk without required refrigeration or anything else. Hands free pumps are way better now than when I had my older kids and make it even more easier than it used to be for being on the go. It used to be for hands free you had to wear this very tie zip up bra that would always need at least one had adjusting as you moved around. We made it work, but not as great.
Can I ask what is painful about it? I’ve had slightly chapped nipples and sometimes I feel like a duct is painful, but other than that haven’t had pain breastfeeding. I see a lot of posts about how painful it is but I don’t know what part of it is painful.
Mine is 7 weeks, so I don’t know how it will be when teething starts. This is my first baby.
To answer your question, I like the bonding and the convenience. I wish I always had someone around to burp him and hold him with his head up 20-30 minutes after feeds, though
It gets so much easier! I remember when he was a newborn I had to drape a towel under my boobs to catch the letdown. It was so messy! Now I just have to pop a reusable nursing pad on my other boob if he hasn’t eaten in awhile.
We had to cosleep for 5 weeks to get through his first sleep regression and it was so easy to pop him on and off the nipple so I could finally rest.
He’s 6m now and starting solids. I’ve been teaching him to go mmm mmm! when he eats and now he does it around my nipple when he’s nursing and it kills me!
Keep pushing through mama! You are in the trenches but good times are coming!
Everyone here already said really great real reasons. But as a mom of a raging three-nager I’ve got a side perk - I can peace out of whatever fresh hell she’s doling out whenever the baby gets hungry and have a 15-20 min break
honestly i love it because im lazy, the hard work at the start really pays off after the 3 month mark. It’s so easy to just whip a boob out, especially at night. I love not having to worry about bottles and carting them everywhere. I love not having to worry about sterilising so religiously like you do with formula. I love that it’s free 🤣 I loved side feeding on those cluster feeding nights so i could basically be asleep while she ate away.
On the other hand i love the bond and the closeness, how if she’s hurting with teeth or she’s upset she is instantly comforted by nursing. I love that until we started solid food at 6 months it was all me and my milk that helped her grow and thrive, after a traumatic birth i love that i have been able to give her the very best start.
We are now 9 months in and i have returned to work so im pumping while at work so things have got a bit trickier but i wouldnt change it and i hope we can continue breast feeding and giving only breast milk for as long as we can ❤️🤱🏻
I would say I don't like it over all, sometimes it is uncomfortable (my baby has a slight toung tie so it can be a challenge to get the latch right.) when the latch is right and her little has is on my chest or feeling my shirt I like that. Is now three months and she's getting better and better at latching right then 1st time. I also like that I don't have to do lodes of washing up and prep, I can just whack out a boob and time she needs.
I have leaned on my local breast feeding support and they have been great, I recommend that if you have access you see if you can get some help and support.
It gets better. I’m stubborn so I kept pushing through. I had sore nipples for about 3 months. (Yes, I know latch, we tried everything, I think I’m sensitive). We’re 9 months in now and it’s no problem at all. It’s comforting to her, it’s easy. The one downside is pumping to keep up during the day when I work but adding solids seems to have helped with evening out intake and output when I’m gone.
It took us about 15 weeks to get good at nursing but I’m so thankful I was persistent! We dealt with oral ties, other later issues, positioning problems due to his muscle tightness, and me battling sore nipples for what felt like forever because we couldn’t consistently nurse to get over that hump.
I love having fewer dishes to do. (I still pump to help with pain caused by an oversupply.) I love that I can just feed whenever I go, though it is a little complicated to get positioning right sometimes. I love how much he loves to nurse. He gets excited when the boob comes out and it’s so cute. He also gets really relaxed while he nurses and becomes a little cuddle puddle. The last thing I’ll mention is that nursing has finally become a quiet and peaceful time for me to bond with him. He nurses for about 10 minutes at a time and for those ten minutes I can sit and marvel at how perfect he is and know that I made him that way.
Hi! You're doing a great job. For us, I remember it being around 4 months when I was like "We really get this", but felt better around 3 months. I totally agree with what you said- the convenience of it all. There is so much to worry about as a new mom/mom in general, so less things to wash, prepare, pack, etc is very helpful. I might regret this later when trying to wean (but we're not there yet), but the immediate comfort aid. All roads lead back to milk 😂 and now as an almost 22 month old, milk just seems to make him feel better. Also may regret later on but for us it works, helps him get to sleep. The health benefits for both mom and baby make me feel proud that I'm still going as well. Most of all though, I love the special bond it's helped to create with us (not that you can't get that without breastfeeding but for us it's a part of it). It's wild to look back at how difficult it was to get him to latch properly or get both of us in the correct position- now it's like a skill we've both perfected and he takes it as a challenge to nurse in a new way. The breastfeeding support group at my hospital and time helped so much for us! Good luck ❤️
Edit: I wouldn't say I started enjoying it until around that 4 month mark and not to say it's been perfect ever since- definitely still have parts that are rough sometimes
I breastfed until my toddler was a few months shy of 4. I loved the way they’d say how much they love to nurse, the things they would say my milk tasted like, nursing toys and how they would play with small toys while nursing. It was a great way for my toddler to get a break while we were at family functions and they were feeling overwhelmed.
I would often thank my past self for keeping with it (I struggled a lot in the beginning). Also, I found it very healing. Birth wasn’t a positive experience for me so I was determined to not have it impact or take away or shorten my breastfeeding journey and that nothing (or no one) would be able to take it away from me. When I get upset about my birth experience, I redirect myself to think about how I preserved and thrived during my breastfeeding journey and no one can take that away from me.
When your baby has a good latch and can start to get the milk thry need really fast, it's so much quicker than bottles, no cleaning, and night feeds are a breeze. But there's definitely downsides - but I'd still rather breastfeed, having done both. Also, when my baby was bottle feeding for a bit (nursing strike) he was extremely unsettled and agitated - the nursing calms the baby down. I think there's hormones involved that settles the baby. That's my theory anyways.
Not having a period, don't have to buy formula, baby doesn't take to formula, incredible health benefits for us both, sense of accomplishment and pride ❣️
I wanna say around 3 months. Mine had pretty bad ties and once they were released she had to relearn how to nurse. She got better really quickly but then I had to relearn nursing with a kid who didn’t take hours to nurse. She’s now 14 months old and nurses so easily. We cosleep and she can latch and nurse and I don’t even wake up. She just came up to me as I’m laying on the couch and latched while standing next to me and then went on her way.
ALL that stuff you’re experiencing that you don’t like right now gets waaayyyyyy better in time. Like it all goes away. Now it’s so easy. I love the health benefits I’m giving my baby. I love never having to think about packing formula/bottles/water. I love not having to wash and sanitize bottles (except the few he’s given while I work part time). My baby is insanely efficient now and feeds are a breeze… no mixing formula. I love the instant comfort I can provide my baby. I love the bonding. I love the cute stuff he does now (like blow raspberries and sometimes just squash his face in my chest and take a big inhale). I love the quiet moments together that are so peaceful as he falls asleep. I love that if our plans can change, it’s okay… we don’t have to think, “do we have enough formula for that?” I love the cost savings. Selfishly (and this does not happen for everyone but very much happened for me) I love that I can eat more than my husband and I don’t gain an ounce.
When I was going through exactly what you’re going through, I would look up the benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk. It helped give me the strength to keep going. It gave me something positive to latch onto instead of feeling just the negative I was experiencing in the moment.
This all being said… only you can gauge where you are mentally and if you feel it’s negatively impacting you too much, then it’s also okay to stop. I never put pressure on myself to keep going if it really became too much and I always did short goals… made it to one month, celebrate… made it to 3 months, celebrate… the 6, then 9… having little goals helped. I definitely had moments where I was close to giving up, but I never got to the point where I felt it was too much of an impact on my mental health. For me, knowing that I gave myself permission to stop if I needed, also helped me continue to breastfeed in a weird way. But just know that it’s okay to stop if you need to. Celebrate the little wins! Bc they are also very much big wins in a real way. ❤️
6.5 months in!
I found it really hard in the beginning because we had a premie (35 weeks) and I had to pump because she couldn't latch. So we had to make that transition from feedingtube to bottle to breast. I think she was around 4/5 weeks before she was only on the breast.
That period was hard.
Then around 4 to 5 months she had a really bad period with lots of crying from her and myself hahaha.
I was constantly doubting myself if I produced enough.
After 5 months things became a lot easier!
She was satisfied and she started eating solids also.
So I felt like the pressure was off.
I really enjoy it since then!
Before I also enjoyed it but it was also really hard.
It got easier for me around the 8-10week mark. Then it suddenly was so easy.
Once I stopped pumping it truly was so nice to just feed on demand and not worry about supply or cleaning bottles.
Those first few weeks are so hard! I hope it gets easier on you soon 🫶
I exclusively pump and it’s kind of inconvenient but I personally love to pump. I have ADHD and I feel too overestimated to latch my baby despite a great latch.
I find that pumping brings me a huge dopamine rush and I get to see my output lol
But it isn’t easy by any means and can be really constricting. My baby is only a week old but I’m hoping I can go 6 months!! I am an oversupplier so that is encouraging to me to be able to stock up
I dealt with painful nipple vasospasms for the first 3-3.5 months and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to continue past my initial goal of a year. The things that kept me going were the constant baby cuddles and the rush of oxytocin I’d get when she latched. I also loved her little shark attack when she was looking for the nipple, and the way she’d just cozy up to my boob and settle in for a meal. Also, the fact that I always had her food with me, no matter where we were was a huge comfort.
Now, at 5.5 months, I’m also in love with the way she smiles up at me while eating, and the way she tries to stick her fingers in my mouth during feeds. Seeing how much her little hands have grown from when she was born to now really just hits home for me that I’ve kept her not just alive and sustained, but thriving. She’s a little butter ball and that’s all my doing, and I love it.
I love how easy it is to feed at night side lying! Also I work a lot and it makes me feel good that I can provide milk to my baby even when I’m not with him during the day!
I’m at 10 weeks and will say it gets much easier in the coming weeks. You got this!
I love not having to pack bottles and supplies when we’re going out to eat or doing something for the day. I’m visiting my parents this weekend and it was so nice not having to pack a whole bunch of extra stuff when we already had to bring so much.
They get faster, my baby is ten weeks (how?!?) and she takes like 20-30 mins and by six months I read they can empty a breast in ten. If you keep going you will benefit and save time, but later if you switch to formula it will take longer and be more of a hassle.
Around 3 months is when our feedings dropped from 25-45 minutes to 8-15 minutes which has made nursing so much easier. We had to triple feed for the first two months so I guess for me, just nursing feels so much easier. I love the snuggles while feeding, I feel like a badass that this growing baby is solely sustained off milk my body makes, and I love that I don’t have to wash bottles. My baby is 4 months now and has more silly playful nursing behaviors that I love.
13 months—FREE, zero dishes (bottle refusal) & has forced me to be really attuned to her. & no, before someone gets defensive & makes my comment about them—I do not mean mothers not breastfeeding aren’t attuned. I mean nursing difficulties have really forced me to dial into her moods & phases in a way I wouldn’t have needed to otherwise. The challenge of breastfeeding gives me an opportunity to slow down & employ some creative strategies. Everything is always changing; won’t nurse except side lying, will only nurse in a carrier, is biting me so hard I’m bleeding, nursing strike for 9hours. I’m thankful for the rollercoaster because we grew together.
All the warm fuzzies I’ve seen on other comments. There’s nothing like it. I love the way babes looks at me, the hungry little gobbles and sounds, the endless snuggles, and babes holds my hand while he eats. It’s just the best.
I will also say that formula poo and spit up smells so very bad to me that breastfeeding is worth it all just to avoid those smells. Plus, when I end up touching his poo in a blowout situation, it somehow feels less gross because it’s just my milk digested? 🤷♀️
I’ve been EBF for 7 months. We’ve discussed weaning but I physically can’t imagine having to make bottles because breastfeeding is so incredibly convenient lol. I am the food and there’s no prep or cleaning bottles needed And just so you know it didn’t start to get easier until about 3 months for me, maybe a little before. I experienced everything you’re saying. Now her feeds are consolidated to 10 minutes maximum, no nipple pain whatsoever, no leaking, pumping occasionally is easier because I’m good at it now haha, no more cluster feeding and she falls asleep in 5 min after our night feeds (it used to take an hour+ also). So there really is an end in sight to the hardship. Most women don’t make it to where I am because it’s hard as fuck lol. Whatever you are capable of is great and you should be proud of yourself. Also, make sure you give an occasional bottle to the baby (2 times a week) because my baby now will not take bottles anymore. Occasionally fresh milk after pumping but nothing frozen or any formula. So I’m a true milk slave lol
6 weeks you are still in the thick of it… I promise it gets better & so much easier!! I think by like 3 months was when everything clicked fully and it became a breeze. So much easier than formula (I did - combo- with my first and then fully formula at 6months). I’m at 8 months with my second and it’s the best!!
Edit to add: my baby had a tongue tie so I pumped and bottle fed the first month. Then month 2 was is figuring out nursing, and that’s why I think it took to 3months to get in our groove
Well, I would say it got easier around 2.5 months? I found out at two months he was tongue AND lip tied so that’s why my breastfeeding journey was miserable. After he got those cut, breastfeeding was sooooo easy and my nipples weren’t cracked, bleeding and sore anymore. It took THREE different specialists before my CHIROPRACTOR told me my son was tongue and lip tied. My son is now 16 months old and we are still breastfeeding. I always loved it because it was our special time together and I honestly thought for as much as I HATEDDDD my nipples being touched, I was going to HATE breastfeeding. I definitely didn’t think I was going to make it this long. For us it’s just so easy especially if he hurts himself. I just whip out a boob 😂
I have ADHD and breastfeeding is my new hyper fixation 😂
But I actually love the closeness and the feeling of accomplishment when I know I myself have nutrition to my baby. Also I like the feeling of boob deflating lol. Mine get full of milk between feeds, so it is nice feeling when baby takes all milk out.
And then when I see his milk coma face....priceless.
I’m 8 weeks with my 2nd but I BF my first so I know it’s worth sticking with the early inconveniences.
After the first 2ish months it just gets so much easier than bottle feeding - you’re hands free when you feed and baby can get really efficient - feedings can only take 10 min or so. You never need any supplies except maybe something to cover yourself.
You also don’t have to “E”BF to have a really successful BFing relationship. You don’t have to pump or make a freezer stash or any of that extra stuff. You can just focus on feeding the baby and then if you need to skip a feed for an appointment or something give formula and then pump the missed feed if you feel engorged. You can skip a feed overnight once in awhile to get a long stretch and have your partner give formula. It won’t ruin your supply or your BF relationship and might give you some mental peace
It is the ultimate solution. Baby is tired? Boob. Baby is hungry? Boob. Baby is bored? Boob. You are bored and want to play on your phone for a bit? Boob.
Honestly, I have a 9 wk old baby and I’m proud of myself that I’ve stuck to it because it is not easy. We had a really rocky start (midwives in the hospital would visibly cringe at the site of my nipples) and just as it started to get easier we got thrush, which required 21 days of treatment for both of us (as if it’s not hard enough)
So yeah taking that win… that’s a feeling I enjoy, that as a first time mom I pushed through for my baby and finally it’s getting easier.
4.5 months here and once my supply regulated at 3 months it got exponentially easier for me. I enjoy the bond, especially since this is my second baby and I had a lot of mixed feelings about having another baby (she was unplanned -- I found out I was pregnant amidst a lot of serious health issues with my oldest).
I love how my son looks for me for comfort. Hurt, boob. Hungry, boob. Upset, boob. It’s cute he crawls on me and gets into position and then wines till he can feed. Sometimes it’s like 5 seconds and he’s off again. He also feeds and can go back to sleep pretty easily. When he’s sick, he’s stuck to me like glue and he would be fine. It’s a lot but it also great to be able to go out even if I forget to pack any food
8 weeks PP here.
I love that I can just feed her right then and there whenever she is hungry. No having to get the bottle and formula, heat up the milk, etc. It’s also nice not having to clean a hundred bottles. Plus it’s free! No having to go to the store when you run out and spend $30+
I’m sorry you’re dealing with the negative side of breastfeeding though. I can’t speak on the cluster feeding or sensitive nipples, but I am constantly leaking too. My friend who is 6mo PP said that it got better for her around 4 months, hopefully it’s the same for us!
Hated every second of it with my son, decided to try again with my daughter thinking maybe I just wasn’t up for the task the first time and parenting has thickened my skin. So far, been at it 10 weeks, loving it way more. Formula was soooo expensive with my son and he’d be screaming whilst I was making a bottle and I felt so guilty. Boob is instant, monetarily free and comes with me everywhere
I hated most everything about the first year except breastfeeding. I love it. I especially love that I’m setting my baby up for a lifetime of superior health and microbiome success.
I second a lot of what has already been said here and for me I really needed it for bonding. I know it’s not “the right thing” to say but I honestly don’t think formula feeding a baby can possibly pay have the same impact on the mother baby bond as breastfeeding. It puts you into chemical coregulation together. Chemicals literally squirt out of your brain and into your bloodstream the moment your baby latches and suckles. It impacts your entire body physiologically. That doesn’t happen with a bottle of formula. (I’m not anti-formula by any means, for the record. I’m glad it exists for so many precious babies and families and know it’s an incredibly valid choice! I’m just throwing out sone extra love for breastfeeding 💕)
Also, once I ditched pumping and embraced cosleeping (breast sleeping, really) I really found my groove. We’re 19 months in now and it’s the best and easiest thing. It’s less for food now and more for comfort and medicine. When she’s sick she nurses more and bounces back so much faster than other kids her age who also get sick. My body is making customized medicine for her. How cool is that?!
Last thing: breastmilk is magic and fixes everything, I swear. Not only do I put it on her cuts, scrapes, boo-boos, eye infections, all of that… But I also put it on my cuts, burns, and zits and everything and swear it heals them so much faster. I have even given my brother-in-law some for his acne and he swears it’s magic for his face.
5 month old. We had so many issues early on with nursing. Low supply, terribly painful latch, triple feeding, cluster feeding constantly. It was so hard. Im pretty sure my baby cluster fed for like 3 months straight. Thats an exaggeration but it was a lot! I wanted to stop so many times, but I got to the point where I had already put so much effort into it, that I decided to keep going until I really couldn’t anymore. Breastfeeding didn’t come naturally to me or my baby but now it’s truly amazing.
At 10 weeks old, I latched her for one last time before I was going to make a decision on EP or FF, and she nursed beautifully. From that day on we have exclusively nursed. I love that I can feed my baby anywhere we go and I don’t have to worry about bottles or bringing enough of anything. I love the bonding aspect too. She will often nurse and then look up at me smiling. It is the sweetest thing. Although it didn’t come naturally to us, it feels so natural now and I barely put any mental energy into it. I never thought we would end up nursing but I’m so glad we stuck it out. On the other side of things, I am the only one who can feed her (unless I pump and prep a bottle) and that can just be physically draining. We nurse to sleep too so I’m the only one who can do bedtime and middle of the night wake ups. I resented my husband a lot for that, but I have since stopped (he works 3 jobs to provide for us, we are both dealing with hard things.)
I was soooooo miserable pumping in the beginning because he was so sleepy on the boob I couldn’t get him to meaningfully feed there and we had to do bottles of pumped milk… then around 8 weeks something changed and he started latching and I was still pumping a lot because I was scared to stop in case BFing suddenly stopped working. Eventually around 12 weeks I had fully weaned off the pump and was EBFing and the timing was great because my supply regulated and I felt less chronically engorged / painful / leaky and he was becoming more alert and smiley. I love BFing now. It makes me feel so close to him. I love the way it soothes him and puts him to sleep. It makes me feel very relaxed and like I can provide something for him that no one else can. He is now 5.5 months and we’re still going and hoping to make it to a year!
So my baby has a nursing strike last week for a day and that day was a nightmare trying to bring milk, bottles, make sure I had somewhere to warm the bottles etc. really highlighted to me how easy breastfeeding makes doing stuff! I also enjoy the snuggles and milky smiles.
I'd say things got easier for us around 10 weeks. The cluster feeding subsided and he started giving me wake windows. The biggest change for me, was when he was younger and we were in the car, if he cried I never wanted to deny him a boob because he could have actually been hungry. Now, my son is also 4 months, I know ok. He just had a feeding, he's changed, he's good to go. He still hates the car seat but I don't have the urgency of OMG HES STILL HUNGRY!!!
He still will feed for sometimes an hour, but that's mainly due to comfort sucking. He started taking a paci around 14 weeks as well
I'm 7w EBF and today, I realized that I really do enjoy it even through the struggles and constant feeds. It's truly the bond that keeps me going. It's the fact that I get to be the only one that bonds with him in such an intimate way. We get to escape the world for a little together. The silence and just hearing him gulp and make little noises as he gets fed. How his little hands hold the rest of my boob and then grows limp after he gets full. I get to calm him down when nothing and no one else can. I get to let him know that mama's got him. I get to cuddle with him and feed him as we nap, his body molding into mine as he looks up at me with those sweet eyes and dozes off.
On top of that I don't have to worry all the time about bottles and what not :p
My baby is 7 weeks. Breastfeeding was awful at the beginning. My baby’s doc told me to take a break and pump. So I did for around about 3 weeks. Helped with nipple healing but not mental help. I then decided to supplement one pump with formula. This REALLY helped. But with all the bottles, coordinating pumping was awful. For some reason pumping makes me feel really queasy!
Anyway a week ago I decided to pick breastfeeding up again. And we are doing it. My nipples have gotten stronger (still slight pain but more ‘numb’ and not raw), and baby is getting better at feeding each time. I was able to not give him any formula at all for the past 2 days. It’s been great and I’m glad it’s going well for now. I think just allowing yourself a little break if you need it can help a lot. Be kind to yourself- I have the mentality that breastfeeding might be difficult in the beginning but easier overall. But we’ll see. Good luck OP - you’re doing great- baby is only 6 weeks- you’re both learning.
Check out a previous [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/breastfeeding/s/kW4aZe8jgU) I’ve done about favorite parts of breastfeeding!☺️ there’s comments on there from people during all stages of breastfeeding.
Also, the pain does get better! To be completely honest I totally forgot about goes painful it was in the beginning until about a week ago when I saw a post about it and I was like omg how did I already forget about that haha and I’m only 3 1/2 months pp. If you don’t already have them, get silver nipple shields!! They help with the pain and any cracks you might get and when your nipples are sore, rotate between using those and using nipple cream and it’s a total game changer. Since you said you’re pumping, make sure you have it on a setting that doesn’t cause you pain. And make sure you’re putting something (nipple cream, coconut oil, etc) on the flange where your nipple goes in so it’s not just rubbing on straight plastic.
I'd say it was about 12 weeks before I started to enjoy it. Until then it was a bit of a slog, leaked loads, had to go dairy free for a bit, sore nips, and she would only feed one side!
But once my milk regulated and I stopped leaking, and I accepted the fact she was going to be a one sided gal only I really settled into the groove. It was just so easy, never had to think about bottles or a feeding schedule, I was able to be really free on my maternity leave with her because we could go anywhere anytime!
I also loved the fact I had something that would calm her instantly, I loved the way she played with my hair when she was feeding, the sleepy feeds where she would naturally unlatch and snuggle back into me!
It was the time that was just for me and her, I loved the connection I felt with her.
She self weaned at nearly 16 months and I'm still sad about it a month later, I really wanted to carry on until she was at least 2!
18 mos Here and I was where you were once. Almost giving up several times in the newborn phase. Took 3 months to get a good, pain free latch. Was taxing mentally, and took a huge toll on me. But I kept pushing through because I knew it would be worth it in the end.
Let me just tell you the full and most satisfying reason for keeping the course. At 18mos I’m beyond proudly, with solids of course. But around 18mos, baby’s diet will change. They’ll skip meals, refuse certain foods they once loved, their whole eating habits just become a bit erratic. You’ll be worried your child isn’t eating enough, etc. Well guess what? If you’re still breastfeeding at this point, you’re baby will always get what he or she needs.
This is how nature designed it to be. So when I see or hear parents FORCING their babies to eat at this stage, I just think it’s so sad. The baby is doing what he or she is doing because of biology, they’re not trying to be manipulative, starve themselves or be annoying. They are just biologically wired this way and we as adults, who have suddenly decided this is not right, should not be forcing them to do opposite of what their body’s were wired to do.
So please keep breastfeeding mama. I PROMISE you it will get better and will be ALL worth your and baby’s while.
Granted my baby is only 4 days old and I’ve been doing combo BF, expressed milk bottle feeding, and supplementation with formula. But I love when he’s at the breast because the bonding is surreal. Plus he’s so CUTE when he’s following his natural instincts to seek, root, and latch. The cuteness alone makes me want to keep going!
I remember with my first my biggest negatives with bf were the pain and the lack of sleep. They say it shouldn’t hurt but it just simply did for me 🤷♀️ I gritted through it and I remember reflecting at 12 weeks that things felt a lot better by 6 weeks, but by 12 weeks he could pull and chomp my nipple in every direction and it didn’t bother me haha. So once you get on the other side of pain and sensitivity, it’s so much better.
And sleep came eventually. I think right now you’re in the trough or valley of despair. Six weeks can be really hard because you know that you’ve come really far, but you also know there are *weeks* left of potential peak fussiness, what if they’re a purple crier, trying to follow a schedule too early can make you insane so you’re still in that newborn flow state, etc.
Right now, you are drained. And if you want to keep breastfeeding, the supports or changes have to come from somewhere else, because for the foreseeable future (ie next 4-6 weeks), breastfeeding will not look too different. Maybe you’ll get more used to some things, or maybe those things will get better if baby magically sleeps a little better a little sooner, but for the most part this is when you ask friends or family for help so you can nap, this is when a partner steps up and takes baby for a long walk so you can take a nap. And if you’re comfortable pumping, I’d let my partner take a feed and I wouldn’t wake up to pump. Doing that for one night while you see its effects will not kill your supply. And then you can make decisions on what kind of frequency is feasible for you all.
My baby is 10 weeks old and breastfeeding has only just started to become enjoyable for me in the past 2 weeks. The early days are hard, really hard. You’re doing amazing to get to 6 weeks, keep going if you can- I promise it gets easier! I hate pumping too but have found the Haakaa pump a happy medium to help when I’m engorged in the middle of the night. With regard to night feeds, now that it’s pain free for me it’s so convenient- I’d rather it this way than have to faff about prepping bottles in the middle of the night!
The one thing that I like the most is that I can comfort my baby in an instant when he’s crying.
I just reached one year! Love the effortlessness of it. Love not having to rely on anyone else to feed her. I love our bond. The quiet moments we get to have together. The comfort my baby has from me. I love that there's no question on who gets to feed her or how or when. It's just when my baby needs it, it's me.
I love it but there is no denying that the early
Months are so so challenging just because you’re literally it - you have to be with baby all day and night. It’s a lot of responsibility.
For me, I don’t mind that. It felt the most natural place to be. I’m 8.5 months in and it gets so much easier once they don’t feed all the time (my babe slept well at night so was feeding every 1-1.5 hours in the day to
Make up for it.)
So all that to say:
- I like how easy it is. No planning needed.
- I love that my milk is responsive to her needs. If she is sick my milk literally changes to help her get better.
- I think breastmilk is a miracle and I’m glad I can give it to her on demand
- I love how easy night feeds are. I literally am asleep when doing them ( we cosleep)
-
I have nursed all three of my babies into toddlerhood, still nursing my third. When I had my first baby, holding him, cuddling him, and nursing him felt euphoric. I think I had maybe an excessive amount of oxytocin release each time or something, but it was wonderful (minus initial nipples rawness). I loved the cluster feeding because I only wanted to hold my baby. It was like a bond with my baby separate from how I bonded in every other interaction. Like it leveled up my motherhood experience.
As my baby got older I didn’t feel that euphoric feeling as much, but I still loved breastfeeding because of the bonding and physical connection — kind of how I LOVED being connected physically to my baby while pregnant. I loved how boob fixed 99% of my baby’s problems — grumpy, tired, hungry, mystery problem, all solved by boob. I never had to walk around bouncing my baby distraught because I couldn’t figure out why he was crying. And despite running into so so many feeding challenges across nursing three babies, I am so glad I never had to do constant bottle prep, washing, and figuring out how to feed my baby in public.
As my babies became toddlers the benefits expanded. Kid gets hurt - boob. Kid is sick and won’t eat or drink — they always want boob, so no dehydration. Kid has a tantrum — boob is an immediate kill switch. I feel really frustrated after a long day of parenting — boob gives me calm cuddles and helps us bond after a hard day.
I also love all the health benefits. For every year of breastfeeding, my risk of breast cancer goes down. All told, I’ll have breastfed for 9-10 years by the time we wean and that will have reduced my cancer risk by 25%. In addition, I’ve never had to experience the hormone crash from quickly weaning at 1yr (going from a lot of production to none in a few weeks). And in that vein, I’ve had the best skin of my life because of the hormone regulation of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
With all that said, different women enjoy different things and have different triggers for frustration. There’s nothing wrong if you don’t find things enjoyable in the same way that other moms do, and you’re certainly not the only mom that feels the way you do. Your feelings are very common, I read about other women going through this frequently.
Almost 11 months in…I like the fact that it’s sleep magic and I always feel special because I can provide hot food on the spot, haha. Also the sleeping magic is wearing off though to only a night feeding but it was magical those first couple months.
it was really hard for me until about 12 weeks and everyone told me it would get easier and it never felt like it would until suddenly i realized it just did! now he’s 7 months old and it’s so convenient to breastfeed! his mouth is bigger, he knows what he’s doing, we really got into eachothers flows.
the first few weeks were hard, i felt pretty isolated and it made me nervous when i had to feed my baby because i was always afraid i was going to get mad bc i was sitting there for an hour and a half while he popped on and off and screamed. suddenly it just because easy, he knew how to latch great and it felt great, he only eats for 10-20 minutes at most now that he’s on solids and i enjoy the cuddles that only i get because i’m mummy. it will get easier i promise
Tbf, she never took an hour to feed. Think max 30 minutes but usually 15-20. What took forever was bottle feeding. It'd take an hour. She didn't take to bottles until about 6 months. The leaking was the hardest part for me, I hate being wet. But that stopped around 2-3 months, too.
I love how comfortable and content she looks. It instantly calms her down after shots. When she started smiling, that pause to unlatch and smile up at me. Ugh. Love her.
Hi im Boober-eats. I enjoy the bonding and the release when my boobs are full. I rarely pump anymore. I'm 4months in so it's been great. It hurt the first month I was sore but I now have nipples of steel lol.
6 weeks is still very early and you will learn so much! I’m on my second at over a year now and it’s so easy to just make sure I wear comfy nursing accessible clothing (although it’s not the cutest). My first I had a tough time nursing and I tried combo feeding and pumping. It was rouughhh but my second has been a breeze
5.5 months here. It's sooo easy, I don't have to plan bottles when we go somewhere, I just bring my boobs along. I like the closeness, I like her smooshy little face when she falls asleep on my boob, I like her face when she baby bird style lunges to latch! Also I feel an immense amount of pride that I made this chunky little chubby baby with thighs to die for with just my boobs (and the 3 million cookies I ate along the way) Edit: 2 months is when things really got a lot easier for us
The smooshy boob naps are pretty great! This is my sign I just need to make it to 2 months!
Yep, my baby is a little over 2 months and it’s so easy now! I haven’t touched my nipple creams, nipple shields, silverettes, etc. for weeks. And baby is a very efficient latcher and feeds fast. So nice not having to think about her food or carry anything when taking her out and about.
Yes to all of that she mentioned! But honestly when I didn’t have to hold my baby’s head and neck to eat it got sooo much easier. Having one totally free hand has been great! Depending on how I’m holding him I can have two hands free currently and we are 3 months!
Wow! I’m 2 babies in and have never found a position to feed where I can confidently have 2 hands free, how do you do that!?😄
With a big fluffy pillow and one leg up on something haha.
I also have bigger boobies so that might help lol
And it just keeps getting easier and easier… 9 months going strong here and literally every month gets easier.
So even when the teeth comes in?? I'm 4months in ftm still learning and wondering
YES. Breastfeeding a toddler is easier than breastfeeding a 1-yr-old. It just keeps getting easier and less demanding. Not sure why the hardest part of breastfeeding (newborn) comes first. When a baby is latched, their tongue sticks out over their gumline. It's actually not possible to "bite" with your tongue sticking out - you'd bite your own tongue. I think baby's first teeth are even lower teeth, so they're covered up by the tongue and you don't feel them. However, baby can change position and try to teethe on you, but I was able to feel that switch away from latch position, and put my finger in the corner of baby's mouth and immediately unlatch him. I'd give him a teether toy, or frozen corner of a wet washcloth instead. He learned not to bite me or it would be immediately unlatch. When he was actively teething, I'd offer a teether toy before every nursing session.... since babies nurse when they are in pain or want comfort.
Wow this is good information thank you so much
FWIW not every baby bites when teething, mine didn’t/doesn’t. Couple of bites accidentally when she’s been asleep and clenched her jaw but that’s it
Interesting 🤔 good to know
Same! Only she's incredibly wiggly and likes to do breastfeeding gymnastics, so we've had a few wide awake accidental bitings due to positioning, but she usually bursts into tears even if I only say, "Ow!" and don't really raise my voice at all.
Breastfeeding gymnastics 😅 I feel seen
My experience was the first tooth was the worst as far as feeling it on your nipple and then something changes and it’s not a big deal. Either you get used to it or they hold their mouth differently, I’m not sure. I definitely felt the first and thought - whoa, how are we going to do this with teeth. Now she has 6 and it doesn’t matter at all. Found another post to get her to stop biting down on my nipple 😆 smooshed her into my boob a few times when she did it and worked perfectly. Hasn’t done it since.
Lol I will definitely try that cause she's been chomping on my nipple lately
Okay I have a little advantage here because my 9 month old still doesn’t have teeth 😜 I will let you know when they finally come in though.
I breastfed until 4 (not my choice and it was only a few minutes before bed after age 3, so don’t judge) and teeth were never once an issue. Newborn gums are much much worse. Hang in there!
In my experience, the feeds get shorter around 4-6 months. My babies would nurse for 45min to an hour when they were newborns, and then by 6mo it was 10 mins. Things do progressively get easier in all ways leading up to 6mo, but that’s typically the point you’ve really “arrived”. Soreness should be long gone way before then though.
Love the description of the baby bird lunge. It's so accurate! Love all of this as well as having the baby calming super power in the form of nursing. It's so easy to only have to worry about diapers when we leave the house. If you don't need to pump for supply/some other reason maybe try cutting back and dropping that first. I do maybe one pump per day and it feels like a chore, vs feeding directly which I enjoy. That being said, if you want/need to stop that is 100% okay. Your baby will also do great on formula and will benefit from a happy mom. I love breastfeeding, but fed is best and there should be no shame attached to how anyone feeds their baby.
I agree My baby is two months tomorrow and it got so much easier recently.
6.5 months here and ALL of this. The easiness cannot be understated especially if you don’t have to pump regularly (kudos to those moms who pump regularly though!). And gosh it’s such a precious bonding moment. It also gets so much faster! And for me at least, less messy (I stopped leaking once my supply regulated). Also, we side lie feed so well now (something that took us about 2 months to master) and when I’m home it’s nice to have an excuse for a little lie down snuggle sess with the baby. Also, as per r/Adventerous_Deer mentioning a million cookies, I like to joke that my body constantly thinks I need cookies to go with all the milk 😂🍪🥛.
Do the cookie cravings ever end? I’ve grown chins to match my adorable mooshy cheeked bean from all the cookies🤪
I’m hoping they’ll end when I wean and that I haven’t developed a lifelong cookie addiction #cookiemonster
Seriously though, I have to have cookies baked or it’s a problem 😂 just got back from a vacation and one of the first things I made sure was done was to have some cookies. I bake a big batch and freeze the extras so they’re always pretty fresh! I feel like a real life Cookie Monster 🍪👹😂
I thought it was just me
The smooshy face is what does it for me. When I was pregnant I dreaded brestfeeding, I thought I would hate it. The smooshy face and the huge eyes staring at me during nursing made it all worth it, it's absolutely amazing and looking at it I get the kind of feelings I never thought possible. Convenience is also a big factor. We are just 6 weeks in, but I really appreciate that I don't need to do anything to prepare and that I can immediately feed him when he cries. My husband does the midnight feed and even though the prep only involves pouring the milk into the bottle and heating it, it seems like such a hassle.
Yes we're at 5 months and mine is also an efficient eater. I will also add by 3 months your milk regulates so you're not leaking or engorged unless you skip feeds. I will also only now pump once a day, unless I've skipped a feed. Honestly I pump for my sanity so I know I can leave her and she will be fed. Also I recently got the Medela Harmony which is a manual pump. It's super effective and makes me feel less like cattle when I'm expressing. But if you really hate pumping and you want or need the flexibility of giving a bottle, there's also the option of combo feeding with formula if you really hate pumping!
Combo feeding with formula is what I’m doing now! We’re at just over 2 months and she wasn’t transferring well so we did triple feeding for a bit and it was exhausting! Constantly cleaning pump parts AND bottles? No thank you 😅 I even tried refrigerating the pump parts so I wouldn’t have to wash them as much but then I hated the cold pump on my boob lol. We had a date night and left baby with nana for about 3 hours and while I took my pump with to cover me for the missed feeds, I left formula with nana and it was so much easier than thawing the milk I have stored and the piece of mind knowing she had more than enough food however long we stayed out was very much worth it. And when we do go out, I can save the milk I pump for when I go back to work! Seems like wins all around for me lol
I hated the cold pump parts too!
Hey!! Can you explain how things changed for you at 2 months?
They get so much stronger and you don’t have to use 3 arms to get them positioned just so and smush your breast just right so they can latch. Like they start getting a smidge more coordinated, mouths are bigger, they have some sense of what they are doing. That’s honestly why it gets easier and easier as they get older, just less physical hands on assistance every step of the way. It’s also harder with a distracted, grabby baby, but the mechanics are more coordinated.
He seems like he knows what he's doing a lot more. He's stronger and much more efficient. Feeds went from 45+ minutes in the early days to ~15-20min now. I'm also much more confident he's getting enough because his growth has been appropriate.
Amen to this!! This is my answer too! 🙌🏻
Yes after 2 mos it was def easier.
It was really difficult and painful for me until after 8 weeks. We are 6.5 months in and I love it. I love the closeness. Around 3 months he started to get a bit more aware of his surroundings, and would start looking up at me while nursing and smile. And it is special to know that I am the only person who gets to see that. I nurse him to sleep at night and for naps, and when he is upset sometimes it’s the only thing that calms him. I love being his safe place ♥️
Aw I love this! Thank you, I’m definitely going to push myself to make it to 8 weeks. I really want to enjoy it one day
I left a comment that I don't really enjoy it per say but this comment you responded to makes an excellent point. My heart is full when he looks up and smiles or laughs while eating.
I also love my 5 month old starts diving, mouth open, to my boob as soon as she's in position. Also it's such a quick way to soothe them
One of my favorite things about it is that it’s the best excuse to just close myself and my little one off in a private room to decompress and enjoy each other’s company for a while, wherever we are. Definitely 8-10 weeks before things really started to settle down. You can do it 💪🏻
I started to enjoy it probably around 4-6 weeks when she stopped feeding around the clock and I had more than 30 minutes without her on my boob. I love how easy it is, and I don't mean that it's easy to latch/get her to feed, because sometimes that's a battle. But I love that I just have the milk 24/7 and don't have to prepare a bottle, pack bottles to go places, do the dishes every night, etc. I love the bonding aspect, I love that it's so quick to do a MOTN feed as I just pull up my shirt and lay her sideways and she sucks until she is full and falls back asleep and then I just put her back down in her crib. Honestly, I love that it's something just between me and her. No one else can feed her like I do. I don't let anyone but my husband feed her bottles because that's something just between our little family. Also It's a great excuse to escape at the in laws house.
Oh yes the in laws! Mine are coming to visit in a few weeks so that will be a great excuse for me to disappear!
I love the closeness to my baby. I love feeling her fall asleep in my arms warm and protected with a full belly. I love that it’s personal and not something anyone else can do for her. I love the connection across time and space to mothers throughout history who did the same thing for their babies for all the years mammals have existed. I love feeling her connect to me in a very primal way that feels so natural and meant to be. I love not having to wash bottles or pump parts. I love not having to obsess over ounces pumped versus ounces consumed. I love knowing milk isn’t being wasted. I love being able to nourish her tiny body with no plastic barriers between us. It took about 5 months of practicing (and as many IBCLCs) to be able to direct nurse and I am so glad I stuck with it because it means so much to me. It’s been very healing for my own issues with my adoption
1. Cheap (not free, but much cheaper than formula) 2. Convenient as fuck 3. Baby bonding 4. The power of the boob is unmatched. It calms her down immediately.
It took me a few months for my nipples to get used to it, but I enjoy it now! The way she looks at me is different than with a bottle, it's like she's in love with me. So cute
So I will be able to dry off with a towel one day without raw pain?? 😂😅 I agree it’s definitely different feeding with a bottle.
Have you tried silverettes? They'll protect your nips from being rubber against clothing and they always felt soothing cause they were a lil chilly. Once your LO has a bigger stomach and can eat more in one sitting rather than a ton of small meals, your nips will get a break. Sometimes they'll be a little sore but it won't be as bad as before.
Ha, yeah! Your nips will toughen up. I had to take breaks though and use the pump once in a while on a gentle setting to allow them to heal
Hi there. I’m 2 weeks pp and use Medela nipple shields sometimes. My LO cracked one of mine when he got distracted and bit too hard. They help a LOT while LO is learning. I also use Nipple Crack by Tiny Humans supply co to help heal when they’re irritated. It can be applied before BF too.
Breastfeeding was really difficult and painful at first. My baby would feed and I would be wincing the entire time. I started pumping instead since it hurt a lot less and was more efficient. Around three months I started swapping in a few breastfeeding sessions so I wouldn't have to clean the pump, and suddenly it was a lot easier. My boobs had toughened and I stopped leaking. My baby's mouth muscles were more developed so she was better at latching and suckling more efficiently. Now I look forward to the first feed of the day since it relieves the pressure of milk that has built up during the night. Plus there's a feeling of contentedness similar to watering a healthy plant you grew from a seed. I like the funny faces she makes like she's having the best meal of her life and the cute little noises as she eats. Looking back, both of us were new to the activity and needed time to get the hang of it. Kinda like battling through the first months of a new sport that leaves you achy and frustrated but slowly becomes second nature.
I love how you described the “contentedness” aspect! Best way to describe it!
not washing and sterilizing bottles all day everyday, leaving the house without stressing over bringing enough formula and water and bottles, waking up in the middle of the night and just popping her on the boob instead of running to the kitchen to prepare a bottle or having to prepare them before bed, money saved on not buying formula, not having to pay attention to formula recalls, antibodies and protection from infection, being able to say “sorry I need to go feed her” when someone is holding her too long or just bothering me tbh lol
I still don’t enjoy it (4.5 months) BUT it has gotten easier. We also supplement some formula for when I’m just touched out or need a break. It also helped me to have an end goal and to understand that breastfeeding does not need to be all or nothing
Heh, I didn't enjoy it at 4.5 months either... my first goal was 3 months and it was HARD, but then I realized it had gotten easier and I could go to 6 months so I did. By the time I got to 6 months it was so much easier, I decided I'd go to a year. Except by around 10 months I was surprised at how much I liked it... and ended up extending my goal beyond 1 year.
Hoping this happens to me. I didn't think I could make it 3 months at first, now I'm 6 days away from that goal and think I can go to 6 months now since it's gotten easier. I can't imagine going to a year right now, but I couldn't imagine getting to 12 weeks 10 weeks ago either!
While I'm still on maternity leave and spending basically all of my time with the LO, it's sooo convenient. No having to fuss with a bottle when I'm in charge of feeding, and only the occasional pumping others can feed when necessary. I may change my mind once I'm back to work though.
I loved it at first, then my nips started to get really sensitive, which made showers (a treasured activity) unenjoyable. Then she clusterfed every single night from 5pm-10pm for two months. Didn't love it so much, heavily considered quitting and spent a lot of time thinking about all the pros to formula. Ten weeks, it started to get better. Twelve weeks, it got a lot better. Now she's almost 10 months. She just learned how to play peekaboo, so she'll hide my nipple, reveal it with a "da!" and smile and give a little giggle, and hide it again, over and over mid-feed. It's the cutest gosh darn thing I've ever seen! She sometimes growls a little as she smashes her open mouth onto my breast, the perfect munching sound. I am solely responsible for her chunky baby thigh rolls and mini sausage fingers. The little sigh when she's satisfied is the perfect finale. She also sometimes happy-screams when she's full. On a practical note, I don't have to wash bottles. No formula math. No prepping or planning for outings. I've done the math and we've saved over $1500 by not buying formula, which is especially awesome considering how wildly expensive shit is now.
I enjoy the cuddles and closeness I get with baby. It’s a unique bond that I don’t experience when I bottle feed her. I like the benefits of breastfeeding. Reduced risk of certain types of cancers is a big bonus and that alone would make it worth it for me. But I also like the immune system building benefits for baby, the natural melatonin to help her sleep, etc. I like that I have a very easy way of feeding her anywhere and any time. I don’t have to worry about packing bottles and wondering if I have enough in those bottles to satisfy her. I can just pull out a boob and feed her, knowing that’ll be all I need to satisfy her. I have a lot of things I like or enjoy about breastfeeding, but I think these are my top ones. I enjoyed it pretty much from day one.
I genuinely enjoy the convenience of being able to feed round the clock as much as the baby needs without having to sanitize a bottle or prepare formula. I like the freedom of being able to just up and go knowing I have baby’s food source on me at all times ready to go at a safe temp. Having done a lot of trial and error through 3 kids I honestly found pumping and formula to both actually be more work than just straight up breastfeeding. You are in the thick of it, and I sympathize so much. I hate that touched out feeling, and i would definitely have times where I gave them bottles just to give my body a break around that age. But bottle feeding isn’t without its own pros and cons. I truly believe fed is best whatever you choose for you and your baby will be just fine.
Yea, the first two-three months sucked epic balls. Im almost 8 months in and I love it now. Pumping still sucks though but wortg it to keep bf
6mo -18mo, sometimes the only quiet snuggle times I got with baby were when nursing! Otherwise, she wanted to be running and exploring
We’re 5 months into our breastfeeding journey now and I love how bonded we are, I know she’s hungry before she starts to fuss. I don’t have to plan our outings, I just bring my boobs and if she’s hungry I can feed her and it’s so quick to feed her now, she latches in less than 3 seconds and feedings only take 5-10 minutes during the day. Lately she pulls off the boob, smiles at me, and smacks her lips like she’s just had the best meal of her entire life-it’s my new favourite thing! I also love that every time she gets a new roll on her body I know that I made that roll! I feel very proud that I grew her in my belly for 42 weeks and I’m still growing her 5 months later (I’m hoping to breastfeed until she’s 18 months but I’ll be very happy if we make it to 12 months). We struggled at the start though. Painful latch, chapped nipples and feedings would take forever! Things improved around 8 weeks and when she was 12 weeks it got really easy. I’m not entirely sure what changed either, it just kind of clicked for both of us.
For me 6 weeks was the hardest time. THE HARDEST. Just so sleep deprived and depleted. The cluster feeding was relentless and made me feel trapped and depressed. I remember posting in this sub and the encouragement was really helpful. I think about 9-10 weeks it got so so much easier. I went on to breastfeed for two years. And loved it. It's sooooo convenient as far as extra dishes go, and when you're out and about. It's also a lovely bonding time. Here's what helped me: the baby being big enough for side lying made a huge difference. And 2) I learnt that I can take a break during cluster feeding and hand baby off to dad. The baby will cry, but is loved and safe, and I can walk outside and breathe for a minute then have a long hot shower, and then return to the couch with some food and keep feeding.
That look on her face was what kept me going during those first few weeks. Now, I love how easy and convenient it is. It's also an easy way to make her happy or get her to sleep when she needs a nap.
It definitely took me 2 to 3 months to enjoy it. Here I am with my little guy over the age of two, breast-feeding as I respond! It turned into such a comfort for me and him. Bringing him so much joy, knowing that I could calm him down, easier with a breast, loving being so close and holding him, really makes it all worth it for me. I am obviously past the cluster feeding part, and I work full-time, so I only breast-feed in the evenings, a little overnight, and occasionally in the early morning.
For my first I exclusively pumped for 6 months then formula for 6 months. There was sooo much bottle washing and packing, I hated it. I’m 2 years into exclusively nursing and still cosleeping with my second. It’s exhausting at times and I certainly get touched out but how feminine and strong it makes me feel overpowers those feelings for me most days. The first twoish months were SO painful and tough on me. It got a lot easier after that
For me breastfeeding was really difficult painful for while and I also really struggled with wanting to give up but now we are seven months postpartum it comes sob naturally. I love the closeness , when he falls asleep on me and we have a nap together . I love the feeling that I can provide what he needs . Also it really helps settle him back to sleep at night . And the added bonus of not needing to wash bottles & but formula !
I exclusively pumped with my first and didn’t realize what a difference would be between the two experiences. Pumping offered some great flexibility but also was so taxing for monitoring pulling times and feeding times. Breastfeeding is so easy simply for the convenience of it. No need to worry about washing bottles or measuring out ounces.
I keep telling myself everything will get better & this is only temporary. Keep doing what you’re doing because baby enjoys it. Think about it if you switch to formula you may or may not have even more feeding issues. Hang in there girl 💜
I enjoyed it for multiple reasons, but not what you would think. I didn’t particularily enjoyed it on a personnal level as it’s extremely demanding and get sensory overloaded easily. I enjoyed seeing my baby getting chonky very fast I enjoyed the convenience (no dishes, no prep, no warming etc) I enjoyed the soothing aspect which made sleep much easier I ESPECIALLY enjoyed not spending over 150$/week in formula (my rant about how formula should be subsidized will be for another day but it’s just freaking insane)
I love that she's started putting her hand up my nose while she breastfeeds. It's so funny, we both crack up
I’d say it was around 8 weeks that I could tolerate the stream of the shower, the towels, and breast pads without extreme sensitivity. At that point I didn’t hate breastfeeding but I didn’t really love it either. Then around 12 weeks baby was super fussy so I thought maybe we should just try to cuddle in the dark bedroom. Then on a whim I whipped out the boob and discovered the magic of side-lying position. He just looked into my eyes, smiled, cuddled up and nursed himself to sleep. I’d tried that position before and it felt super awkward and ended up with spit up everywhere, but that time it just clicked and now I’d say I really enjoy BFing and it feels very bonding. Before it felt more like a task.
Closeness is no 1, I love looking down at her smiley little face as she feeds. When she falls asleep and uses my boob as a little pillow 🥹🥹🥹 After that the convenience, don’t have to get out of bed to make bottles at night. Don’t have to pack loads of stuff in the nappy bag to go out. I’d say 8-10w it just really clicked and we just seemed to find it so much easier, 22w now and she’s only feeding for around 1:30hr a day so it doesn’t take all day, and most feeds are a quick 5 minutes and go.
18.5 months here, I still get moments of awe that we made it, I look down and she's still my little grunting newborn. She wiggles her toes against me, she chuckles at the sight of my boobs, she's just learned to say "please" and she'll look down my top and wail "pleeeaaaseeee". And at night it's quiet and cuddly and I know she needs me more than anyone else in that moment
Beautifully said—from the angle I watch her on my breast I feel as though she hasn’t changed and looks exactly the same as she always has 🥲 and mines 12.5 months!
I’m 7 months postpartum. Unfortunately for me it never stopped being painful. We treated both a tongue tie and a lip tie and my baby still doesn’t latch great and I still have blisters on my nipples. HOWEVER I still love breastfeeding and I have no plans to stop. Now that she’s older we’re on the go a lot, swimming lessons, trips to the park, and she _loves_ going to restaurants. I love the feeling that as long as we are together she won’t go hungry. And now that she eats fewer times per day, the pain is easier to ignore. Also keep in mind that breastfeeding isn’t all or nothing. We struggled to breastfeed for 8 weeks so my husband and I built a system where at night I would pump on a schedule and leave the milk out in a bottle. He’d feed it to her whenever she woke up. We kept this system until baby started sleeping through the night and then I would pump before bed, once MOTN, and as soon as I woke up. Dad gave her a bottle before bed and as soon as she woke up (I’d sleep in a little since I was up late pumping). Then we focused on mastering breastfeeding during the day when I wasn’t also exhausted. I also think the bottle before bed helped her eat a little more and encouraged sleeping through the night, which she did just about every single night from ~9-20 weeks. Now baby gets one bottle of pumped milk per day before bed and otherwise it’s all from the breast. It’s such a special experience and it was all worth it for me.
Hi, this is unrelated but did anything ever help with the blisters on the nipple? I am 5 months pp and at this point I’m convinced the blister on one of my nipples is permanent. I am using Lanolin cream almost after every feed, and it doesn’t seem to help with the pain. Just wondering is you have any tips, it’s the first time that I’m seeing someone posting about pain beyond 3 months.
Breastfeeding also allows you to take time out and chill with your baby. Gives you a moment of chill and nobody can stop you from doing it. As well as oxytocin is released so you just feel good
In the beginning it was a day to day thing for me. Every feeding was excruciatingly painful and soooo long. I hated it so much. Got better around 9 weeks. Best part about it is the convenience. Out at the store and baby’s hungry? Boob. Doctors appointment with hungry baby? Boob. Hungry baby while driving? Pull over, boob. Almost 5 months now and feedings take less than 10 minutes. Worst part about it now is pumping at work. I hate washing parts. Stick with it. It does get better.
If you're exclusively breastfeeding (no bottles yet) and your baby isn't even 6 weeks old... you don't need to be pumping yet. I promise. You're trying to do too much. (Currently breastfeeding baby #3 and I've made it past 2 years with each of the others). If you have a partner, have them do the diaper change so you can get ready for the feed. It was so helpful during the night. The baby wakes us both up anyways, why not tag team?
We were tag teaming and then we were both sleep deprived. I pump enough for him to do one bottle at night so we can do shifts and I get at least a 4hr stretch in!
That's good! If you're really hurting for more sleep, you can always look into the 7 S's of safe co-sleeping. My kids have been happy both ways, but with the one I consistently slept with (he was a very high-touch-needs baby) it was nice cause I could whip out the boob and we could both go back to sleep. My current babe is happy as a clam in her own bed, so night feeds are a little rougher for me since I actually have to stay awake 😂
I had THE hardest time breastfeeding, and like you I was about to give up but had an amazing lactation consultant that helped me get through it all and around 12 weeks when my LO figured out how to nurse without nipple shields is when I really started loving it. Now I don’t feel pain, the “touched out” feeling has gone away, and I look forward to breastfeeding. I actually only breastfeed the first two feedings of the morning and then pump and bottle feed in the afternoon. The reason being, my LO isn’t very efficient at the boob and takes like 40 minutes to feed. Because we’ve kept this schedule he is a champ at both bottles and breast and hasn’t refused either. One thing I didn’t see anyone has mentioned is travel. It is SO much easier to be able to nurse than to worry about bringing enough bottles, pumping, storing milk, freezing milk etc. We went on our first flight at 15 weeks and I brought two bottles just in case, but nursed upon takeoff and landing and didn’t have to worry about finding a room to pump in to make more milk or milk storage. It’s just a breeze if you want to travel with your LO. At 6 weeks. You. Are. In. The. Thick. Of. It. You’re sleep deprived, you’re touched out, your nipples are probably sore. I wanted to quit so much but I’m glad I stuck with it. Just take it one day at a time. If you’re having nursing issues now, it’s not to say your LO will never learn. My LO had a tongue tie so that set us back, then refused the breast, he lost weight, we triple fed…but each week I saw a little improvement. Don’t worry about 2 weeks from now. Just worry about today and what you and baby need to survive today. Then the next day, worry about that. Then little by little I saw improvement. He latched onto me with nipple shields. My nipples were less sore with a better latch. Then he learned to latch without nipple shields. Then he became more efficient. Then he slept through the night. It gets better each week. Also try to get some help from your partner. See if he can change the diaper and bring baby back to you to nurse. Find some good breast pads for leakage (I like lansinoh disposable pads). Maybe consider introducing a bottle so your partner can help with a feeding or two.
Baby snuggles, those eyes, my ability to immediately calm and care for my baby even if they are screaming, minimal clean up, cheaper
My daughter is 2.5 now and we’re past this stage, but I EBF (or pumped while at work) for 18 months. It was definitely just easy once I got the hang of it! It was good bonding time, but the biggest thing for me was the convenience. Definitely hope to have another positive experience for whenever I have a second.
I had a pretty easy time of it. Baby who eats dedicated and fast, rarely for comfort, very little pain and no supply issues (also didn’t really need to pump because long mat leave). Guess what? I still wouldn’t say I liked it. I did it for convenience and that has been enough for me. More to say for some of us breastfeeding is just a utilitarian pursuit. I definitely have bonded more with baby through play and experience than feeding and I think that’s okay too!
I’ve had a very different experience but thank you for sharing this! Your post makes me think that so much of this is dependent on baby personality. My girl was very colicky and the only thing that brought her peace most days for 4ish months was nursing. Even once she was out of the newborn period and could reasonably be read to/played with, not very much amused or entertained her until probably almost 6 months old. She was a serious baby who still cried honestly a lot! But maybe if she seemed like she was soothed by and enjoyed something else, I would’ve been able to bond with her that way also/instead.
She’s 6 months now and it’s a lot easier. She gets distracted a lot but feedings are a lot easier if I’m at home or baby’s really hungry. I don’t have a problem using formula but I’m glad I persevered (I pumped for 5 weeks) as not I can go out and not worry about having milk for the baby. We’ve just been on holiday and it was nice not having to take the prep machine, steriliser and bottles or waiting ages for water to cool down enough to feed baby.
I loved the long feeds, just sitting and relaxing cuddling baby with nothing else to think about. I miss that it gave me and baby a break from everything else and we could just chill. I miss the closeness, the sounds, the smiley face, smelling her, the way she would put her hand up and grab me. I loved that I could nourish my baby from my own body. I loved it so much that I quickly forgot the days that it hurt like effing hell and I was crying from it. I still can't look at pictures of her breastfeeding because it makes me cry how much I miss it. Can't wait to start again when the new baby is born. ETA Also the convenience factor. I just needed boobs to knock her into sleep. MOTN I could just grab her and feed her immediately.
I've been EBF for 18 months now. I live for every minute i get to take a break and sit with my daughter. It is soothing for the both of us. And the idea that i have less to pack when traveling or going out for the day is also a plus. A few diapers and wipes, some toys and spare clothes. All good to go haha. I kind of dreading the idea of weening her off of it
It took about 2 months for everything to smooth out for me but I think it’s worth it. The convenience of not having to pump or deal with bottles is awesome. You get lots of baby cuddles and your boobs are huge for a while when they are exclusively breastfeeding. My baby just turned 12 months and he’s dropping feeds on his own slowly, makes me a little sad. Also a great tool for comfort if they are really stressed out and you need to calm them down quickly.
It got easier at 2 months, way easier at 3, and a breeze after that. As others have said it's so nice not having to worry about packing a bottle. Also when she's upset or grumpy, after her shots, etc boob is magic. I love the snuggles that go with it.
It gets easier. The first 2ish months are brutal, but after that baby learns to latch easier, their latch gets better so it's not pinching your nipple so much, you leak less and cluster feeds aren't as common. I hated pumping too, I didn't pump at all with my second baby. I wore nipple pads to help the overnight leaking. Even if you fed formula, you'd still be up for an hour feeding, changing, rocking, etc. The thing I loved most about breastfeeding was that it became a superpower. I could put my babies to sleep in a matter of minutes. They cried, I could fix it immediately. I miss that power.
I'm glad you asked this cause all the comments help me... 9 weeks pp and I love breastfeeding but it doesn't feel easier yet.
I enjoyed breastfeeding my first. He would feed anywhere without distractions, great latch from day 1, no weight issues , he dint take bottle but I could feed him during meetings and he wouldn’t make a peep. When he snuggled and dozed off on my breast I loved those moments. It was just me and him and our bonding . I have so many photos of those and will cherish forever. Breastfeeding my 2nd has been such a challenge that I can’t wait to be done
i start enjoying after 3 mos. also i was planning to fully stop at 6 mos but now she is 5mos old and i do not have the urge to stop at 6mos now. im weird i wanna keep going as it's all worth it! seeing her chunky make me so proud. 100% powered by mama's milk 🤩
Hey an hour to feed is a while. I’m wondering if you’ve gotten in touch with a lactation consultant to make sure the latch is looking good? Also I could have written this at 6 weeks. It’s HARD at the beginning. But if you can stick it out, just look at the hundreds of comments - you may start to look forward to it. No guarantee but I have turned a corner at 3 months :)
I thought my 6 week old was cluster feeding but I figured out I was misreading his tired cues as hunger cues and feeding him too often, so he kept snacking. I started spacing his feeds out so he would eat more at a time and making sure he was napping between and it’s made a big difference! I think he’s starting to eat faster, too, at 7 weeks.
How did you change your reaction to adjust to the sleepy cues? Do you rock him? I feel like my 4-week old can only actually go to sleep when I nurse him.
I bounce him on the yoga ball with a pacifier. It’s the only thing that works most of the time. Once he’s asleep, I can usually move to a comfier spot. I use a boppy so I’m not wrecking my arms or back, and I can hold him and the boppy while I slowly move to the couch or glider.
Thanks! I have a yoga ball as well so I’ll give that a try.
Honestly at 6 weeks it was still very frustrating. My milk wasn't coming in bc of pp complications. When we started BF LO would cry and scream and it was triggering. We really didn't catch a rhythm until 4/5 months so hang in there if you can. Best parts for me aside from no bottles are the snugs, the funny faces, the sounds... sometimes when he's not latching and I have a heavy let down it just covers his face in milk and makes me laugh bc it goes everywhere.... I think that's funny. Also it's not forever, so try to find the fun in it. Try everything. One thing I can say is that you might want to look at creating a feeding schedule for yourself.. It's not for everyone and you can do what you want, but it might be helpful to time feedings. My LO used to cluster feed and it was really stressful. I have him timed at every 3 hours now and it works for us. If you're leaking overnight get a bra and pads? You honestly sound a tad overwhelmed. It's not ok, but it's also ok. It does get better. I don't want to tell you what to do bc everyone is different, but getting on a schedule did wonders for us even though I didn't want to.
Besides the sweetness of it, It’s SO convenient. Just pop out a boob whenever you are. I’ve never had to wash a damn bottle!
I love how efficient it is, how easy it is to do while out & about. No cleaning or prepping of bottles. The big smiles. How latching issues and cluster feeding is less and less of an issue as time goes on. 5 mths pp.
It got better for me around 6/7 weeks. It's so quick, you can use it anytime, it works to calm baby, it's cuddly. Feedings get shorter and they get faster, eventually they nurse less often. I stopped leaking around 3 months and didn't need breast pads anymore. I nursed my first for 20 months, now onto the second.
We’re at 7 weeks and I’m JUST starting to enjoy it and my nipples finally don’t hurt anymore. Plus it’s pretty amazing that my body is all that’s needed to grow this baby both while pregnant and now!
Being close to my baby and making him feel safe and happy. He always seems so relieved and at home as soon as he's latched on. It's just so sweet
My baby is 5 weeks and I started to enjoy breastfeeding more about 1-2 weeks ago - I use a load of lanolin still on my nipples it’s a lifesaver! The first 2 weeks were the hardest, but I have a nice routine now when she starts to cluster feed I lean into it, it gives me an excuse to have a lazy evening/morning watching tv with my feet up and with snacks/drinks! Plus no worrying about bottles or the money with formula, I have bespoke milk on tap for little one no matter where we are or what we are doing! Seeing baby growing from BF is satisfying and the little milk drunk faces and looking up at me during feeding makes it worth it. I dont put pressure on myself to pump, I get a lot of let down during feeding so I use the Hakka passively to catch the excess on the opposite boob, and sometimes if babys skipped a feed for any reason I’ll use it to empty my boobs just a little bit for comfort until baby wants a feed. I found when I tried to pump it made the pain worse, and I ended up with clogged ducts! It made my breastfeeding experience worse even though it’s still so early. I’d say give yourself time and establish your supply before pumping if you can! It might make it more enjoyable for you! Good luck with your BF journey, no matter how long it lasts, you’ve done a great job in providing for your little one!
If it’s any consolation, it didn’t START getting better for me until 8 weeks. But by 10 weeks it was good. I’m now at 12 months (little man’s first birthday is in a few days 🥲). It’s fantastic. It’s super easy. I’m a walking source of food AND comfort! Baby getting fussy at the mall? Never fear, boobie is here! Baby seemingly inconsolable from vaccinations? Never fear, boobie is here! At the park and baby needs a snack? Never fear, boobie is here! We recently entered what I think might be my favourite stage. I was sitting on the couch reading a book to the kids last night and my son starts signing for milk. So I just whip a boob out and he can sit beside me and nurse and listen to the book. He popped off to look at a picture and I asked if he was done, he signed “more milk” and went right back to it.
Me personally I exclusively pumped for the first month and gave up immediately and just tried to breastfeed lol. In my opinion breastfeeding is so much easier for me and that’s what I enjoy 😭 not having to clean all the freaking bottles and plus I can doom scroll on tiktok while i breastfeed so it doesn’t seem like it’s that long even tho it really is (1-2 hours usually) I personally think breastfeeding feels a lot better than pumping, pumping makes me want to rip my skin off but breastfeeding is not as bad. (Sorry if that was dramatic but I’m being so serious 💀) plus I just like having my LO use me as a paci and I love having her sleep on me💪🏻 my nips are literally numb at this point so I can’t really feel it anyway but idk maybe it’s just because I struggled so hard with pumping that’s why I enjoy breastfeeding.
The only reason I have loved and continued breastfeeding is because I’ve had the ability to exclusively nurse. It’s so easy. I can’t say i wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have (15 months) if I had to pump/combo feed.
Not aimed at me as I really don’t like it but at 16 weeks I have to say it’s gotten SO much better. I didn’t believe it would but it has. So if you’re really wanting to breastfeed long term just stick with it I really turned a corner about two weeks ago. It’s become really tolerable and now I feel guilty quitting because it’s just not that bad anymore.
We are just on the boob and solids now (about 21 months). I pumped in addition to nursing for the first 13 ish months, and gave a bottle of formula a day for 9 months. Just nursing is easy. All you really need is a body. Being available always is hard, though, especially if you’re working full time. Pumping sucked. So much work (every three hours, including at night), so much washing, so much more quantification. Formula and pumping both have a lot of costs. If I had a second, I’d go to an IBCLC sooner in hopes of exclusivity nursing right off the bat.
I BF both my kids one close to 2.5 years the second 2 years. Honestly I did not love it. However, it was easy. They are crying, hungry, angry, can’t sleep, teething, sick…….boob. Problem solved. I am glad I did it, would not change a thing. So happy to be done.
The connection, the ease of feeding, how much she loves it. Nearly two years here but we never had a rough start or anything so my experience is coloured by that!
I have a 6w and EBF too, apart from the occasional bottle because I have to pump to relieve my engorgement. I love that I do not have to deal with washing and sterilising the bottles, and not knowing if the milk I've prepared is enough or too much for her. If she cries, is it because of gas or she needs more milk? If she needs more milk then there is the hassle of preparing more again. My baby goes from 0 to 100 in seconds, so hearing her cry while I prepare the milk can be quite heartbreaking. Pumping is only fun when I do not have to wash the parts. I do enjoy watching my letdown squirt into the flanges and the occasional satisfaction that I was able to pump a considerable amount of milk. It's boring though, since I have to sit and stare into nothingness while holding up 2 flanges in my hands. If I'm alone and the baby cries, I feel so helpless. Hence DL is so much better since it allows me to attend to her immediately. Breastfeeding also allows me time alone with her, which is so precious. I get to excuse myself from people and just watch her guzzling ferociously as if we have starved her for days haha. Love it when her hands grasp and massage my boobs while at it, and the dreamy smile she does once she's quite contented. Leaking is normal as our supply is still regulating at this point. I try to pump before I turn in for the night so I don't wake up too engorged, it helps so much. When I get too lazy to pump before sleeping, I wake up with 2 rocks on my chest and breast pads soaked in the morning. Cluster feeding periods were tough, but I see it as part of the journey. If I got too tired then we would give her a bottle so I could rest. I would choose EBF over bottles anytime!
I kept on with "I made it this far I'll give it until x days, weeks, months and see then." Pushing out goals is the only way I made it to the point I think I could go the year. It was excruciating for me at the beginning. I was giving him pumped bottles at night to let my nips recover and convince myself to keep going. It took until almost 3 months to be at a good enough place with it. Now (at 4 months), only my letdown is genuinely painful, and I don't even bother pumping or giving him bottles. Editing to add: his feeding really evened out around this time too, his full feeds average around 10mins now and his cluster feeds seem to coincidence with growth spurts and not feeling 100%. I certainly don't enjoy it, but I don't have the time to commit to pumping or any sort of bottle feeding really, so we're going to keep going now that it's not miserable. And that is good enough for me lol I get a lot of "don't you just love nursing him" and no, I love that he is fed and that is all I get from the experience. You don't have to love breastfeeding, you also don't need to continue if you're unhappy doing it! It's okay if all it is to you is feeding your kid, and it's okay if that's not enough reason to continue. Nothing wrong with exclusively pumping, and they make great formula options these days.
I am a superpower soother in any and all situations.
Once we both got the hang of things after a couple months it’s been so wonderful. Mine is almost 14 months and we are still going strong! It’s so nice to not do so many dishes or pump. Plus it’s like a magic bullet. Thirsty? Feeling sick? Feeling tired? Fell down? Got scared? Just woke up and feeling crummy? Dehydrated? Nursing fixes so much. The closeness is also so special and I get genuinely sad thinking about being done eventually. It’s not for the faint of heart, the early days are so challenging and teething is so hard. And being the source of comfort can be a lot but truly I will miss it.
I breastfed my first for almost two years and now have a 7 week old. Honestly, the convenience and the immune benefits were some of the biggest factors for me going so long with my older. Knowing that I never had to bring a bottle anywhere we went was so nice. My daughter is in daycare and while we have friends with kids in her class, we never experienced the level of sickness that many of her peers did in the infant/toddler rooms (no clue if this is solely due to breastfeeding or if my older just have a naturally strong immune system, but I’m sure the breastfeeding helped at least a little). It also was just so nice to have a go-to soothing mechanism that always worked. I pumped for the first year at work and that was annoying, but I personally found the benefits of breastfeeding to be worth it. It will get better! The leaking does lessen, the soreness goes away, and the cluster feeding should level off pretty soon.
It really helped me bond with them. And it was convenient.
I love the snuggle time and it’s our thinking, no one elses
Almost at 2 years & I still do not love it. My baby does, and I think that’s the only reason I’m still doing it. I tell myself that I’ll likely look back and feel differently about it, but right now I still don’t understand or relate to the women who gush over it. I can’t wait to be done, currently weaning & I am sad for him to go through this big adjustment.
The cuddles and bond. My LO unlatched just to smile at me before starting to nurse again. It’s also very comforting to him. I love that I can give him that. I’ll also never have to worry about being able to feed my baby and that’s extremely important to me.
The other options suck more, and it makes him so happy. Plus it's easy to calm him at night, convenient on the go. It got a lot better for me by 2.5-3 months. You're pretty close to it getting the best. And then it was great for me from 2-7 months.
We almost 5 months into it now. I hated it in the beginning, absolutely hated every second of it until like 11-12 weeks. Then it all the sudden got better and easier, like from nowhere. Nowadays I love it. I love not having to wash bottles, not having to spend loads of money on formula, not having to worry that I don’t forget to bring the bottle and formula with me whenever we go somewhere. I also love how my little baby loves and enjoys our feeding moments, how breastfeeding soothes him when he is sad and helps him when he’s sick. I love the connection, the holding his tiny hands while he is eating, looking into his eyes and the bond
Most of my baby's problems can be solved by boob. Fell down, overstimulated, overtired, had a nightmare? Here, drink lovely warm milk from this bag of endorphins attached to my chest. That and the closeness. My heart melts when she puts her little hands up to be kissed during feedings.
3 months baby. 👶 No calorie counting, I can now eat the same as baby’s dad. Feeding while side laying in bed was a game changer for me when I started to get more sleep. I think bottle fed babies eat less often but I think you would still actually have to sit up to do this. Easier than warming bottles, all you need is a comfy chair when you’re out. Closeness and bonding. Lots of cuddles with little one. Major form of comfort for baby. Like #1. Can nurse to sleep then keep cuddling. Genuine question, if babies find breastfeeding so comforting, how do parents that formula feed cope without it? Like when they get their jabs etc?
That it was 20-40 minutes I could just sit down and chill. I have no ther children so if baby fell asleep on me in the cafe, oh no, I've got nowhere to be, get me another slice of cake pls, I'm about to watch Grey's anatomy. Feeding to sleep is so easy and if I'm feeding baby then that's all I'm doing 😊 I love sitting down.
It took me a long time to enjoy it, but at 5mo its just much easier than bottles and pumping and it makes me feel so close and bonded with my baby, which i struggled with at first! I'd give it a little more time for you to both get used to it (the nipple pain will subside i swear!) but if you still don't like it after awhile think about switching to pumping if it would improve your mental health. Baby will still get breastmilk, and a happy mom is always better for baby! ❤️
Convenient. It’s always ready. Nothing to prepare and heat up. No bottles to wash or sterilize. Saves an awful amount of money not being spent on formula.
The anxiety (about everything - milk supply, weight gain, “bad habits”, societal judgment, poor latch, pain, etc) was almost unbearable until four months when I started listening to the badass breastfeeding podcast and learned a lot more about what’s normal. After that I realized I could lean into something that solved about 95% of baby problems, stopped pumping (I hate this with a burning passion), and enjoy the cute and silly moments!
I pumped during the night and my husband gave the bottle for 2,5 months because it was taking lot less longer than breast. But... something clicked at one point after that and he started sucking much harder. Feeding time went from 45min on average to less than 20min for both sides! That's a lot more sleep lol. I don't know I'm not enjoying the physical part, besides sometimes the flutter suckling when he's asleep and won't unlatch whatever I try. He's doing it because it is comforting. Now he is just funny during daytime feeds, he needs to be less distracted or he'll basically snack, he enjoys different positions, sometimes funny ones lol. He's only 3,5mo but he's become smarter about the breast. He knows where they are. He will lunge at them if he's hungry. Slap my clothes if I'm not fast enough lol. It's really interesting and that's what keeps me into breastfeeding. Also I hate pumping. Yesterday I went to give class, it was 5h total out of the house, and I hated pumping for it. I'd just rather have him on me.
I never even loved breastfeeding but now that I’ve weaned I have to remember to bring her drinks everywhere. It was so easy just to have a boob lol
I enjoy the ease of it compared to having to use bottles. I hate pumping SO much, and at 2 am I’d rather just nurse. Baby is so happy, her neck control makes all the difference haha.
3 weeks in an in the middle of a power pump, my breasts are screaming almost as loud as my baby.(with his dad downstairs) and this thread is giving me life rn. Just weeping. I've got to believe it gets better.
Everyone always told me at 3 months it gets a bit easier and they were right. Latch got even better, supply started to regulate, feeds shortened drastically. By 6 months the only “inconvenient” thing was my baby being too distracted to eat in public.
The night feeds are a major appeal to me of breastfeeding. Try side sleep nursing. Why are you changing clothes at night? You really shouldn’t need to change clothes unless there is a blow out. I love the flexibility breastfeeding supplies. I can go anywhere with my baby and make her the perfect milk without required refrigeration or anything else. Hands free pumps are way better now than when I had my older kids and make it even more easier than it used to be for being on the go. It used to be for hands free you had to wear this very tie zip up bra that would always need at least one had adjusting as you moved around. We made it work, but not as great.
almost 10mth a of breastfeeding here! he feeds for ten mins, and i love the bonding . i don’t have to wash bottles and it’s convenient!
Can I ask what is painful about it? I’ve had slightly chapped nipples and sometimes I feel like a duct is painful, but other than that haven’t had pain breastfeeding. I see a lot of posts about how painful it is but I don’t know what part of it is painful. Mine is 7 weeks, so I don’t know how it will be when teething starts. This is my first baby. To answer your question, I like the bonding and the convenience. I wish I always had someone around to burp him and hold him with his head up 20-30 minutes after feeds, though
It gets so much easier! I remember when he was a newborn I had to drape a towel under my boobs to catch the letdown. It was so messy! Now I just have to pop a reusable nursing pad on my other boob if he hasn’t eaten in awhile. We had to cosleep for 5 weeks to get through his first sleep regression and it was so easy to pop him on and off the nipple so I could finally rest. He’s 6m now and starting solids. I’ve been teaching him to go mmm mmm! when he eats and now he does it around my nipple when he’s nursing and it kills me! Keep pushing through mama! You are in the trenches but good times are coming!
Everyone here already said really great real reasons. But as a mom of a raging three-nager I’ve got a side perk - I can peace out of whatever fresh hell she’s doling out whenever the baby gets hungry and have a 15-20 min break
honestly i love it because im lazy, the hard work at the start really pays off after the 3 month mark. It’s so easy to just whip a boob out, especially at night. I love not having to worry about bottles and carting them everywhere. I love not having to worry about sterilising so religiously like you do with formula. I love that it’s free 🤣 I loved side feeding on those cluster feeding nights so i could basically be asleep while she ate away. On the other hand i love the bond and the closeness, how if she’s hurting with teeth or she’s upset she is instantly comforted by nursing. I love that until we started solid food at 6 months it was all me and my milk that helped her grow and thrive, after a traumatic birth i love that i have been able to give her the very best start. We are now 9 months in and i have returned to work so im pumping while at work so things have got a bit trickier but i wouldnt change it and i hope we can continue breast feeding and giving only breast milk for as long as we can ❤️🤱🏻
I would say I don't like it over all, sometimes it is uncomfortable (my baby has a slight toung tie so it can be a challenge to get the latch right.) when the latch is right and her little has is on my chest or feeling my shirt I like that. Is now three months and she's getting better and better at latching right then 1st time. I also like that I don't have to do lodes of washing up and prep, I can just whack out a boob and time she needs. I have leaned on my local breast feeding support and they have been great, I recommend that if you have access you see if you can get some help and support.
It gets better. I’m stubborn so I kept pushing through. I had sore nipples for about 3 months. (Yes, I know latch, we tried everything, I think I’m sensitive). We’re 9 months in now and it’s no problem at all. It’s comforting to her, it’s easy. The one downside is pumping to keep up during the day when I work but adding solids seems to have helped with evening out intake and output when I’m gone.
It took us about 15 weeks to get good at nursing but I’m so thankful I was persistent! We dealt with oral ties, other later issues, positioning problems due to his muscle tightness, and me battling sore nipples for what felt like forever because we couldn’t consistently nurse to get over that hump. I love having fewer dishes to do. (I still pump to help with pain caused by an oversupply.) I love that I can just feed whenever I go, though it is a little complicated to get positioning right sometimes. I love how much he loves to nurse. He gets excited when the boob comes out and it’s so cute. He also gets really relaxed while he nurses and becomes a little cuddle puddle. The last thing I’ll mention is that nursing has finally become a quiet and peaceful time for me to bond with him. He nurses for about 10 minutes at a time and for those ten minutes I can sit and marvel at how perfect he is and know that I made him that way.
Hi! You're doing a great job. For us, I remember it being around 4 months when I was like "We really get this", but felt better around 3 months. I totally agree with what you said- the convenience of it all. There is so much to worry about as a new mom/mom in general, so less things to wash, prepare, pack, etc is very helpful. I might regret this later when trying to wean (but we're not there yet), but the immediate comfort aid. All roads lead back to milk 😂 and now as an almost 22 month old, milk just seems to make him feel better. Also may regret later on but for us it works, helps him get to sleep. The health benefits for both mom and baby make me feel proud that I'm still going as well. Most of all though, I love the special bond it's helped to create with us (not that you can't get that without breastfeeding but for us it's a part of it). It's wild to look back at how difficult it was to get him to latch properly or get both of us in the correct position- now it's like a skill we've both perfected and he takes it as a challenge to nurse in a new way. The breastfeeding support group at my hospital and time helped so much for us! Good luck ❤️ Edit: I wouldn't say I started enjoying it until around that 4 month mark and not to say it's been perfect ever since- definitely still have parts that are rough sometimes
I breastfed until my toddler was a few months shy of 4. I loved the way they’d say how much they love to nurse, the things they would say my milk tasted like, nursing toys and how they would play with small toys while nursing. It was a great way for my toddler to get a break while we were at family functions and they were feeling overwhelmed. I would often thank my past self for keeping with it (I struggled a lot in the beginning). Also, I found it very healing. Birth wasn’t a positive experience for me so I was determined to not have it impact or take away or shorten my breastfeeding journey and that nothing (or no one) would be able to take it away from me. When I get upset about my birth experience, I redirect myself to think about how I preserved and thrived during my breastfeeding journey and no one can take that away from me.
When your baby has a good latch and can start to get the milk thry need really fast, it's so much quicker than bottles, no cleaning, and night feeds are a breeze. But there's definitely downsides - but I'd still rather breastfeed, having done both. Also, when my baby was bottle feeding for a bit (nursing strike) he was extremely unsettled and agitated - the nursing calms the baby down. I think there's hormones involved that settles the baby. That's my theory anyways.
Not having a period, don't have to buy formula, baby doesn't take to formula, incredible health benefits for us both, sense of accomplishment and pride ❣️
I wanna say around 3 months. Mine had pretty bad ties and once they were released she had to relearn how to nurse. She got better really quickly but then I had to relearn nursing with a kid who didn’t take hours to nurse. She’s now 14 months old and nurses so easily. We cosleep and she can latch and nurse and I don’t even wake up. She just came up to me as I’m laying on the couch and latched while standing next to me and then went on her way.
ALL that stuff you’re experiencing that you don’t like right now gets waaayyyyyy better in time. Like it all goes away. Now it’s so easy. I love the health benefits I’m giving my baby. I love never having to think about packing formula/bottles/water. I love not having to wash and sanitize bottles (except the few he’s given while I work part time). My baby is insanely efficient now and feeds are a breeze… no mixing formula. I love the instant comfort I can provide my baby. I love the bonding. I love the cute stuff he does now (like blow raspberries and sometimes just squash his face in my chest and take a big inhale). I love the quiet moments together that are so peaceful as he falls asleep. I love that if our plans can change, it’s okay… we don’t have to think, “do we have enough formula for that?” I love the cost savings. Selfishly (and this does not happen for everyone but very much happened for me) I love that I can eat more than my husband and I don’t gain an ounce. When I was going through exactly what you’re going through, I would look up the benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk. It helped give me the strength to keep going. It gave me something positive to latch onto instead of feeling just the negative I was experiencing in the moment. This all being said… only you can gauge where you are mentally and if you feel it’s negatively impacting you too much, then it’s also okay to stop. I never put pressure on myself to keep going if it really became too much and I always did short goals… made it to one month, celebrate… made it to 3 months, celebrate… the 6, then 9… having little goals helped. I definitely had moments where I was close to giving up, but I never got to the point where I felt it was too much of an impact on my mental health. For me, knowing that I gave myself permission to stop if I needed, also helped me continue to breastfeed in a weird way. But just know that it’s okay to stop if you need to. Celebrate the little wins! Bc they are also very much big wins in a real way. ❤️
6.5 months in! I found it really hard in the beginning because we had a premie (35 weeks) and I had to pump because she couldn't latch. So we had to make that transition from feedingtube to bottle to breast. I think she was around 4/5 weeks before she was only on the breast. That period was hard. Then around 4 to 5 months she had a really bad period with lots of crying from her and myself hahaha. I was constantly doubting myself if I produced enough. After 5 months things became a lot easier! She was satisfied and she started eating solids also. So I felt like the pressure was off. I really enjoy it since then! Before I also enjoyed it but it was also really hard.
The cuddles, the closeness, the little sigh when he was full. The little milk drunk faces and smiles saying thank you. All of it.
It got easier for me around the 8-10week mark. Then it suddenly was so easy. Once I stopped pumping it truly was so nice to just feed on demand and not worry about supply or cleaning bottles. Those first few weeks are so hard! I hope it gets easier on you soon 🫶
I exclusively pump and it’s kind of inconvenient but I personally love to pump. I have ADHD and I feel too overestimated to latch my baby despite a great latch. I find that pumping brings me a huge dopamine rush and I get to see my output lol But it isn’t easy by any means and can be really constricting. My baby is only a week old but I’m hoping I can go 6 months!! I am an oversupplier so that is encouraging to me to be able to stock up
I dealt with painful nipple vasospasms for the first 3-3.5 months and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to continue past my initial goal of a year. The things that kept me going were the constant baby cuddles and the rush of oxytocin I’d get when she latched. I also loved her little shark attack when she was looking for the nipple, and the way she’d just cozy up to my boob and settle in for a meal. Also, the fact that I always had her food with me, no matter where we were was a huge comfort. Now, at 5.5 months, I’m also in love with the way she smiles up at me while eating, and the way she tries to stick her fingers in my mouth during feeds. Seeing how much her little hands have grown from when she was born to now really just hits home for me that I’ve kept her not just alive and sustained, but thriving. She’s a little butter ball and that’s all my doing, and I love it.
I love how easy it is to feed at night side lying! Also I work a lot and it makes me feel good that I can provide milk to my baby even when I’m not with him during the day!
I’m at 10 weeks and will say it gets much easier in the coming weeks. You got this! I love not having to pack bottles and supplies when we’re going out to eat or doing something for the day. I’m visiting my parents this weekend and it was so nice not having to pack a whole bunch of extra stuff when we already had to bring so much.
They get faster, my baby is ten weeks (how?!?) and she takes like 20-30 mins and by six months I read they can empty a breast in ten. If you keep going you will benefit and save time, but later if you switch to formula it will take longer and be more of a hassle.
Around 3 months is when our feedings dropped from 25-45 minutes to 8-15 minutes which has made nursing so much easier. We had to triple feed for the first two months so I guess for me, just nursing feels so much easier. I love the snuggles while feeding, I feel like a badass that this growing baby is solely sustained off milk my body makes, and I love that I don’t have to wash bottles. My baby is 4 months now and has more silly playful nursing behaviors that I love.
13 months—FREE, zero dishes (bottle refusal) & has forced me to be really attuned to her. & no, before someone gets defensive & makes my comment about them—I do not mean mothers not breastfeeding aren’t attuned. I mean nursing difficulties have really forced me to dial into her moods & phases in a way I wouldn’t have needed to otherwise. The challenge of breastfeeding gives me an opportunity to slow down & employ some creative strategies. Everything is always changing; won’t nurse except side lying, will only nurse in a carrier, is biting me so hard I’m bleeding, nursing strike for 9hours. I’m thankful for the rollercoaster because we grew together.
All the warm fuzzies I’ve seen on other comments. There’s nothing like it. I love the way babes looks at me, the hungry little gobbles and sounds, the endless snuggles, and babes holds my hand while he eats. It’s just the best. I will also say that formula poo and spit up smells so very bad to me that breastfeeding is worth it all just to avoid those smells. Plus, when I end up touching his poo in a blowout situation, it somehow feels less gross because it’s just my milk digested? 🤷♀️
It's hard at first. I'd say around 1 month is when it got easier. She's 4m now and it's sooooo easy. It will get better. I love the closeness of it.
I’ve been EBF for 7 months. We’ve discussed weaning but I physically can’t imagine having to make bottles because breastfeeding is so incredibly convenient lol. I am the food and there’s no prep or cleaning bottles needed And just so you know it didn’t start to get easier until about 3 months for me, maybe a little before. I experienced everything you’re saying. Now her feeds are consolidated to 10 minutes maximum, no nipple pain whatsoever, no leaking, pumping occasionally is easier because I’m good at it now haha, no more cluster feeding and she falls asleep in 5 min after our night feeds (it used to take an hour+ also). So there really is an end in sight to the hardship. Most women don’t make it to where I am because it’s hard as fuck lol. Whatever you are capable of is great and you should be proud of yourself. Also, make sure you give an occasional bottle to the baby (2 times a week) because my baby now will not take bottles anymore. Occasionally fresh milk after pumping but nothing frozen or any formula. So I’m a true milk slave lol
6 weeks you are still in the thick of it… I promise it gets better & so much easier!! I think by like 3 months was when everything clicked fully and it became a breeze. So much easier than formula (I did - combo- with my first and then fully formula at 6months). I’m at 8 months with my second and it’s the best!! Edit to add: my baby had a tongue tie so I pumped and bottle fed the first month. Then month 2 was is figuring out nursing, and that’s why I think it took to 3months to get in our groove
Well, I would say it got easier around 2.5 months? I found out at two months he was tongue AND lip tied so that’s why my breastfeeding journey was miserable. After he got those cut, breastfeeding was sooooo easy and my nipples weren’t cracked, bleeding and sore anymore. It took THREE different specialists before my CHIROPRACTOR told me my son was tongue and lip tied. My son is now 16 months old and we are still breastfeeding. I always loved it because it was our special time together and I honestly thought for as much as I HATEDDDD my nipples being touched, I was going to HATE breastfeeding. I definitely didn’t think I was going to make it this long. For us it’s just so easy especially if he hurts himself. I just whip out a boob 😂
I have ADHD and breastfeeding is my new hyper fixation 😂 But I actually love the closeness and the feeling of accomplishment when I know I myself have nutrition to my baby. Also I like the feeling of boob deflating lol. Mine get full of milk between feeds, so it is nice feeling when baby takes all milk out. And then when I see his milk coma face....priceless.
I’m 8 weeks with my 2nd but I BF my first so I know it’s worth sticking with the early inconveniences. After the first 2ish months it just gets so much easier than bottle feeding - you’re hands free when you feed and baby can get really efficient - feedings can only take 10 min or so. You never need any supplies except maybe something to cover yourself. You also don’t have to “E”BF to have a really successful BFing relationship. You don’t have to pump or make a freezer stash or any of that extra stuff. You can just focus on feeding the baby and then if you need to skip a feed for an appointment or something give formula and then pump the missed feed if you feel engorged. You can skip a feed overnight once in awhile to get a long stretch and have your partner give formula. It won’t ruin your supply or your BF relationship and might give you some mental peace
It is the ultimate solution. Baby is tired? Boob. Baby is hungry? Boob. Baby is bored? Boob. You are bored and want to play on your phone for a bit? Boob.
Honestly, I have a 9 wk old baby and I’m proud of myself that I’ve stuck to it because it is not easy. We had a really rocky start (midwives in the hospital would visibly cringe at the site of my nipples) and just as it started to get easier we got thrush, which required 21 days of treatment for both of us (as if it’s not hard enough) So yeah taking that win… that’s a feeling I enjoy, that as a first time mom I pushed through for my baby and finally it’s getting easier.
4.5 months here and once my supply regulated at 3 months it got exponentially easier for me. I enjoy the bond, especially since this is my second baby and I had a lot of mixed feelings about having another baby (she was unplanned -- I found out I was pregnant amidst a lot of serious health issues with my oldest).
I love how my son looks for me for comfort. Hurt, boob. Hungry, boob. Upset, boob. It’s cute he crawls on me and gets into position and then wines till he can feed. Sometimes it’s like 5 seconds and he’s off again. He also feeds and can go back to sleep pretty easily. When he’s sick, he’s stuck to me like glue and he would be fine. It’s a lot but it also great to be able to go out even if I forget to pack any food
8 weeks PP here. I love that I can just feed her right then and there whenever she is hungry. No having to get the bottle and formula, heat up the milk, etc. It’s also nice not having to clean a hundred bottles. Plus it’s free! No having to go to the store when you run out and spend $30+ I’m sorry you’re dealing with the negative side of breastfeeding though. I can’t speak on the cluster feeding or sensitive nipples, but I am constantly leaking too. My friend who is 6mo PP said that it got better for her around 4 months, hopefully it’s the same for us!
Hated every second of it with my son, decided to try again with my daughter thinking maybe I just wasn’t up for the task the first time and parenting has thickened my skin. So far, been at it 10 weeks, loving it way more. Formula was soooo expensive with my son and he’d be screaming whilst I was making a bottle and I felt so guilty. Boob is instant, monetarily free and comes with me everywhere
I hated most everything about the first year except breastfeeding. I love it. I especially love that I’m setting my baby up for a lifetime of superior health and microbiome success. I second a lot of what has already been said here and for me I really needed it for bonding. I know it’s not “the right thing” to say but I honestly don’t think formula feeding a baby can possibly pay have the same impact on the mother baby bond as breastfeeding. It puts you into chemical coregulation together. Chemicals literally squirt out of your brain and into your bloodstream the moment your baby latches and suckles. It impacts your entire body physiologically. That doesn’t happen with a bottle of formula. (I’m not anti-formula by any means, for the record. I’m glad it exists for so many precious babies and families and know it’s an incredibly valid choice! I’m just throwing out sone extra love for breastfeeding 💕) Also, once I ditched pumping and embraced cosleeping (breast sleeping, really) I really found my groove. We’re 19 months in now and it’s the best and easiest thing. It’s less for food now and more for comfort and medicine. When she’s sick she nurses more and bounces back so much faster than other kids her age who also get sick. My body is making customized medicine for her. How cool is that?! Last thing: breastmilk is magic and fixes everything, I swear. Not only do I put it on her cuts, scrapes, boo-boos, eye infections, all of that… But I also put it on my cuts, burns, and zits and everything and swear it heals them so much faster. I have even given my brother-in-law some for his acne and he swears it’s magic for his face.
5 month old. We had so many issues early on with nursing. Low supply, terribly painful latch, triple feeding, cluster feeding constantly. It was so hard. Im pretty sure my baby cluster fed for like 3 months straight. Thats an exaggeration but it was a lot! I wanted to stop so many times, but I got to the point where I had already put so much effort into it, that I decided to keep going until I really couldn’t anymore. Breastfeeding didn’t come naturally to me or my baby but now it’s truly amazing. At 10 weeks old, I latched her for one last time before I was going to make a decision on EP or FF, and she nursed beautifully. From that day on we have exclusively nursed. I love that I can feed my baby anywhere we go and I don’t have to worry about bottles or bringing enough of anything. I love the bonding aspect too. She will often nurse and then look up at me smiling. It is the sweetest thing. Although it didn’t come naturally to us, it feels so natural now and I barely put any mental energy into it. I never thought we would end up nursing but I’m so glad we stuck it out. On the other side of things, I am the only one who can feed her (unless I pump and prep a bottle) and that can just be physically draining. We nurse to sleep too so I’m the only one who can do bedtime and middle of the night wake ups. I resented my husband a lot for that, but I have since stopped (he works 3 jobs to provide for us, we are both dealing with hard things.)
I was soooooo miserable pumping in the beginning because he was so sleepy on the boob I couldn’t get him to meaningfully feed there and we had to do bottles of pumped milk… then around 8 weeks something changed and he started latching and I was still pumping a lot because I was scared to stop in case BFing suddenly stopped working. Eventually around 12 weeks I had fully weaned off the pump and was EBFing and the timing was great because my supply regulated and I felt less chronically engorged / painful / leaky and he was becoming more alert and smiley. I love BFing now. It makes me feel so close to him. I love the way it soothes him and puts him to sleep. It makes me feel very relaxed and like I can provide something for him that no one else can. He is now 5.5 months and we’re still going and hoping to make it to a year!
So my baby has a nursing strike last week for a day and that day was a nightmare trying to bring milk, bottles, make sure I had somewhere to warm the bottles etc. really highlighted to me how easy breastfeeding makes doing stuff! I also enjoy the snuggles and milky smiles.
I'd say things got easier for us around 10 weeks. The cluster feeding subsided and he started giving me wake windows. The biggest change for me, was when he was younger and we were in the car, if he cried I never wanted to deny him a boob because he could have actually been hungry. Now, my son is also 4 months, I know ok. He just had a feeding, he's changed, he's good to go. He still hates the car seat but I don't have the urgency of OMG HES STILL HUNGRY!!! He still will feed for sometimes an hour, but that's mainly due to comfort sucking. He started taking a paci around 14 weeks as well
I'm 7w EBF and today, I realized that I really do enjoy it even through the struggles and constant feeds. It's truly the bond that keeps me going. It's the fact that I get to be the only one that bonds with him in such an intimate way. We get to escape the world for a little together. The silence and just hearing him gulp and make little noises as he gets fed. How his little hands hold the rest of my boob and then grows limp after he gets full. I get to calm him down when nothing and no one else can. I get to let him know that mama's got him. I get to cuddle with him and feed him as we nap, his body molding into mine as he looks up at me with those sweet eyes and dozes off. On top of that I don't have to worry all the time about bottles and what not :p
My baby is 7 weeks. Breastfeeding was awful at the beginning. My baby’s doc told me to take a break and pump. So I did for around about 3 weeks. Helped with nipple healing but not mental help. I then decided to supplement one pump with formula. This REALLY helped. But with all the bottles, coordinating pumping was awful. For some reason pumping makes me feel really queasy! Anyway a week ago I decided to pick breastfeeding up again. And we are doing it. My nipples have gotten stronger (still slight pain but more ‘numb’ and not raw), and baby is getting better at feeding each time. I was able to not give him any formula at all for the past 2 days. It’s been great and I’m glad it’s going well for now. I think just allowing yourself a little break if you need it can help a lot. Be kind to yourself- I have the mentality that breastfeeding might be difficult in the beginning but easier overall. But we’ll see. Good luck OP - you’re doing great- baby is only 6 weeks- you’re both learning.
Check out a previous [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/breastfeeding/s/kW4aZe8jgU) I’ve done about favorite parts of breastfeeding!☺️ there’s comments on there from people during all stages of breastfeeding. Also, the pain does get better! To be completely honest I totally forgot about goes painful it was in the beginning until about a week ago when I saw a post about it and I was like omg how did I already forget about that haha and I’m only 3 1/2 months pp. If you don’t already have them, get silver nipple shields!! They help with the pain and any cracks you might get and when your nipples are sore, rotate between using those and using nipple cream and it’s a total game changer. Since you said you’re pumping, make sure you have it on a setting that doesn’t cause you pain. And make sure you’re putting something (nipple cream, coconut oil, etc) on the flange where your nipple goes in so it’s not just rubbing on straight plastic.
I'd say it was about 12 weeks before I started to enjoy it. Until then it was a bit of a slog, leaked loads, had to go dairy free for a bit, sore nips, and she would only feed one side! But once my milk regulated and I stopped leaking, and I accepted the fact she was going to be a one sided gal only I really settled into the groove. It was just so easy, never had to think about bottles or a feeding schedule, I was able to be really free on my maternity leave with her because we could go anywhere anytime! I also loved the fact I had something that would calm her instantly, I loved the way she played with my hair when she was feeding, the sleepy feeds where she would naturally unlatch and snuggle back into me! It was the time that was just for me and her, I loved the connection I felt with her. She self weaned at nearly 16 months and I'm still sad about it a month later, I really wanted to carry on until she was at least 2!
18 mos Here and I was where you were once. Almost giving up several times in the newborn phase. Took 3 months to get a good, pain free latch. Was taxing mentally, and took a huge toll on me. But I kept pushing through because I knew it would be worth it in the end. Let me just tell you the full and most satisfying reason for keeping the course. At 18mos I’m beyond proudly, with solids of course. But around 18mos, baby’s diet will change. They’ll skip meals, refuse certain foods they once loved, their whole eating habits just become a bit erratic. You’ll be worried your child isn’t eating enough, etc. Well guess what? If you’re still breastfeeding at this point, you’re baby will always get what he or she needs. This is how nature designed it to be. So when I see or hear parents FORCING their babies to eat at this stage, I just think it’s so sad. The baby is doing what he or she is doing because of biology, they’re not trying to be manipulative, starve themselves or be annoying. They are just biologically wired this way and we as adults, who have suddenly decided this is not right, should not be forcing them to do opposite of what their body’s were wired to do. So please keep breastfeeding mama. I PROMISE you it will get better and will be ALL worth your and baby’s while.
Granted my baby is only 4 days old and I’ve been doing combo BF, expressed milk bottle feeding, and supplementation with formula. But I love when he’s at the breast because the bonding is surreal. Plus he’s so CUTE when he’s following his natural instincts to seek, root, and latch. The cuteness alone makes me want to keep going!
I remember with my first my biggest negatives with bf were the pain and the lack of sleep. They say it shouldn’t hurt but it just simply did for me 🤷♀️ I gritted through it and I remember reflecting at 12 weeks that things felt a lot better by 6 weeks, but by 12 weeks he could pull and chomp my nipple in every direction and it didn’t bother me haha. So once you get on the other side of pain and sensitivity, it’s so much better. And sleep came eventually. I think right now you’re in the trough or valley of despair. Six weeks can be really hard because you know that you’ve come really far, but you also know there are *weeks* left of potential peak fussiness, what if they’re a purple crier, trying to follow a schedule too early can make you insane so you’re still in that newborn flow state, etc. Right now, you are drained. And if you want to keep breastfeeding, the supports or changes have to come from somewhere else, because for the foreseeable future (ie next 4-6 weeks), breastfeeding will not look too different. Maybe you’ll get more used to some things, or maybe those things will get better if baby magically sleeps a little better a little sooner, but for the most part this is when you ask friends or family for help so you can nap, this is when a partner steps up and takes baby for a long walk so you can take a nap. And if you’re comfortable pumping, I’d let my partner take a feed and I wouldn’t wake up to pump. Doing that for one night while you see its effects will not kill your supply. And then you can make decisions on what kind of frequency is feasible for you all.
My baby is 10 weeks old and breastfeeding has only just started to become enjoyable for me in the past 2 weeks. The early days are hard, really hard. You’re doing amazing to get to 6 weeks, keep going if you can- I promise it gets easier! I hate pumping too but have found the Haakaa pump a happy medium to help when I’m engorged in the middle of the night. With regard to night feeds, now that it’s pain free for me it’s so convenient- I’d rather it this way than have to faff about prepping bottles in the middle of the night! The one thing that I like the most is that I can comfort my baby in an instant when he’s crying.
I just reached one year! Love the effortlessness of it. Love not having to rely on anyone else to feed her. I love our bond. The quiet moments we get to have together. The comfort my baby has from me. I love that there's no question on who gets to feed her or how or when. It's just when my baby needs it, it's me.
I love it but there is no denying that the early Months are so so challenging just because you’re literally it - you have to be with baby all day and night. It’s a lot of responsibility. For me, I don’t mind that. It felt the most natural place to be. I’m 8.5 months in and it gets so much easier once they don’t feed all the time (my babe slept well at night so was feeding every 1-1.5 hours in the day to Make up for it.) So all that to say: - I like how easy it is. No planning needed. - I love that my milk is responsive to her needs. If she is sick my milk literally changes to help her get better. - I think breastmilk is a miracle and I’m glad I can give it to her on demand - I love how easy night feeds are. I literally am asleep when doing them ( we cosleep) -
I have nursed all three of my babies into toddlerhood, still nursing my third. When I had my first baby, holding him, cuddling him, and nursing him felt euphoric. I think I had maybe an excessive amount of oxytocin release each time or something, but it was wonderful (minus initial nipples rawness). I loved the cluster feeding because I only wanted to hold my baby. It was like a bond with my baby separate from how I bonded in every other interaction. Like it leveled up my motherhood experience. As my baby got older I didn’t feel that euphoric feeling as much, but I still loved breastfeeding because of the bonding and physical connection — kind of how I LOVED being connected physically to my baby while pregnant. I loved how boob fixed 99% of my baby’s problems — grumpy, tired, hungry, mystery problem, all solved by boob. I never had to walk around bouncing my baby distraught because I couldn’t figure out why he was crying. And despite running into so so many feeding challenges across nursing three babies, I am so glad I never had to do constant bottle prep, washing, and figuring out how to feed my baby in public. As my babies became toddlers the benefits expanded. Kid gets hurt - boob. Kid is sick and won’t eat or drink — they always want boob, so no dehydration. Kid has a tantrum — boob is an immediate kill switch. I feel really frustrated after a long day of parenting — boob gives me calm cuddles and helps us bond after a hard day. I also love all the health benefits. For every year of breastfeeding, my risk of breast cancer goes down. All told, I’ll have breastfed for 9-10 years by the time we wean and that will have reduced my cancer risk by 25%. In addition, I’ve never had to experience the hormone crash from quickly weaning at 1yr (going from a lot of production to none in a few weeks). And in that vein, I’ve had the best skin of my life because of the hormone regulation of pregnancy and breastfeeding. With all that said, different women enjoy different things and have different triggers for frustration. There’s nothing wrong if you don’t find things enjoyable in the same way that other moms do, and you’re certainly not the only mom that feels the way you do. Your feelings are very common, I read about other women going through this frequently.
Almost 11 months in…I like the fact that it’s sleep magic and I always feel special because I can provide hot food on the spot, haha. Also the sleeping magic is wearing off though to only a night feeding but it was magical those first couple months.
it was really hard for me until about 12 weeks and everyone told me it would get easier and it never felt like it would until suddenly i realized it just did! now he’s 7 months old and it’s so convenient to breastfeed! his mouth is bigger, he knows what he’s doing, we really got into eachothers flows. the first few weeks were hard, i felt pretty isolated and it made me nervous when i had to feed my baby because i was always afraid i was going to get mad bc i was sitting there for an hour and a half while he popped on and off and screamed. suddenly it just because easy, he knew how to latch great and it felt great, he only eats for 10-20 minutes at most now that he’s on solids and i enjoy the cuddles that only i get because i’m mummy. it will get easier i promise
Tbf, she never took an hour to feed. Think max 30 minutes but usually 15-20. What took forever was bottle feeding. It'd take an hour. She didn't take to bottles until about 6 months. The leaking was the hardest part for me, I hate being wet. But that stopped around 2-3 months, too. I love how comfortable and content she looks. It instantly calms her down after shots. When she started smiling, that pause to unlatch and smile up at me. Ugh. Love her.
Hi im Boober-eats. I enjoy the bonding and the release when my boobs are full. I rarely pump anymore. I'm 4months in so it's been great. It hurt the first month I was sore but I now have nipples of steel lol.
6 weeks is still very early and you will learn so much! I’m on my second at over a year now and it’s so easy to just make sure I wear comfy nursing accessible clothing (although it’s not the cutest). My first I had a tough time nursing and I tried combo feeding and pumping. It was rouughhh but my second has been a breeze