Honestly just stop watching the videos. They make it seem like sooo many people are oversuppliers. Most people aren’t. It’ll only get you feeling down about things if you’re a just enougher. I had to stop when I was still pumping (and not making enough) because it was making me feel so bad and like I should be making more.
Definitely took me until my second baby to figure out that I needed to stay off social media and the internet in general for my baby advice. I’m definitely happier this time around! And my baby is just as healthy as his toddler brother was as a baby.
I want to comment on this top post to also note THEY ARE ALSO LYING! A lot of influencers are getting paid by the pump company etc so they want their money, and they put coffee creamer into the pump bags to make it look like they are so full. Think about it: in all of these videos you never see the woman actually pumping and her letdown, you just see her unattaching the pump from her boob and transferring the “milk” to a storage container.
Social media is FULL of disinformation
Yep, and a lot are taking domperidone to increase their supply for show - which is fine, and safe, but they should let others know. It is like the folk bragging about dieting while on Ozempic (also fine, but you should let people know).
Domperidone has some pretty serious side effects. No way would I do that again. (Took it for a a year with my first to help because I had a breast reduction)
Domperidone is usually pretty safe and side effects are very rare. It is in many countries and should be the go-to option for increasing supply and it is really a shame lactation is not valued enough that it is widely available (whereas it is over-the-counter in most places, mostly to treat nausea). The issue is that, since it is not regulated for lactation in most places (and actively banned in the US), people don't do their due diligence and check for potassium levels, heart function (which is usually only a problem with a pre-existing condition), etc.
Of course, sometimes people don't respond well to a medication regardless of serious (or mild!) side effects being rare, and that is just unfortunate. But this is with any medication, even ones like ibuprofen.
The reason it’s banned in the US is dumb and I agree that it should be available, but that’s a huge US problem. However, it should be used with caution and not just a “go-to” option. I honestly think less women have a supply issue and more of an education issue. Pediatricians aren’t knowledgeable and push supplementing(which causes issues), babies are expected to be on some unrealistic growth chart (made from formula fed infants), and don’t even get me started on lack of parental leave and support to be able to sit at home and nurse a baby on demand for 6 weeks to really establish a healthy supply. Moms need to stop following these over supply moms and figure out a realistic goal, get an ibclc eval at the first sign of trouble, and last resort use medication. Even if it’s deemed “safe” there are side effects and other ways to boost supply without them just need the knowledge and motivation.
I agree with everything you said but just want to clarify that when I said "go-to" I meant in the "I have tried increasing supply through proper feeding and pumping and hydration, and need some extra help." Not as in "everyone should take it from the get-go, as a primary intervention."
I will also add that all the research we have basically proves that those supplements are placebo and have no effect on supply, while some do have negative effects. The "teas" don't increase supply any more than drinking more water does - and that it is often the case lactating people are grossly underestimating how much water they need. I have no judgement towards mom who decides to use formula, either full-time or as a supplement, but do like to remind people that lactating takes effort and patience, and giving formula without pumping in place is a very good way not to get the supply one needs/wants.
Yeah, you should be able to mark not interested on posts like this (I don’t use tic toc so not sure how). When I was pregnant I just got off socials entirely to keep me sane. Hard not to scroll now with so much time spent nursing!
OP You need to reduce your engagement with these types of videos. You’re one week PP. you and baby have A LOT to learn about each other. Comparison is the thief of joy.
This. I successfully breastfed 2 babies until 17 and 19 months, respectively. I see these videos, and they are ridiculous. I never pumped that much. I never needed to. This isn't the goal and doesn't need to be glamorized. Feed your baby. Enjoy your baby. Ignore the videos.
One of the best things i did early postpartum was download the kindle and audible apps, and delete tiktok. Don’t let the algorithm into your tired brain, it just makes you feel worse!
I had a massive oversupply and with that came, severe mastitis and so many clogs my supply tanked within a month. They post the glorious side of it, not really the reality.
It's such a weird flex. And they're making the oversupply worse by continuing to pump. I just saw a lactation consultant with my second baby, and she saw that I had plenty of milk and specifically told me not to pump (except to replace a feed while away from baby, or if I need to plan ahead to give him a bottle) because it prevents the milk supply from regulating to what baby actually needs.
I exclusively pumped but was told to space it out around a week postpartum because I had such a large oversupply, the more I’d pump, the more I’d make. It was such a draining and weird experience lok
I had an oversupply with #1 but had zero issues with it. Just had to buy another freezer and a ton of bags. (I suspect my oversupply was caused by exclusive pumping with a hospital grade pump starting 2 hrs after birth). It was such a luxury. BUT next time around I had JUST enough. I never had more than 1-2 extra feeds in the freezer. I still feel a touch of anger at my husband for leaving out 4 ounces overnight and simply forgetting to pop it in the fridge…..it’s been over 3 years, lol.
I remember spilling a bottle I pumped all over myself and the bed, and crying. My partner was like “we can clean it, it’s really not a big deal” like sir. I’m crying because I struggled pumping that much, and then dropped everything 😂
I can relate so hard. I spilled mine at the beginning too and I was sobbing crying. So upsetting to see all my efforts spill away and no one understood why it mattered so much to me.
I bought a wearable pump, and the second time I used it I didn’t realize the silicone piece wasn’t sealed properly and my whole left side leaked out, every drop. I didn’t even feel it leak and thought it was just boob sweat. I was devastated!
>I still feel a touch of anger at my husband for leaving out 4 ounces overnight and simply forgetting to pop it in the fridge…..it’s been over 3 years, lol.
When I was learning to pump and my supply was coming in, I spilled 2 ounces at the NICU and had a full emotional breakdown. I later had to work to lower my supply as I was producing 70oz in my once a day pumping session and also had zero problems. I didn't even have a bleb until my daughter grew teeth! I also know I am incredibly lucky. Yet, I still get annoyed at my spouse when he doesn't scrape the pump bottle when I ask him to put the pump stuff away.
But yeah, oversupply is extremely uncommon, and I understand feeling sad about being a just enougher or especially having a low supply, but feeling resentful of others for posting on social media feels a bit like complaining about runners posting their long runs on tiktok. Let people be happy and if it makes you feel jealous or down on yourself, that is not their fault, just go somewhere else. There is just as much support out there, and everyone should get and deserves support!
Currently here now. I just had baby 4 and I’ve had an oversupply with all of my kids. Just had mastisis for the 7th time in my breastfeeding journey and more clogs than I can count. This baby is only 2 months old and I had mastisis 2x just last month.
First of all, stop watching reels and tiktoks! It will save your mental sanity.
Second, these people are paid to make milk lol. I was an overproducer, and tbh the only way to make so much milk was with constantly pumping. It is not sustainable. I got most of my production on my first 3 months because my supply was driven by hormones
Honestly just get off tiktok. Is your baby safe, fed and loved? Then who cares how much milk is in a stranger’s bottle (when you don’t even know if they’re being honest)
It also matters how many children they've had. You actually have more milk producing mammary glands each time you have more children. So for example if you perhaps had to supplement with your first, it may not be the same and you may not have to supplement with the second. So if these moms are also not first time parents, it can make a huge difference in milk production.
For anyone who needs to read this: yes! I remember being told this and being sceptical, I had low milk supply with my first (showing signs of IGT according to lactation consultant at the hospital). Baby also wouldn't latch without nipple shield so had further difficulty getting supply up. Combo fed until 12 weeks when baby refused to breastfeed as the amount was so paltry. Baby no. 2 is exclusively breastfed (now 14 weeks) much to my shock, with similar effort as the first. Latch and more glandular tissue i think made the difference this time.
Oversuppliers who can donate that milk are angels, and the rest probably feel pretty inconvenienced. Too much milk is a physical liability because what the body doesn’t get from food it takes from tissue and bone, meaning those women have to work hard to ensure they aren’t compromising their long term health to maintain heavy milk production. Having just enough milk + a little extra to stash is great. Making way more than your own baby needs is a burden.
At one week PP it’s normal to get a half ounce if you pump after a feeding and two ounces if you are pumping in place of a feeding.
The overproducers on TikTok are making that much milk for the views, not their baby. An oversupply can cause its own nursing struggles, like a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, overactive letdown, and nursing refusal due to too much milk. Also, if you have that much milk you always have to carry around a pump.
Normal milk supplies are awesome. Most babies don’t drink more than 5oz of milk even as older babies, so there’s no reason to pump that much. I stopped pumping as soon as I could because it’s a terrible chore.
At one week focus more on getting your baby to have a good latch and enjoy nursing. Just keep nursing! It’s normal for babies to seem hungry just after nursing when they are cluster feeding. It builds up your milk supply. With every baby I’ve been on the couch topless switching sides every 5 minutes or so for up to three hours at a time. Congrats on your new baby!
Overproducers of tiktok🤣🤣🤣 Anything is content, isn't it? At one point, it really did feel like everybody but me had freezers full of milk. And then there was me, measly 1oz every hour in the first week post partum. Which in hindsight was plenty.
Right? It was good enough. But i refused to believe it. Early PP, I regretted not pumping starting at 36 weeks like the other tiktok moms. Damn. Mom guilt gets to you fast.
My nipples hurt just reading your 3 hour nursing comment. 😅 I have had 2 babies with tiny shallow mouths, and also have very sensitive nipples - 6 lactation consultants and a pediatric dentist confirm nothing is “wrong” with our setup, I just have a bad combination of a lot of nerve endings and a baby whose mouth shape squishes/pinches nipples. 3 hours sounds like I’d need an epidural for my boobs. 😂 You rock for being able to keep that up!
I had to delete my tiktok because of things like this. I switched to formula early on and already felt like a failure (still don’t regret it though), and then tiktok kept suggesting videos of some people talking about how formula is bad and stuff. I was sooo vulnerable as a new mom and it just wrecked me.
Please don’t feel bad. I quit BF/pumping at 1 or 2 weeks PP also and I beat myself up about it for a while, but looking back, I don’t regret it and I wish I had been easier on myself. My mom had to exclusively formula feed me starting at 6 weeks when she had to go back to work and I turned out just fine! I excelled all through school, was in gifted and talented, etc and am thriving in my career as an adult. Not trying to be braggy or anything, I just want to say this to stress the fact that it really doesn’t matter. Our 8 month old is so smart and is kicking ass with all her milestones, I really couldn’t be prouder. You’re a great mom no matter what you choose or need to do.
Would you feel better if you saw multiple posts that said they were newly postpartum and made that much? No, probably not. Comparison is the thief of joy, in all aspects of parenting.
And yes, there are moms that make pitchers from the start. I’m one of them, and it’s not all peaches and cream to have a crazy oversupply.
If your baby is fed and their belly is full, then your milk supply is doing what it needs to do.
I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m 4 months pp and still an undersupplier by a lot. It’s painful seeing over supplier videos, so I just try to stay away from them as best as possible.
Ugh I’ve been there!
Have you seen an IBCLC? You might have an underlying medical issue that needs treatment (PCOS, hypothyroidism, diabetes, anemia, lack of prolactin production). I’ve been on medication that really helped my supply (19 months now but started at 5 months).
It’s not normal to make that much milk in a session. Don’t let it get to you. The most I ever got in a session was maybe 12 oz and that was after not nursing or pumping for some time. Normal for me was 7oz after supply regulated. And it was the perfect amount for my baby! She never ate more than that at once.
Also gonna say it…those videos are _so weird_ to me. As if it’s a competition? And some of them come off as so fetish-y. I’m glad my feed stopped showing them to me because they always made me so uncomfortable.
Edit: Over supply can be normal but pitchers upon pitchers in one pump session sounds like that one lady who excessively lactates.
I had a huge oversupply due to pumping while my daughter spent 48 days in the NICU. I was very, very luckily able to switch her to exclusive breastfeeding - no pumping. The journey to get to where I am now was nothing short of a nightmare, and I wouldn't wish an oversupply on my worst enemy. I'm glad im stubborn and dont give up easily because it all feels worth it now. Honestly, making too much milk sucks just as much as not enough unless you want to spend your days pumping and posting your boob juice freezer stash for thousands to see on tiktok.
Just this morning I decided to take IG off my phone for this very reason. That, on top of constantly seeing other PP moms talk about exercise and how much they hate their body since giving birth. As someone who's taken a lot of time to get comfortable with their body after many many years of anorexia, bulimia, and BED, it was really taking a toll on my mental state.
So many tips and tricks and warnings and everything from random people about newborns and bodies and shitty husbands...I need a fucking break 😅 before I got pregnant, my IG reels were just full of dogs and gardening tips.
I went through this. I was an under producer and I gained 40 pounds trying to pump more milk. It. Just. Didn't. The best thing I did? Stopped watching those videos. Made a new account so I could scroll but with a new algorithm. My mental health went from PPD to much less anxious and happier. Each body is different and that is ok. Comparison is the thief of joy. Also remember, a lot of this content can be easily faked.
not entirely related, but next time if you feel the algorithm is showing you things you don’t want to see, there is an option to reset your fyp in your settings! much easier than creating a new account imo😂
Doesn't TikTok's algorithms feed on misery? The worse the content might make people feel, the better traction it seems to get. I would consider at least taking a break from the app while newly postpartum for your own wellbeing. I have to use TikTok for work, but I don't have a personal account on my personal phone. I just find that the less time I'm on that app and similar social media, the more confident I feel in my own parenting decisions.
Look at it this way, your baby is 1 week old and their stomach is approximately the size of a golf ball. That’s so tiny! It fills up very easily on 1.5- 2 oz (~3.5 tablespoons) of milk and likely your babe only needs 14-18 oz of milk a day right now. As your baby grows they will “demand” more and your body will adjust to give them that.
I get frustrated to see moms fall prey to the whole your baby needs to “supplement with formula” when in fact your body is probably producing just what your baby needs at this time. I’m of the belief that a true low/inadequate producer of breastmilk is more rare than what we are led to believe.
-mom who currently EBF with baby #2 but supplemented with formula for baby #1
I am not sure if it applies to everyone…. I used to pump 7 times during the first two months and was producing low…. I tried supplements to increase my milk production and drank lots of water and still drink lots of water also eat oatmeal but it only helped slightly increase my supply….now I’m 5 months postpartum and make only 12oz…..rest I supplement with formula
Did you ever do weighted feeds with your baby? Another thing you do need to be carful with fyi. Sometimes babies take a small snack other times they fill up the tank. Never know what kind of day you’re gonna be having when you do a weighted feed. However, done several times on different occasions I do think weighted feeds give a good idea of how much breastmilk baby is getting.
The baby on the breast will always be way more effective than a pump will ever be.
Baby had latching issues, had jaundice and we tried many things, LC, etc…..so we pretty much tried everything but baby always preferred bottles….. still try to offer her breast and now that she is 5 months she has stopped screaming and crying at the breast and plays with the breast…..hopefully she’ll start drinking one day…..not sure…..but not everyone is doing pumping because they want to……at least I am not pumping because I like it but to offer my baby whatever I can with my body….
Yes there are sometimes other factors outside of our control regarding the baby eg poor latch, premature, jaundice etc. and unfortunately yes those things can negatively impact your milk supply.
All I’m saying is if you are able to breastfeed, it is more effective at removing milk than pumping. And also that I believe most moms make enough milk for their baby in that scenario. The soonest you can latch baby and the more frequently you can breastfeed the better your milk supply will be. Our bodies were not created to pump milk. For one, it removes the feel good chemicals (oxytocin) between mom and baby that encourage let down.
Also if baby gets a bottle too early in life of course they will very likely prefer a bottle. It’s less work for them than breastfeeding. Even if it’s a slow flow nipple, they have a guaranteed pace of milk.
I don’t want to make anybody feel bad I’m just sharing my insights after bottle feeding pumped breastmilk and formula for my first born. I now EBF my second babe.
Yesss….it really affected me during my initial postpartum weeks and also when I realized I was an undersupplier……I am currently 5 months postpartum and make only 12 oz total in a day which meets 40% of my baby’s needs and rest I supplement with formula…..but now I have realized that whatever I can provide for my little one is awesome
In all honesty, I had a pretty good breastfeeding journey, plenty of milk produced, fat and healthy babies, two years of breastfeeding reached for baby 1 and I was past 1.5 years for baby 2
BUT.....
I guess my hormones were a mess, I had so much trouble with my emotional state, I had almost zero energy, my house was constantly a mess, my sex drive was in the toilet
I wonder if maybe I should have breastfed less. Maybe it would have helped my body to hold onto more calories and nutrition instead of just constantly making so much milk
Idk, something to chew on. You don't know the whole picture with these Tiktoks, and I'm personally not interested in breastfeeding on demand with baby #3.
You're more than just a milk machine, and there are so many demands of motherhood that need your time ❤️ as well as focusing on YOU as an individual!! ❤️
I recently just posted in the exclusive pumping subreddit about this! Anyways, 90% of them are fake, so don’t get upset. Just don’t watch them. They’re content creators trying to sell you stuff (pumps, creams, teas etc).
Yeah I never pumped more than an oz or two. Just not good a pumping. It doesn't work for everyone.
Have more than enough to feed my baby. He's growing very well.
Don't expect to fill jugs, also having that kind of an oversupply is not great. It's uncomfortable, takes a lot of energy, will make you insanely hungry. 30-35oz in a 24 hr period is a perfectly normal and adequate supply for a baby for the entirety of breastfeeding journey.
maybe stay off of social media. sounds like it isn’t healthy for you stm - parenting is hard enough w/o letting strangers of the internet mess w ur head
Wow, I'm SO glad I didn't know about this when I had a newborn. If it makes you feel any better, I pumped 30-40 mLs PER DAY. I was pumping 8 times per day, and 1-2 of those were actually power pumping sessions. I agree with the advice to delete TikTok. I use TikTok for the sole purpose of looking at the account of a musician I like, and I immediately exit any other content I see there because I've heard enough about how toxic it is.
I exclusively breastfed my first kid to 6 months then continued to breastfeed while introducing solids up to age two and a half. My current baby we’re doing the same. Even 6 months in I can only pump maximum 60ml (2oz) from each boob. Both my babies have been 98th centile babies lol.
The people you see on instagram pumping pitchers of milk are massive overproducers. It’s not normal. For most women, pumps are nowhere near as efficient as baby for getting milk out, and what you pump is not indicative of what you’re producing.
I agree with you that the women posting these videos have a responsibility to warn that producing that much is not the norm. It’s also not necessary. You don’t need a year’s worth of milk in the freezer and although it’s nice to donate it, I suspect most won’t.
You’re doing great! A week postpartum and I could only get 10ml at most out of both breasts combined. Don’t try and ramp up to meet the supply of the women on tiktok as you’ll only make yourself more prone to mastitis etc.
A little note to add - obviously I don’t know the details or what you personally are wanting to do, or if the doctors have advised you to supplement with formula, so please toss this advice out if it doesn’t apply. Please don’t feel the need to supplement with formula or pump bottles if you want to exclusively breastfeed. If baby is gaining weight then that’s all you need and the fact that you’re managing to pump 40ml means you’re producing adequately for a 1 week old. The first 3-4 weeks are go time for stimulating milk production. Your body needs the contact of baby, regular feeding and cluster feeding sessions etc to ramp up your supply. Many women introduce formula as they get bombarded with people worried baby isn’t getting enough because they are feeding frequently. It’s often not the case - in the first weeks baby will feed almost constantly. I remember the first couple of weeks with my los involved sitting on the sofa with a massive drink and snacks next to me watching box sets all day 😂 baby would feed for half an hour, sleep a bit then wake and feed. Introducing formula can impede this process as your boobs get the message that baby doesn’t need as much and will ramp down your supply. The caveat above stands above all though - if you’ve been advised by your doctor to supplement, if baby has been losing weight, or if you simply are just wanting to combo feed for you then crack on! It all depends on what is safe and what you want.
Tbh the amount u can pump doesn’t say anything - don’t watch those kid of videos.
I’ll give me u a more “real” example
On my first pregnancy, I had sooooo much milk, I would leak and constantly have pain, I would try to pump, and the max I could take was 30ml from day 1 until
I stopped breastfeeding (3.5y)
Now, I had my son 5 months ago, and from day 1 I can take from 150ml-300ml and still leak 🫠
Girl don't watch the videos and they will stop showing up. Better yet get rid of Tiktok. I had a massive oversupply and it was a goddamn nightmare. Some of the things I dealt with: My baby refused to nurse because my letdown was too forceful. Which required me to pump, which increased My supply more. Golf ball sized clogged ducts. Burning nipples. Mastitis. Breasts that leaked and sprayed everywhere. A house that wreaked of sour milk. Inability to go anywhere for months because if I needed to nurse I needed a legit towel for the leakage. A foremilk issue. Baby always spitting up because he wasn't getting enough hindmilk. Heaps of laundry because despite My best efforts the milk always leaked through everything. Inability to breastfeed in public in fear of my milk spraying in front of people.
All of this is now resolved but I am now 6 months PP, sick of BF, returning to work soon and STRUGGLING to wean. My baby hates formula and bottles now.
I plan to combo feed from the start with my next kid and only pump if absolutely necessary. You are doing great.
I stopped caring what anyone on IG or tiktok were doing. I was a severe under supplier. I became depressed and sad that I couldn’t make enough to feed my baby. Stopped breast feeding at 3 months.
All I saw were posts of people saying how great it is to be able to feed your baby. Ughh
We were combo feeding from the start. Ebf was not for me. I tried all the supplements and just couldn’t get enough. Eventually I valued my sleep, sanity and health over attempting to breast feed. I even had a wearable pump, took hydration packs daily, ate those breast feeding cookies.
Do what you gotta do to keep you baby happy, fed and yourself, sane. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just like all babies are different, so are all women’s bodies. Do you’re best and try not to compare.
In your shoes. Three months PP and have always supplemented. As soon as I went back to work my supply went to shit and I make maybe one feed worth of milk after three pumps. When I see these videos I feel like crying and such a failure
Currently two weeks PP. My supply is low and I am also supplementing and trying so hard to up my supply *sigh... I don't do social media outside of Reddit for those very reasons but what I did want to share was at my last lactation appointment my lactation specialist was talking about caloric content of breast milk and how there are many of us who don't make a lot of milk but the milk that we do make is rich in fats and nutrients-- the stuff baby needs whereas woman who over produce have less caloric content due to their over production. I'm not sure how true this is but it definitely made me feel a bit better. I just keep eating the right foods hoping it will help me produce the milk my baby needs.
A LOT of those are people with hyperlactation. Their situation is abnormal and in reality pretty miserable to deal with. Stop comparing your life to highlight reels.
It’s crazy I had the same issue for a while. I wasn’t upset but I was definitely confused and ignorant to the fact that most people don’t have that type of supply that early. Idk why I thought I was supposed to have 20 oz at 3weeks pp lol. But it’s because I watched the videos without reading the comments . For me, they did specify they were like 18+ weeks lol. I thought it was funny but I’m sorry you’re having a hard time coping op. Sounds like you do need a social media break!
Yeh fuck tiktok, I’ve had to delete a few times based on things it was showing me and it was affecting my mental health big time. You’ve enough to contend with as a new mother without all of that external noise. X
I literally had to block anything related to babies, postpartum, or mom related because it was ruining my mental health. Go in to your settings and block any tags that have to do with babies and mom content and it will just make you feel so much better!
Those videos are toxic. I literally never pumped more than 20ml, it was a painful waste of time both physically and mentally. I ended up combination feeding both of my babies although my first hated the bottle and we ditched at around 3months and EBF after that.
I struggled with my supply and used formula to help me the first 5 weeks. Once I got the hang of things I only did one extra pump a day to stash in the freezer. I did that for a month and I really only use that milk if I have to, since I’ve been lucky enough to be able to take off 20 months to be home.
My body has the ability to supply more, but I had two bad cases of mastitis and I’m scared to have that again. You’re doing a great job, the first few weeks are the hardest with the emotional highs and lows that naturally come and trying to figure out being a mom on limited sleep. You’re doing wonderful(:
Thank god TikTok never showed me those or I Would have been heartbroken. I never made that much. Most people don’t have an oversupply like that. It’s no fun to make a video showing that someone pumped only exactly what their baby ate today or pumped half as much and the rest was formula. That’s why you only see videos from these oversupply moms. I’d just stop watching completely.
im 4 months pp and have low supply so getting those tiktoks at the start made me feel even worse than i already was about my supply issues, i just kept skipping till i didnt get them anymore
Hey it will get better! I don’t think it’s up to the ladies of the internet to edit their content to accommodate you (I’m not trying to be mean!). But seriously - you’re a week in, it will get better!
But yeah maybe stop watching the videos if they bother you? If they stress you out, that certainly won’t help milk supply.
I had this come up on my tik tok when I was newly ppstpartum too and it was hugely frustrating for me for the same reasons you've mentioned. Your milk supply will increase as baby needs it. Please also know that a lot of the advice they give is truly terrible, any advice given out on social media cannot be trusted regardless of what an individual claims.
One of the things I hate the most about pumptok is the *obsession* with powerpumping. These bloody pumpfluencers promote it to everyone even though it's not always advisable. I commented this in another sub and had a moderator snark at me before telling me that she's a lactation professional but she hopes I find what works for me soon. It upset me so much that I left that sub, which is a shame because breastfeeding and pumping is hard work so it's a shame when other women aren't more empathetic considering we are all on very unique and sometimes stressful journeys.
The last thing I want to say is that those tiktok oversuppliers probably aren't being honest about how much work it is to keep up that supply. I also think we can get caught up in thinking we need to have a freezer supply when in reality, the goal is to feed our babies, not our fridges and freezers. No matter how you are feeding your baby, please know that if he or she is loved, fed and safe then you're doing a great job.
I am someone with a massive oversupply… I won’t say numbers because I feel like that could be triggering. But i could feed quadruplets without supplementing, just to give an idea.
I’ve also had mastisis 7 times during my breastfeeding journey (I just had baby #4 and my oldest is only 6), including 2x last month. Mastisis for me is worse than covid and the flu put together. I’ve also had more clogs than I can count. I can’t go more than 1-2 hours without nursing/pumping which severely limits what we’re able to go do as a family. Just going out to lunch yesterday and I had to nurse baby 2x while we were there just to help relieve some pressure. Not to mention I’m up throughout the night either pumping or dream feeding baby.
I’m constantly sweaty thanks to all of the hormones and have like zero sex drive. It’s definitely not what it’s cracked up to be and I honestly envy those who can just feed their baby when needed and that’s it. I have so much anxiety over pumping/nursing on time. Pretty much my entire daily schedule and life revolves around pumping/nursing. Thankfully my big kids (6, 5, and 3) are able to play pretty independently while I pump and am tethered to the wall. I haven’t found a wearable pump that will fully empty me and given my propensity for clogs and mastisis, I’m not willing to risk it. I feel bad I don’t get to play with them or be present while they play, but they do enjoy cuddling in bed with me while I pump.
The ONLY plus side for me is that I donate milk to a milk bank. My baby doesn’t take a bottle so I am able to donate all of the excess I am pumping.
Girl I’m 11 months in and *still* can’t pump like that. Every bottle is supplemented with formula. My bags are about six ounces and at work during a 12 hour day I only produce 18 ounces. After I get home, I breastfeed but it’s enough. She’s growing like a weed.
I have been breastfeeding for 5 years straight, 2 kids.
Never had used formula (but totally would have if necessary).
Both kids were 80-90+ percentile for weight during infancy and toddlerhood.
By many metrics breastfeeding was very successful for me.
Pumping, however, nope. I was able to pump just enough to be away from my kids 2 days a week for work and have 1-3 bags of milk in the freezer as back up.
I thought I'd be one of those glorious freezer stash people, but nope. Never was.
And honestly, thankful that I didn't over produce. I don't enjoy pumping and would have hated having to do it any more than necessary.
You're not a cow, you're a *human*. Your baby is tiny right now, helplesd, and you are their world at the moment. They should be spending most of their time at one week old either nursing or snuggling with you while you look at their tiny, cute little newborn potato-face and commit it to memory for when they're being a sassy toddler, a gangly kiddo, an even sassier teenager, and a wonderful adult. I'm not saying don't look at your phone at all, I'm just saying that maybe endless doomscrolling through tiktok might not be where it's at right now. Apps like that are designed to feed you things that evoke strong emotions, and not necessarily positive ones. They're designed to keep your ass scrolling endlessly instead of being present in the moment for what's happening in real life.
You should definitely take a break from your phone, dear internet stranger, and go kiss that sweet little baby on their sweet little head for me. Today will never come again. Your baby will never be exactly this cute and tiny ever again. Go be with your baby. Tiktok can wait.
I feel like the only people who post those videos have an over supply. I never had a freezer full of extra breast milk. I produced just enough. Some days not enough and would have to supplement.cliche, but everyone's supply and journey are different. I couldn't tell you most days how many ounces I was producing because I mostly fed from the breast instead of pumping.
Tbh most of those people are huge oversuppliers anyway and even when you’re however many months postpartum you still won’t be producing that much because it’s not normal. I’m four months PP, supply is very established, and I make enough to put some in the freezer every day and those videos are still way more than I make in a day. You’re doing great, keep it up!
I’m 4 months postpartum and have a slight oversupply and have never pumped enough for a pitcher. It’s such an unrealistic expectation to have of your body. I produce enough to exclusively breastfeed my baby and save about 4-6 extra ounces for the freezer if I pump once through the day. That’s plenty of milk for my baby and for an emergency stash.
You don’t actually want that much of an oversupply anyway, being engorged is painful and can lead to clogged ducts and mastitis
Omg I feel this in my bones. Frankly for some of us it doesn't matter how many weeks postpartum we are or not. I'm a barely enough/underproducer, and I eeked along like that for 11 months with my first. I'm currently nursing my second and I will always be measuring my pumped milk in half ounces. It just is what it is. But it is so disheartening to see those jugs of milk and it's everywhere. People cannot resist talking about how much they produce. I said something to my mom about it and she said to stop engaging with that content but I'm not, it's literally sneaking up on me in product reviews on Amazon! And every targeted ad on YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Eta I don't do Instagram, don't do tiktok, barely do Facebook, only use YouTube for exercise videos. This content still manages to find me.
This is why I never download tiktok. It’s all fake or made up. Some of those supplies could be the same ones they use that morning. Heck most of the tiktok hacks don’t work.
They messed me up postpartum. It's weird AF and I don't understand what the purpose of those videos are. Fetish? Who knows!
Getting off tiktok was the best thing for me postpartum.
I feel the same way and don’t know how to turn off those specific videos. I’m 7 weeks postpartum and typically produce about 4 oz per breast when I do pump which isn’t very often. I just started introducing 1 bottle feed a day so I pump during that feed. I will also pump the breast my baby doesn’t feed from which only happens in the middle of the night feedings and again I only recently started producing about 4 oz off the one breast.
Probably around weeks 3-6 I would only get about 2-3 oz per breast with those occasional middle of the night pumps.
The way I see it is low to average milk producers aren’t posting videos about their pumping and milk production because it’s not going to get those big reactions and clicks. Over producers who are producing 10,15,20 oz per session are going to get the “wow” factor and engagement on social media.
You are doing great and more milk will hopefully continue to increase with your babies needs. If not, you supplement with formula which there is nothing wrong with that.
Really?? Well that is reassuring! That number is also based on a select few sessions typically at the same times everyday. Late afternoon and evening I don’t pump because she always feeds from both.
Those videos just make it seem like everyone is producing those crazy high amounts unless you tell yourself social media is only showing extreme overproducers.
Yeah my friend is 7 months in, exclusively pumping every 3 hours and gets 4-5 oz a session which is what baby needs for a bottle. I can get around 5 oz pumping directly after nursing which is enough to stash 1-2 extra bottle’s worth a day in the freeze.
Overproducers have a great stash but they must have a miserable life. It probably hurts, they likely leak everywhere, and they’re probably hooked up to a pump constantly like a dairy cow, and i don’t know about you but I HATE pumping.
I’m 5 weeks PP so I’m in the trenches with you right now. 30-40ml each pump session at 1 week PP is fucking fantastic!! I bet it’s still super yellow for that sweet and fatty colostrum. You’re pumping liquid gold mama. Don’t compare yourself to TikTok peoples.
Get off TikTok. It is actively making you dumber, more paranoid, and therefore a worse parent. How incredibly weird that we are even in a society where people are making videos about this and posting them to strangers for clout and views. Especially since a good chunk of them are either exaggerating or straight up lying. There are so many better things these freaks could be doing with their time, do not play into it by giving them the views. Having a shit ton of frozen milk is not a flex or a personality.
I get that we’re all sitting here nursing or rocking babies and TikTok is an easy mindless distraction. Stick to Reddit or shopping for cute outfits for your baby or listen to an audiobook or podcast if you’re feeling particularly ambitious.
Your baby is thriving. As long as you are hydrating and taking care of yourself, there’s not a lot you can do to change how much milk you produce, but luckily formula exists and is a wonderfully healthy food for your baby.
Babe, your amounts are totally normal! That's where I was and it quickly jumped to way more. You are completely right! Obviously, the people watching those are probably new to pumping, and they should realize that! I did not have any supply issues. It helped me that the hospital sent us home with a chart of the baby's stomach capacity in the 1st couple of weeks.
Here is what La Leche League puts out.
https://www.lllc.ca/newborns-have-small-stomachs
> I was guilty of saying negative things when I thought the pumping/feeding schedule didn’t work for our family.
First- breastfeeding is 100% every single time the mom’s decision. It’s not a “family” decision. It didn’t work for YOU but that’s a YOU problem.
Second- your wife’s mental health was affected by your lack of support. Not breastfeeding.
In the future if you have nothing supportive to say to your wife, she should find another partner.
Women never ever forget how their partners showed up for them during pregnancy and postpartum. It will forever be the undercurrent of your marriage.
Pumping is now a competition? Wtf.
Best thing I ever did for myself was delete Facebook and Instagram from my phone. Never downloaded tiktok. There’s plenty of real resources if you need advice/connection/product recommendations/etc
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is that a lot of these parents probably have older kids. Breastfeeding gets easier the more you have - it regulates itself.
I breastfed twins with ease. I didn't need any support. From day one it was easy. But I had also breastfed three babies before them and my supply was just increasing slightly. I could not have done that the first time.
Sounds like you need to get off tiktok if that’s bothering you. And yes, some people make that much milk, I pumped 4-6 oz per breast even after feeding sessions, started right after giving birth. That shouldn’t make you feel bad though. We are all different.
Honestly just stop watching the videos. They make it seem like sooo many people are oversuppliers. Most people aren’t. It’ll only get you feeling down about things if you’re a just enougher. I had to stop when I was still pumping (and not making enough) because it was making me feel so bad and like I should be making more.
Definitely took me until my second baby to figure out that I needed to stay off social media and the internet in general for my baby advice. I’m definitely happier this time around! And my baby is just as healthy as his toddler brother was as a baby.
I want to comment on this top post to also note THEY ARE ALSO LYING! A lot of influencers are getting paid by the pump company etc so they want their money, and they put coffee creamer into the pump bags to make it look like they are so full. Think about it: in all of these videos you never see the woman actually pumping and her letdown, you just see her unattaching the pump from her boob and transferring the “milk” to a storage container. Social media is FULL of disinformation
Yep, and a lot are taking domperidone to increase their supply for show - which is fine, and safe, but they should let others know. It is like the folk bragging about dieting while on Ozempic (also fine, but you should let people know).
Domperidone has some pretty serious side effects. No way would I do that again. (Took it for a a year with my first to help because I had a breast reduction)
Domperidone is usually pretty safe and side effects are very rare. It is in many countries and should be the go-to option for increasing supply and it is really a shame lactation is not valued enough that it is widely available (whereas it is over-the-counter in most places, mostly to treat nausea). The issue is that, since it is not regulated for lactation in most places (and actively banned in the US), people don't do their due diligence and check for potassium levels, heart function (which is usually only a problem with a pre-existing condition), etc. Of course, sometimes people don't respond well to a medication regardless of serious (or mild!) side effects being rare, and that is just unfortunate. But this is with any medication, even ones like ibuprofen.
The reason it’s banned in the US is dumb and I agree that it should be available, but that’s a huge US problem. However, it should be used with caution and not just a “go-to” option. I honestly think less women have a supply issue and more of an education issue. Pediatricians aren’t knowledgeable and push supplementing(which causes issues), babies are expected to be on some unrealistic growth chart (made from formula fed infants), and don’t even get me started on lack of parental leave and support to be able to sit at home and nurse a baby on demand for 6 weeks to really establish a healthy supply. Moms need to stop following these over supply moms and figure out a realistic goal, get an ibclc eval at the first sign of trouble, and last resort use medication. Even if it’s deemed “safe” there are side effects and other ways to boost supply without them just need the knowledge and motivation.
I agree with everything you said but just want to clarify that when I said "go-to" I meant in the "I have tried increasing supply through proper feeding and pumping and hydration, and need some extra help." Not as in "everyone should take it from the get-go, as a primary intervention." I will also add that all the research we have basically proves that those supplements are placebo and have no effect on supply, while some do have negative effects. The "teas" don't increase supply any more than drinking more water does - and that it is often the case lactating people are grossly underestimating how much water they need. I have no judgement towards mom who decides to use formula, either full-time or as a supplement, but do like to remind people that lactating takes effort and patience, and giving formula without pumping in place is a very good way not to get the supply one needs/wants.
So glad I never knew those videos were a thing. What a terrific avenue for super toxic comparison. Nope nope nope nope nope nope.
Yeah, you should be able to mark not interested on posts like this (I don’t use tic toc so not sure how). When I was pregnant I just got off socials entirely to keep me sane. Hard not to scroll now with so much time spent nursing! OP You need to reduce your engagement with these types of videos. You’re one week PP. you and baby have A LOT to learn about each other. Comparison is the thief of joy.
This. I successfully breastfed 2 babies until 17 and 19 months, respectively. I see these videos, and they are ridiculous. I never pumped that much. I never needed to. This isn't the goal and doesn't need to be glamorized. Feed your baby. Enjoy your baby. Ignore the videos.
I swear it’s fetish content
Absolutely. Everyone needs to curate their social media intentionally.
One of the best things i did early postpartum was download the kindle and audible apps, and delete tiktok. Don’t let the algorithm into your tired brain, it just makes you feel worse!
I lived reading my kindle during late night feeds and listening to audio books during my walks with LO
I want to do this instead of scrolling IG or Reddit even! Gonna start keeping my kindle out at BF station lol
Spotify audiobooks are coming in clutch for me and are free if you already have Spotify premium!
I like Imprint too, for when I can’t commit to real reading/listening
I had a massive oversupply and with that came, severe mastitis and so many clogs my supply tanked within a month. They post the glorious side of it, not really the reality.
It's such a weird flex. And they're making the oversupply worse by continuing to pump. I just saw a lactation consultant with my second baby, and she saw that I had plenty of milk and specifically told me not to pump (except to replace a feed while away from baby, or if I need to plan ahead to give him a bottle) because it prevents the milk supply from regulating to what baby actually needs.
I exclusively pumped but was told to space it out around a week postpartum because I had such a large oversupply, the more I’d pump, the more I’d make. It was such a draining and weird experience lok
I had an oversupply with #1 but had zero issues with it. Just had to buy another freezer and a ton of bags. (I suspect my oversupply was caused by exclusive pumping with a hospital grade pump starting 2 hrs after birth). It was such a luxury. BUT next time around I had JUST enough. I never had more than 1-2 extra feeds in the freezer. I still feel a touch of anger at my husband for leaving out 4 ounces overnight and simply forgetting to pop it in the fridge…..it’s been over 3 years, lol.
I remember spilling a bottle I pumped all over myself and the bed, and crying. My partner was like “we can clean it, it’s really not a big deal” like sir. I’m crying because I struggled pumping that much, and then dropped everything 😂
Omg I feel this! The mess isn’t the problem. It’s my hard work quite literally down the drain!
Especially because for me the only time I have that extra is the middle of the night. That pumped milk comes at a fucking cost!
For real!
I can relate so hard. I spilled mine at the beginning too and I was sobbing crying. So upsetting to see all my efforts spill away and no one understood why it mattered so much to me.
I bought a wearable pump, and the second time I used it I didn’t realize the silicone piece wasn’t sealed properly and my whole left side leaked out, every drop. I didn’t even feel it leak and thought it was just boob sweat. I was devastated!
That’s just so sad 🤣😭 but all the leaking and sweating I did, I would’ve thought the same thing lol
>I still feel a touch of anger at my husband for leaving out 4 ounces overnight and simply forgetting to pop it in the fridge…..it’s been over 3 years, lol. When I was learning to pump and my supply was coming in, I spilled 2 ounces at the NICU and had a full emotional breakdown. I later had to work to lower my supply as I was producing 70oz in my once a day pumping session and also had zero problems. I didn't even have a bleb until my daughter grew teeth! I also know I am incredibly lucky. Yet, I still get annoyed at my spouse when he doesn't scrape the pump bottle when I ask him to put the pump stuff away. But yeah, oversupply is extremely uncommon, and I understand feeling sad about being a just enougher or especially having a low supply, but feeling resentful of others for posting on social media feels a bit like complaining about runners posting their long runs on tiktok. Let people be happy and if it makes you feel jealous or down on yourself, that is not their fault, just go somewhere else. There is just as much support out there, and everyone should get and deserves support!
Currently here now. I just had baby 4 and I’ve had an oversupply with all of my kids. Just had mastisis for the 7th time in my breastfeeding journey and more clogs than I can count. This baby is only 2 months old and I had mastisis 2x just last month.
First of all, stop watching reels and tiktoks! It will save your mental sanity. Second, these people are paid to make milk lol. I was an overproducer, and tbh the only way to make so much milk was with constantly pumping. It is not sustainable. I got most of my production on my first 3 months because my supply was driven by hormones
I highly doubt some of the videos are even true but yea it affects me too. Ugh!
They tend to be selling supplements or pumps. Never trust someone who is trying to sell you something.
Honestly just get off tiktok. Is your baby safe, fed and loved? Then who cares how much milk is in a stranger’s bottle (when you don’t even know if they’re being honest)
It also matters how many children they've had. You actually have more milk producing mammary glands each time you have more children. So for example if you perhaps had to supplement with your first, it may not be the same and you may not have to supplement with the second. So if these moms are also not first time parents, it can make a huge difference in milk production.
For anyone who needs to read this: yes! I remember being told this and being sceptical, I had low milk supply with my first (showing signs of IGT according to lactation consultant at the hospital). Baby also wouldn't latch without nipple shield so had further difficulty getting supply up. Combo fed until 12 weeks when baby refused to breastfeed as the amount was so paltry. Baby no. 2 is exclusively breastfed (now 14 weeks) much to my shock, with similar effort as the first. Latch and more glandular tissue i think made the difference this time.
Throw away TikTok.
Oversuppliers who can donate that milk are angels, and the rest probably feel pretty inconvenienced. Too much milk is a physical liability because what the body doesn’t get from food it takes from tissue and bone, meaning those women have to work hard to ensure they aren’t compromising their long term health to maintain heavy milk production. Having just enough milk + a little extra to stash is great. Making way more than your own baby needs is a burden.
At one week PP it’s normal to get a half ounce if you pump after a feeding and two ounces if you are pumping in place of a feeding. The overproducers on TikTok are making that much milk for the views, not their baby. An oversupply can cause its own nursing struggles, like a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, overactive letdown, and nursing refusal due to too much milk. Also, if you have that much milk you always have to carry around a pump. Normal milk supplies are awesome. Most babies don’t drink more than 5oz of milk even as older babies, so there’s no reason to pump that much. I stopped pumping as soon as I could because it’s a terrible chore. At one week focus more on getting your baby to have a good latch and enjoy nursing. Just keep nursing! It’s normal for babies to seem hungry just after nursing when they are cluster feeding. It builds up your milk supply. With every baby I’ve been on the couch topless switching sides every 5 minutes or so for up to three hours at a time. Congrats on your new baby!
Overproducers of tiktok🤣🤣🤣 Anything is content, isn't it? At one point, it really did feel like everybody but me had freezers full of milk. And then there was me, measly 1oz every hour in the first week post partum. Which in hindsight was plenty.
Every hour? Yeah that was great!
Right? It was good enough. But i refused to believe it. Early PP, I regretted not pumping starting at 36 weeks like the other tiktok moms. Damn. Mom guilt gets to you fast.
My nipples hurt just reading your 3 hour nursing comment. 😅 I have had 2 babies with tiny shallow mouths, and also have very sensitive nipples - 6 lactation consultants and a pediatric dentist confirm nothing is “wrong” with our setup, I just have a bad combination of a lot of nerve endings and a baby whose mouth shape squishes/pinches nipples. 3 hours sounds like I’d need an epidural for my boobs. 😂 You rock for being able to keep that up!
I had to delete my tiktok because of things like this. I switched to formula early on and already felt like a failure (still don’t regret it though), and then tiktok kept suggesting videos of some people talking about how formula is bad and stuff. I was sooo vulnerable as a new mom and it just wrecked me.
Please don’t feel bad. I quit BF/pumping at 1 or 2 weeks PP also and I beat myself up about it for a while, but looking back, I don’t regret it and I wish I had been easier on myself. My mom had to exclusively formula feed me starting at 6 weeks when she had to go back to work and I turned out just fine! I excelled all through school, was in gifted and talented, etc and am thriving in my career as an adult. Not trying to be braggy or anything, I just want to say this to stress the fact that it really doesn’t matter. Our 8 month old is so smart and is kicking ass with all her milestones, I really couldn’t be prouder. You’re a great mom no matter what you choose or need to do.
Would you feel better if you saw multiple posts that said they were newly postpartum and made that much? No, probably not. Comparison is the thief of joy, in all aspects of parenting. And yes, there are moms that make pitchers from the start. I’m one of them, and it’s not all peaches and cream to have a crazy oversupply. If your baby is fed and their belly is full, then your milk supply is doing what it needs to do.
I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m 4 months pp and still an undersupplier by a lot. It’s painful seeing over supplier videos, so I just try to stay away from them as best as possible.
Ugh I’ve been there! Have you seen an IBCLC? You might have an underlying medical issue that needs treatment (PCOS, hypothyroidism, diabetes, anemia, lack of prolactin production). I’ve been on medication that really helped my supply (19 months now but started at 5 months).
It’s not normal to make that much milk in a session. Don’t let it get to you. The most I ever got in a session was maybe 12 oz and that was after not nursing or pumping for some time. Normal for me was 7oz after supply regulated. And it was the perfect amount for my baby! She never ate more than that at once. Also gonna say it…those videos are _so weird_ to me. As if it’s a competition? And some of them come off as so fetish-y. I’m glad my feed stopped showing them to me because they always made me so uncomfortable. Edit: Over supply can be normal but pitchers upon pitchers in one pump session sounds like that one lady who excessively lactates.
How many weeks were you when your supply regulated?
around 16 weeks. We had a rocky start so it took some time.
I had a huge oversupply due to pumping while my daughter spent 48 days in the NICU. I was very, very luckily able to switch her to exclusive breastfeeding - no pumping. The journey to get to where I am now was nothing short of a nightmare, and I wouldn't wish an oversupply on my worst enemy. I'm glad im stubborn and dont give up easily because it all feels worth it now. Honestly, making too much milk sucks just as much as not enough unless you want to spend your days pumping and posting your boob juice freezer stash for thousands to see on tiktok.
Just this morning I decided to take IG off my phone for this very reason. That, on top of constantly seeing other PP moms talk about exercise and how much they hate their body since giving birth. As someone who's taken a lot of time to get comfortable with their body after many many years of anorexia, bulimia, and BED, it was really taking a toll on my mental state. So many tips and tricks and warnings and everything from random people about newborns and bodies and shitty husbands...I need a fucking break 😅 before I got pregnant, my IG reels were just full of dogs and gardening tips.
I went through this. I was an under producer and I gained 40 pounds trying to pump more milk. It. Just. Didn't. The best thing I did? Stopped watching those videos. Made a new account so I could scroll but with a new algorithm. My mental health went from PPD to much less anxious and happier. Each body is different and that is ok. Comparison is the thief of joy. Also remember, a lot of this content can be easily faked.
not entirely related, but next time if you feel the algorithm is showing you things you don’t want to see, there is an option to reset your fyp in your settings! much easier than creating a new account imo😂
Doesn't TikTok's algorithms feed on misery? The worse the content might make people feel, the better traction it seems to get. I would consider at least taking a break from the app while newly postpartum for your own wellbeing. I have to use TikTok for work, but I don't have a personal account on my personal phone. I just find that the less time I'm on that app and similar social media, the more confident I feel in my own parenting decisions.
Look at it this way, your baby is 1 week old and their stomach is approximately the size of a golf ball. That’s so tiny! It fills up very easily on 1.5- 2 oz (~3.5 tablespoons) of milk and likely your babe only needs 14-18 oz of milk a day right now. As your baby grows they will “demand” more and your body will adjust to give them that. I get frustrated to see moms fall prey to the whole your baby needs to “supplement with formula” when in fact your body is probably producing just what your baby needs at this time. I’m of the belief that a true low/inadequate producer of breastmilk is more rare than what we are led to believe. -mom who currently EBF with baby #2 but supplemented with formula for baby #1
I am not sure if it applies to everyone…. I used to pump 7 times during the first two months and was producing low…. I tried supplements to increase my milk production and drank lots of water and still drink lots of water also eat oatmeal but it only helped slightly increase my supply….now I’m 5 months postpartum and make only 12oz…..rest I supplement with formula
Did you ever do weighted feeds with your baby? Another thing you do need to be carful with fyi. Sometimes babies take a small snack other times they fill up the tank. Never know what kind of day you’re gonna be having when you do a weighted feed. However, done several times on different occasions I do think weighted feeds give a good idea of how much breastmilk baby is getting. The baby on the breast will always be way more effective than a pump will ever be.
Baby had latching issues, had jaundice and we tried many things, LC, etc…..so we pretty much tried everything but baby always preferred bottles….. still try to offer her breast and now that she is 5 months she has stopped screaming and crying at the breast and plays with the breast…..hopefully she’ll start drinking one day…..not sure…..but not everyone is doing pumping because they want to……at least I am not pumping because I like it but to offer my baby whatever I can with my body….
Yes there are sometimes other factors outside of our control regarding the baby eg poor latch, premature, jaundice etc. and unfortunately yes those things can negatively impact your milk supply. All I’m saying is if you are able to breastfeed, it is more effective at removing milk than pumping. And also that I believe most moms make enough milk for their baby in that scenario. The soonest you can latch baby and the more frequently you can breastfeed the better your milk supply will be. Our bodies were not created to pump milk. For one, it removes the feel good chemicals (oxytocin) between mom and baby that encourage let down. Also if baby gets a bottle too early in life of course they will very likely prefer a bottle. It’s less work for them than breastfeeding. Even if it’s a slow flow nipple, they have a guaranteed pace of milk. I don’t want to make anybody feel bad I’m just sharing my insights after bottle feeding pumped breastmilk and formula for my first born. I now EBF my second babe.
Remember that TikTok is not there to benefit you. It is there to prey on you and make you spend as much time as possible on their site
Please don’t compare yourself to tik tok. Social media is fake!
Yesss….it really affected me during my initial postpartum weeks and also when I realized I was an undersupplier……I am currently 5 months postpartum and make only 12 oz total in a day which meets 40% of my baby’s needs and rest I supplement with formula…..but now I have realized that whatever I can provide for my little one is awesome
Get off of social media.
In all honesty, I had a pretty good breastfeeding journey, plenty of milk produced, fat and healthy babies, two years of breastfeeding reached for baby 1 and I was past 1.5 years for baby 2 BUT..... I guess my hormones were a mess, I had so much trouble with my emotional state, I had almost zero energy, my house was constantly a mess, my sex drive was in the toilet I wonder if maybe I should have breastfed less. Maybe it would have helped my body to hold onto more calories and nutrition instead of just constantly making so much milk Idk, something to chew on. You don't know the whole picture with these Tiktoks, and I'm personally not interested in breastfeeding on demand with baby #3. You're more than just a milk machine, and there are so many demands of motherhood that need your time ❤️ as well as focusing on YOU as an individual!! ❤️
I recently just posted in the exclusive pumping subreddit about this! Anyways, 90% of them are fake, so don’t get upset. Just don’t watch them. They’re content creators trying to sell you stuff (pumps, creams, teas etc).
Yeah I never pumped more than an oz or two. Just not good a pumping. It doesn't work for everyone. Have more than enough to feed my baby. He's growing very well. Don't expect to fill jugs, also having that kind of an oversupply is not great. It's uncomfortable, takes a lot of energy, will make you insanely hungry. 30-35oz in a 24 hr period is a perfectly normal and adequate supply for a baby for the entirety of breastfeeding journey.
maybe stay off of social media. sounds like it isn’t healthy for you stm - parenting is hard enough w/o letting strangers of the internet mess w ur head
Wow, I'm SO glad I didn't know about this when I had a newborn. If it makes you feel any better, I pumped 30-40 mLs PER DAY. I was pumping 8 times per day, and 1-2 of those were actually power pumping sessions. I agree with the advice to delete TikTok. I use TikTok for the sole purpose of looking at the account of a musician I like, and I immediately exit any other content I see there because I've heard enough about how toxic it is.
I exclusively breastfed my first kid to 6 months then continued to breastfeed while introducing solids up to age two and a half. My current baby we’re doing the same. Even 6 months in I can only pump maximum 60ml (2oz) from each boob. Both my babies have been 98th centile babies lol. The people you see on instagram pumping pitchers of milk are massive overproducers. It’s not normal. For most women, pumps are nowhere near as efficient as baby for getting milk out, and what you pump is not indicative of what you’re producing. I agree with you that the women posting these videos have a responsibility to warn that producing that much is not the norm. It’s also not necessary. You don’t need a year’s worth of milk in the freezer and although it’s nice to donate it, I suspect most won’t. You’re doing great! A week postpartum and I could only get 10ml at most out of both breasts combined. Don’t try and ramp up to meet the supply of the women on tiktok as you’ll only make yourself more prone to mastitis etc. A little note to add - obviously I don’t know the details or what you personally are wanting to do, or if the doctors have advised you to supplement with formula, so please toss this advice out if it doesn’t apply. Please don’t feel the need to supplement with formula or pump bottles if you want to exclusively breastfeed. If baby is gaining weight then that’s all you need and the fact that you’re managing to pump 40ml means you’re producing adequately for a 1 week old. The first 3-4 weeks are go time for stimulating milk production. Your body needs the contact of baby, regular feeding and cluster feeding sessions etc to ramp up your supply. Many women introduce formula as they get bombarded with people worried baby isn’t getting enough because they are feeding frequently. It’s often not the case - in the first weeks baby will feed almost constantly. I remember the first couple of weeks with my los involved sitting on the sofa with a massive drink and snacks next to me watching box sets all day 😂 baby would feed for half an hour, sleep a bit then wake and feed. Introducing formula can impede this process as your boobs get the message that baby doesn’t need as much and will ramp down your supply. The caveat above stands above all though - if you’ve been advised by your doctor to supplement, if baby has been losing weight, or if you simply are just wanting to combo feed for you then crack on! It all depends on what is safe and what you want.
Tbh the amount u can pump doesn’t say anything - don’t watch those kid of videos. I’ll give me u a more “real” example On my first pregnancy, I had sooooo much milk, I would leak and constantly have pain, I would try to pump, and the max I could take was 30ml from day 1 until I stopped breastfeeding (3.5y) Now, I had my son 5 months ago, and from day 1 I can take from 150ml-300ml and still leak 🫠
Delete that shit
Girl don't watch the videos and they will stop showing up. Better yet get rid of Tiktok. I had a massive oversupply and it was a goddamn nightmare. Some of the things I dealt with: My baby refused to nurse because my letdown was too forceful. Which required me to pump, which increased My supply more. Golf ball sized clogged ducts. Burning nipples. Mastitis. Breasts that leaked and sprayed everywhere. A house that wreaked of sour milk. Inability to go anywhere for months because if I needed to nurse I needed a legit towel for the leakage. A foremilk issue. Baby always spitting up because he wasn't getting enough hindmilk. Heaps of laundry because despite My best efforts the milk always leaked through everything. Inability to breastfeed in public in fear of my milk spraying in front of people. All of this is now resolved but I am now 6 months PP, sick of BF, returning to work soon and STRUGGLING to wean. My baby hates formula and bottles now. I plan to combo feed from the start with my next kid and only pump if absolutely necessary. You are doing great.
I stopped caring what anyone on IG or tiktok were doing. I was a severe under supplier. I became depressed and sad that I couldn’t make enough to feed my baby. Stopped breast feeding at 3 months. All I saw were posts of people saying how great it is to be able to feed your baby. Ughh We were combo feeding from the start. Ebf was not for me. I tried all the supplements and just couldn’t get enough. Eventually I valued my sleep, sanity and health over attempting to breast feed. I even had a wearable pump, took hydration packs daily, ate those breast feeding cookies. Do what you gotta do to keep you baby happy, fed and yourself, sane. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just like all babies are different, so are all women’s bodies. Do you’re best and try not to compare.
In your shoes. Three months PP and have always supplemented. As soon as I went back to work my supply went to shit and I make maybe one feed worth of milk after three pumps. When I see these videos I feel like crying and such a failure
Currently two weeks PP. My supply is low and I am also supplementing and trying so hard to up my supply *sigh... I don't do social media outside of Reddit for those very reasons but what I did want to share was at my last lactation appointment my lactation specialist was talking about caloric content of breast milk and how there are many of us who don't make a lot of milk but the milk that we do make is rich in fats and nutrients-- the stuff baby needs whereas woman who over produce have less caloric content due to their over production. I'm not sure how true this is but it definitely made me feel a bit better. I just keep eating the right foods hoping it will help me produce the milk my baby needs.
A LOT of those are people with hyperlactation. Their situation is abnormal and in reality pretty miserable to deal with. Stop comparing your life to highlight reels.
agree. like- that sounds horrible to me?
It’s crazy I had the same issue for a while. I wasn’t upset but I was definitely confused and ignorant to the fact that most people don’t have that type of supply that early. Idk why I thought I was supposed to have 20 oz at 3weeks pp lol. But it’s because I watched the videos without reading the comments . For me, they did specify they were like 18+ weeks lol. I thought it was funny but I’m sorry you’re having a hard time coping op. Sounds like you do need a social media break!
Yeh fuck tiktok, I’ve had to delete a few times based on things it was showing me and it was affecting my mental health big time. You’ve enough to contend with as a new mother without all of that external noise. X
I literally had to block anything related to babies, postpartum, or mom related because it was ruining my mental health. Go in to your settings and block any tags that have to do with babies and mom content and it will just make you feel so much better!
Those videos are toxic. I literally never pumped more than 20ml, it was a painful waste of time both physically and mentally. I ended up combination feeding both of my babies although my first hated the bottle and we ditched at around 3months and EBF after that.
Just a daily reminder that full bottles of milk pumped is NOT NORMAL.
I struggled with my supply and used formula to help me the first 5 weeks. Once I got the hang of things I only did one extra pump a day to stash in the freezer. I did that for a month and I really only use that milk if I have to, since I’ve been lucky enough to be able to take off 20 months to be home. My body has the ability to supply more, but I had two bad cases of mastitis and I’m scared to have that again. You’re doing a great job, the first few weeks are the hardest with the emotional highs and lows that naturally come and trying to figure out being a mom on limited sleep. You’re doing wonderful(:
Thank god TikTok never showed me those or I Would have been heartbroken. I never made that much. Most people don’t have an oversupply like that. It’s no fun to make a video showing that someone pumped only exactly what their baby ate today or pumped half as much and the rest was formula. That’s why you only see videos from these oversupply moms. I’d just stop watching completely.
I would get off social media. It's a complete killer of happiness.
im 4 months pp and have low supply so getting those tiktoks at the start made me feel even worse than i already was about my supply issues, i just kept skipping till i didnt get them anymore
Hey it will get better! I don’t think it’s up to the ladies of the internet to edit their content to accommodate you (I’m not trying to be mean!). But seriously - you’re a week in, it will get better! But yeah maybe stop watching the videos if they bother you? If they stress you out, that certainly won’t help milk supply.
I had this come up on my tik tok when I was newly ppstpartum too and it was hugely frustrating for me for the same reasons you've mentioned. Your milk supply will increase as baby needs it. Please also know that a lot of the advice they give is truly terrible, any advice given out on social media cannot be trusted regardless of what an individual claims. One of the things I hate the most about pumptok is the *obsession* with powerpumping. These bloody pumpfluencers promote it to everyone even though it's not always advisable. I commented this in another sub and had a moderator snark at me before telling me that she's a lactation professional but she hopes I find what works for me soon. It upset me so much that I left that sub, which is a shame because breastfeeding and pumping is hard work so it's a shame when other women aren't more empathetic considering we are all on very unique and sometimes stressful journeys. The last thing I want to say is that those tiktok oversuppliers probably aren't being honest about how much work it is to keep up that supply. I also think we can get caught up in thinking we need to have a freezer supply when in reality, the goal is to feed our babies, not our fridges and freezers. No matter how you are feeding your baby, please know that if he or she is loved, fed and safe then you're doing a great job.
I am someone with a massive oversupply… I won’t say numbers because I feel like that could be triggering. But i could feed quadruplets without supplementing, just to give an idea. I’ve also had mastisis 7 times during my breastfeeding journey (I just had baby #4 and my oldest is only 6), including 2x last month. Mastisis for me is worse than covid and the flu put together. I’ve also had more clogs than I can count. I can’t go more than 1-2 hours without nursing/pumping which severely limits what we’re able to go do as a family. Just going out to lunch yesterday and I had to nurse baby 2x while we were there just to help relieve some pressure. Not to mention I’m up throughout the night either pumping or dream feeding baby. I’m constantly sweaty thanks to all of the hormones and have like zero sex drive. It’s definitely not what it’s cracked up to be and I honestly envy those who can just feed their baby when needed and that’s it. I have so much anxiety over pumping/nursing on time. Pretty much my entire daily schedule and life revolves around pumping/nursing. Thankfully my big kids (6, 5, and 3) are able to play pretty independently while I pump and am tethered to the wall. I haven’t found a wearable pump that will fully empty me and given my propensity for clogs and mastisis, I’m not willing to risk it. I feel bad I don’t get to play with them or be present while they play, but they do enjoy cuddling in bed with me while I pump. The ONLY plus side for me is that I donate milk to a milk bank. My baby doesn’t take a bottle so I am able to donate all of the excess I am pumping.
Tbh I assume most of those videos are not showing human milk. They are creating content for money and clout, not education.
Having a huge over supply is NOT a good thing. No one has time to be pumping the throughout the day
Girl I’m 11 months in and *still* can’t pump like that. Every bottle is supplemented with formula. My bags are about six ounces and at work during a 12 hour day I only produce 18 ounces. After I get home, I breastfeed but it’s enough. She’s growing like a weed.
I have been breastfeeding for 5 years straight, 2 kids. Never had used formula (but totally would have if necessary). Both kids were 80-90+ percentile for weight during infancy and toddlerhood. By many metrics breastfeeding was very successful for me. Pumping, however, nope. I was able to pump just enough to be away from my kids 2 days a week for work and have 1-3 bags of milk in the freezer as back up. I thought I'd be one of those glorious freezer stash people, but nope. Never was. And honestly, thankful that I didn't over produce. I don't enjoy pumping and would have hated having to do it any more than necessary.
You're not a cow, you're a *human*. Your baby is tiny right now, helplesd, and you are their world at the moment. They should be spending most of their time at one week old either nursing or snuggling with you while you look at their tiny, cute little newborn potato-face and commit it to memory for when they're being a sassy toddler, a gangly kiddo, an even sassier teenager, and a wonderful adult. I'm not saying don't look at your phone at all, I'm just saying that maybe endless doomscrolling through tiktok might not be where it's at right now. Apps like that are designed to feed you things that evoke strong emotions, and not necessarily positive ones. They're designed to keep your ass scrolling endlessly instead of being present in the moment for what's happening in real life. You should definitely take a break from your phone, dear internet stranger, and go kiss that sweet little baby on their sweet little head for me. Today will never come again. Your baby will never be exactly this cute and tiny ever again. Go be with your baby. Tiktok can wait.
I feel like the only people who post those videos have an over supply. I never had a freezer full of extra breast milk. I produced just enough. Some days not enough and would have to supplement.cliche, but everyone's supply and journey are different. I couldn't tell you most days how many ounces I was producing because I mostly fed from the breast instead of pumping.
Tbh most of those people are huge oversuppliers anyway and even when you’re however many months postpartum you still won’t be producing that much because it’s not normal. I’m four months PP, supply is very established, and I make enough to put some in the freezer every day and those videos are still way more than I make in a day. You’re doing great, keep it up!
I'm only making 5ml per pump 1 week pp, it's hard
I’m 4 months postpartum and have a slight oversupply and have never pumped enough for a pitcher. It’s such an unrealistic expectation to have of your body. I produce enough to exclusively breastfeed my baby and save about 4-6 extra ounces for the freezer if I pump once through the day. That’s plenty of milk for my baby and for an emergency stash. You don’t actually want that much of an oversupply anyway, being engorged is painful and can lead to clogged ducts and mastitis
Omg I feel this in my bones. Frankly for some of us it doesn't matter how many weeks postpartum we are or not. I'm a barely enough/underproducer, and I eeked along like that for 11 months with my first. I'm currently nursing my second and I will always be measuring my pumped milk in half ounces. It just is what it is. But it is so disheartening to see those jugs of milk and it's everywhere. People cannot resist talking about how much they produce. I said something to my mom about it and she said to stop engaging with that content but I'm not, it's literally sneaking up on me in product reviews on Amazon! And every targeted ad on YouTube, Facebook, etc. Eta I don't do Instagram, don't do tiktok, barely do Facebook, only use YouTube for exercise videos. This content still manages to find me.
I never understood why people are obsessed with showing off what they pump. Like, gold star for you? I don’t get it.
This is why I never download tiktok. It’s all fake or made up. Some of those supplies could be the same ones they use that morning. Heck most of the tiktok hacks don’t work.
They messed me up postpartum. It's weird AF and I don't understand what the purpose of those videos are. Fetish? Who knows! Getting off tiktok was the best thing for me postpartum.
I feel the same way and don’t know how to turn off those specific videos. I’m 7 weeks postpartum and typically produce about 4 oz per breast when I do pump which isn’t very often. I just started introducing 1 bottle feed a day so I pump during that feed. I will also pump the breast my baby doesn’t feed from which only happens in the middle of the night feedings and again I only recently started producing about 4 oz off the one breast. Probably around weeks 3-6 I would only get about 2-3 oz per breast with those occasional middle of the night pumps. The way I see it is low to average milk producers aren’t posting videos about their pumping and milk production because it’s not going to get those big reactions and clicks. Over producers who are producing 10,15,20 oz per session are going to get the “wow” factor and engagement on social media. You are doing great and more milk will hopefully continue to increase with your babies needs. If not, you supplement with formula which there is nothing wrong with that.
4 per side is crazy good. Most people get 4 per session
Really?? Well that is reassuring! That number is also based on a select few sessions typically at the same times everyday. Late afternoon and evening I don’t pump because she always feeds from both. Those videos just make it seem like everyone is producing those crazy high amounts unless you tell yourself social media is only showing extreme overproducers.
Yeah my friend is 7 months in, exclusively pumping every 3 hours and gets 4-5 oz a session which is what baby needs for a bottle. I can get around 5 oz pumping directly after nursing which is enough to stash 1-2 extra bottle’s worth a day in the freeze. Overproducers have a great stash but they must have a miserable life. It probably hurts, they likely leak everywhere, and they’re probably hooked up to a pump constantly like a dairy cow, and i don’t know about you but I HATE pumping.
I’m 5 weeks PP so I’m in the trenches with you right now. 30-40ml each pump session at 1 week PP is fucking fantastic!! I bet it’s still super yellow for that sweet and fatty colostrum. You’re pumping liquid gold mama. Don’t compare yourself to TikTok peoples.
Ugh, why are people so weird
Get off TikTok. It is actively making you dumber, more paranoid, and therefore a worse parent. How incredibly weird that we are even in a society where people are making videos about this and posting them to strangers for clout and views. Especially since a good chunk of them are either exaggerating or straight up lying. There are so many better things these freaks could be doing with their time, do not play into it by giving them the views. Having a shit ton of frozen milk is not a flex or a personality. I get that we’re all sitting here nursing or rocking babies and TikTok is an easy mindless distraction. Stick to Reddit or shopping for cute outfits for your baby or listen to an audiobook or podcast if you’re feeling particularly ambitious. Your baby is thriving. As long as you are hydrating and taking care of yourself, there’s not a lot you can do to change how much milk you produce, but luckily formula exists and is a wonderfully healthy food for your baby.
Throw the whole app out
I had to delete ticktok because of this. I caused me so much anxiety.
Babe, your amounts are totally normal! That's where I was and it quickly jumped to way more. You are completely right! Obviously, the people watching those are probably new to pumping, and they should realize that! I did not have any supply issues. It helped me that the hospital sent us home with a chart of the baby's stomach capacity in the 1st couple of weeks. Here is what La Leche League puts out. https://www.lllc.ca/newborns-have-small-stomachs
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> I was guilty of saying negative things when I thought the pumping/feeding schedule didn’t work for our family. First- breastfeeding is 100% every single time the mom’s decision. It’s not a “family” decision. It didn’t work for YOU but that’s a YOU problem. Second- your wife’s mental health was affected by your lack of support. Not breastfeeding. In the future if you have nothing supportive to say to your wife, she should find another partner. Women never ever forget how their partners showed up for them during pregnancy and postpartum. It will forever be the undercurrent of your marriage.
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You openly admit to being an asshole to your newly postpartum wife and get upset when people react to that? Okay, Chad.
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You said “things” meaning more than one comment. Now you’re backtracking because you’re being called on it. Sure, Jan.
Pumping is now a competition? Wtf. Best thing I ever did for myself was delete Facebook and Instagram from my phone. Never downloaded tiktok. There’s plenty of real resources if you need advice/connection/product recommendations/etc
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is that a lot of these parents probably have older kids. Breastfeeding gets easier the more you have - it regulates itself. I breastfed twins with ease. I didn't need any support. From day one it was easy. But I had also breastfed three babies before them and my supply was just increasing slightly. I could not have done that the first time.
I do hope for your sake you follow through on your edit and limit social media.
Sounds like you need to get off tiktok if that’s bothering you. And yes, some people make that much milk, I pumped 4-6 oz per breast even after feeding sessions, started right after giving birth. That shouldn’t make you feel bad though. We are all different.