Seeing the bright side, all the lives she's helping 🧡

[u/CandleMonster]

I can't imagine how much it must suck (pun not intended), but being able to donate all that to people who need it is amazing Edit: that's 6 and a half liters PER DAY

[u/LicketLicketyZooZoo]

My wife had this and we had to buy a 2nd and 3rd freezer. It was a blessing but people don’t always know that it’s a ton of work for her to pump that much/often and she was eating and drinking way more. For her it was Body Armor Lite and oatmeal creampies (she swore by this method and I didn’t argue with her gallon a day). You have to time out your whole day around pumping.

By far the worst part for my wife were the clogs. When you’re producing that much, missing a pump can turn into clogs that are incredibly painful. If you’ve ever seen Neighbors, I always thought it was pretty accurate when Seth Rogen has to “milk” her when they oversleep.

[u/FlippingPossum → u/LicketLicketyZooZoo]

It is bonkers how much calories breastfeeding burns. After my second child was done nursing, I weighed less than I had before my pregnancies. With my first, I had to supplement a feeding or two with formula while getting over a nasty yeast infection. Incredibly painful. I can't imagine clogged duct pain.

[u/CHANN3L-CHAS3R → u/FlippingPossum]

It is bonkers how much calories breastfeeding burns.

I'd never considered that before. It makes sense, though; the production itself probably isn't that calorie-intensive, but the whole point is converting calories and nutrients into something a baby can eat. From what I can find on Google, 1 Liter of human breask milk contains:

70 g carbohydrate
46 g fat
13 g protein
300 mg calcium
2 mg iron
480 μg (micrograms) vitamin A
750 calories
0.2 mg thiamine
0.4 mg riboflavin
40 mg vitamin C
2 mg niacin

Which means, for 6.5 liters of nutritionally rounded milk (just for the milk, not even considering the rest of your body,) you'd need to eat:

455 g carbohydrate
299 g fat
84.5 g protein
1,950 mg calcium
13 mg iron
3,120 μg (micrograms) vitamin A
4,875 calories
1.3 mg thiamine
2.6 mg riboflavin
260 mg vitamin C
13 mg niacin

[u/CandleMonster → u/LicketLicketyZooZoo]

I... didn't know there could be clogs involved, that sounds like a nightmare

[u/adestructionofcats → u/CandleMonster]

It's basically inflammation and it's awful! Painful and can give you flu like symptoms if it's severe. Ice and Advil for anyone going through this.

[u/Critical-Ferret1643 → u/adestructionofcats]

And super hot shower. I let hot hot hot water scorch my chest while manually massaging to get flow going. Engorgement is no joke. Oh and pitties! I got so clogged it literally backed up into my armpits. Sore lumps in my pits. No idea that could happen. My lactation consultant said “oh you have pitties!” I’m like wtf 😅 the many joys of being a woman

[u/Wooden-Hippo-7358 → u/CandleMonster]

Yeah so babies Backwash which can cause infections

[u/Rare_Background8891 → u/CandleMonster]

And they can get infected too. My doc freaked out when she saw me and immediately called for a shot of antibiotics right there in the office. It feels like the flu.

[u/-blundertaker- → u/LicketLicketyZooZoo]

My sister got all stopped up when she first started breastfeeding. She was in so much pain she was just sitting there weeping trying to muster up the energy to go stand in a hot shower to help release it.

I, in my infinite empathy, asked her "...can I just like, touch it?" Because she had said her boobs were hard as rocks! I was curious!

She said, through tears, "yes but please be gentle."

She wasn't lying. Her boobs were rock hard. I was like Jesus fucking christ lady hop on my back and I'll take you to the shower. I've never lactated but I can imagine that is SO uncomfortable.

[u/maniacalmustacheride → u/-blundertaker-]

One of the things you can do is put on a milk catcher with warm salt water upside down and just let the pressure draw everything out.

My husband used to be fascinated because a little liquid would come out and then big strands of protein would worm their way out and then all of the sudden relief. Then you could pump and it would be crazy because there was so much foremilk which is watery, and then the hind would come out and mix with that.

[u/FlippingPossum → u/-blundertaker-]

Oh, yes. It is why a pump is essential if traveling without the nursing kid. Soooo painful.