Hi, Divya - great job on the breastfeeding! Exclusive 5 months is awesome! I think the schedule sounds perfect. Feeding often during the day enables baby to get most of the calories she needs so she can stretch longer at night! I would encourage you to keep up the daytime schedule and hopefully she will drop that early am feeding really soon!

Hi, Ahda --

Great job on the breastfeeding! Sounds like things are tough right now! Hang in there...as you know from the past 8 months, these phases do eventually pass. It's possible that baby is uncomfortable from teething and breastfeeding more often to soothe herself. That would explain why you are more tender too. Also, shifts in hormonal cycles (menstrual cycle or ovulation) can impact nipple tenderness. It's also possible that your supply has dipped a bit and baby is nursing more ("cluster feeding"as you said) to help naturally boost supply again. Pumping and bottle/cup feeding would indeed give you a break and allow your nipples to heal a bit. Are you offering pumped milk in the bottle? When you offer the bottle/cup, try and change up the position you hold baby in and the environment so she doesn't think she's about to nurse. (So, hold her in an outward, sitting position or even in a bouncer or stroller). Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.

Thank you, Dana!

To answer your question, I do offer her pumped breast milk in an open cup but if it is not plain cold water she sees, she tends to refuse. So sometimes she drinks a little, maybe an ounce, & leaves the rest, preferring mom. 🤕 lol
She won't drink anything but water from an open cup. She dislikes juices, formula, all other containers & favors breast milk from mom. I do position her upright majority of time, however, at nighttime she kicks or bends herself back & stiffens her arm onto my breast, which hurts bcz she stretches the skin as she feeds...it's very bizarre.