Breastfeeding is more common now than it's been in decades, but that doesn't mean we face any fewer breastfeeding challenges than the women who came before us. Thankfully though, we have more resources and cool gadgets to help us overcome those challenges.
One mom on TikTok recently explained that she's stopped using nursing pads while breastfeeding her child, even though she still leaks milk. TikTok user @itscookiedoughh recommended a newly discovered product that could save breastfeeding moms a ton of time and effort. The woman said she previously used nursing pads to soak up milk that she leaks while feeding, but now, she's switched to letdown cups.
The letdown cups are used to store excess milk that leaks, instead of just soaking it up to be thrown in the trash later. What?! Yes, you read that right. She can now use the milk she leaks during feedings to feed her baby from a bottle later on, reducing the amount of pumping needed.
The mother jokingly referred to herself as "a cow."
The TikToker, whose real name is Anna, showed her followers how much milk she
collects during feeding time. “This is why I wear a let down cup. Just wait, I can’t even take this thing out it’s so full,” she said in the 31-second clip.
“There’s Yukie’s milk. I swear it’s amazing. This is why I wear this now, instead of my milk pads on the go. Because I am a literal cow.”
The mom appeared amazed at how much excess milk was stored by using the letdown cups.
The letdown cups are used only when it’s time to feed the baby.
Anna took to the comment section and explained that she only wears the letdown cups for about 10 minutes when she’s feeding Yukie. “I only wear it while he eats. Eats on one and catch on the left,” she wrote, also adding that she, “got tired of wasting and started saving my let down now I have an entire freezer and it’s only been a month!”
The video amassed more than 1.7 million viewers, with Anna encouraging other
mothers to try the letdown cups and save excess milk.
TikTok users shared their thoughts on the product for nursing moms.
The video has garnered more than 480 comments, with some women leaving positive reviews, and others claiming they were unaware of the brilliant invention. “I love the let down catchers!!!" one user replied in the comment thread. "They were such a blessing this time around, I remember losing so much with my first EB baby."
Another user said: “I wish I had of known of these when I was working. That’s amazing.”
“My freezer supply was literally all from let down pretty much," someone else wrote. "My baby is 9mo and it just ran out a month ago.”
“They didn’t have all this cool stuff when my babies were born!” another user recalled.
“Didn’t know I needed this but I’m a cow also when I nurse my babies,” one mom commented.
Moms are finding new ways to destigmatize breastfeeding.
In honor of National Breastfeeding Month which was in August, TikTok mom Monica Murphy celebrated the annual month of recognition by making a video to help destigmatize breastfeeding in public.
In the video, Murphy is seen breastfeeding her baby in the park when she happens to see another mom doing the same. As they both looked at each other, they started dancing and supporting one another.
Other moms flocked to the comment section and praised the two for shedding light on the ongoing issue.
We can only hope that, as moms, we all continue to lift one another up through every stage of parenthood.
