By Erica Campbell, BSN, RN, IBCLC: 10 years’ experience supporting new parents through early postpartum breastfeeding
My own breastfeeding experience was a good one, and it's exactly what drew me into this work. But here's what I didn't expect going in: how many of the moms I support in the hospital aren't struggling with breastfeeding itself, they're struggling with everything they've heard about breastfeeding before they ever tried it.
I've spent ten years doing early postpartum support in a hospital setting, and the myths I hear are strikingly consistent. So let's clear a few of them up.
Myth: You don't have milk on day one
This is the myth I correct more than any other. Colostrum is still milk. It may not look like the milk you picture when you think of breastfeeding, but for most bodies, it's there from the start, in exactly the small, concentrated amounts your baby needs on day one.
If you're navigating other day-one and week-one concerns beyond colostrum, our first-week breastfeeding questions guide walks through what's normal in those early days.
Myth: A big freezer stash means you're doing it right
Seeing someone else's freezer stash can be genuinely discouraging, and I think it quietly convinces a lot of moms that their bodies aren't doing enough. They are. A freezer stash is not a scoreboard, and not having one says nothing about your supply or your success.
Myth: Breastfeeding is supposed to hurt
Breastfeeding may not always be the most comfortable, but it shouldn't be toe-curling pain. Some awkwardness, tenderness, or very slight discomfort during transitional moments (like when you’re first getting started, or when your baby’s teeth start to come in) is normal. Real pain isn't something to push through, and it's usually fixable once you know what's causing it.
Myth: Some bodies just can't produce a full supply
Hearing that low milk supply "isn't real," or that everyone can produce a full supply if they just try hard enough, is genuinely harmful in both directions. Low supply is real for some people (hormone fluctuations, physical stress, and multiple other factors can affect your supply). It also isn't the default outcome for most. The only way through myths like this one is honest, individual conversation, not a blanket rule applied to every body.
Myth: Breast size determines milk supply
I don't hear this one nearly as much anymore, which is encouraging. Most people have caught on that breast size doesn't reliably correlate with supply. Milk-making capacity is about a lot of things, but size is not one of them.
Myth: Breastfeeding should be effortless
There's no truth to this one at all. Nothing in life is effortless, and nothing in motherhood is either. For a lot of people, breastfeeding may look easy from the outside, but that ease usually came from real work and preparation before and during the feeding journey, not from it being naturally simple.
Breastfeeding is an adventure. It's a rollercoaster. It can be cool, fun, scary, annoying, even nauseating, sometimes all in the same week. "Effortless" is rarely the word I'd reach for.
Myth: Low pump output means low milk supply
There's a lot of nuance whenever people start comparing breastfeeding to pumping. At the end of the day, the baby is getting breast milk, and everyone involved is on the same team. Yes, nursing and pumping are different, but they're also more alike than people think.
One of the biggest myths here is around output specifically. Some babies remove milk more efficiently than a pump ever could. But some pumps genuinely outperform some babies, depending on flange fit, pump quality, and how the individual body responds. It depends entirely on the two bodies actually at work, yours and your baby's, or yours and the machine's.
If pump output has you second-guessing your supply, our lactation consultant's pumping guide covers exactly why that comparison can be misleading.
Outdated advice: Heavy heat and forceful massage for engorgement
This is the one piece of advice that's genuinely changed. The old standard was heavy heat and intense massage before feeding or pumping when dealing with engorgement. Current guidance has shifted toward minimal to no heat beforehand, very gentle massage (sometimes called breast gymnastics), and short periods of ice or cold instead. If you've heard the old advice, it's worth knowing the standard has moved on.
This shift in guidance led Zomee to build the only Warming & Cooling Lactation Massager as three distinct tools in one device, and not one blended "heat fixes everything" tool. You can use the warming setting before a session to help stimulate circulation and support an easier milk flow, then switch to cooling afterward to soothe soreness and calm engorgement.
Myth: A "successful" breastfeeding journey means doing everything perfectly
If I could rewrite one piece of common knowledge, it would be this. A successful breastfeeding journey doesn't mean you did everything perfectly. Success can look however you decide it looks. You get to define what that means for you, and breastfeeding can take several different, equally valid shapes along the way.
Quick Answers to More Breastfeeding Myths
Myth: Small breasts can't produce enough milk. As covered above, breast size doesn't reliably predict supply, that's about glandular tissue, not overall size.
Myth: You need to "rest" your breasts to build up supply. This isn't really one I hear in practice. What actually matters more is resting your mind and body in general, since that's what supports maintaining supply, not withholding feeds or pumps to "save up."
Myth: Formula supplementing means your supply will drop for good. It depends. Sometimes supplementing can genuinely help a family's overall feeding plan. Other times, incorporating more formula and less direct breast milk removal can lessen supply over time. It's not an automatic one-way door in either direction.
Myth: You can't breastfeed after a C-section right away. You can absolutely latch your baby after a C-section. A C-section can slow down the milk-making process, but maintaining a supportive supply is still very possible.
Myth: A fussy baby means you don't have enough milk. A fussy baby could mean almost anything. If your baby is gaining weight, has an age-appropriate number of wet and dirty diapers, and is generally thriving, that's a far better measure of adequate intake than fussiness alone.
Myth: Bottles and pacifiers always cause nipple confusion. There's a lot of negative conversation around this, and it undersells how important both tools can be, not just for breastfeeding itself, but for the mental health of the whole postpartum family. Pacifiers have been shown to help reduce SIDS risk. Bottle feeding gives postpartum parents the freedom to return to work if needed and gives the whole family more flexibility in how they feed. Whether either one causes confusion really depends on how they're used, it's less "confusion" in most cases and more a flow preference or pacifier overuse, which is its own, longer conversation. Used thoughtfully, both can absolutely coexist with a positive breastfeeding relationship.
If you only remember three things
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Colostrum counts. You have milk from day one, even if it doesn't look like what you expect.
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Pain, low supply, and difficulty aren't signs you're failing. They're signals worth addressing, not enduring.
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There's no single "right" way for a breastfeeding journey to look. You define what success means for your family!
For more on the specific problems behind some of these myths, latch pain, engorgement, and supply concerns, see our lactation consultant's guide to common breastfeeding problems. And if pumping output is part of what's on your mind, our pumping tips guide goes deeper on that specifically.
This article reflects the personal clinical experience and opinion of the contributing lactation consultant. It's for informational purposes and isn't a substitute for personalized care from your pediatrician or a lactation professional.
Who is Erica Campbell?
Erica Campbell, BSN, RN, IBCLC, has spent 10 years practicing as an IBCLC, currently in a hospital setting with a focus on early postpartum support, and is working toward also joining a private practice by the end of 2026. Her own positive breastfeeding experience is what drew her into lactation work.
Find Erica at themilkmanual.com or on Instagram and TikTok @themilkmanual.
