The Follow-Up: The Trouble with Triple-Feeding

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Triple feeding (nursing, pumping, and supplementing) might sound like a solid plan on paper. But for many parents, it turns into a nonstop cycle that’s physically draining, mentally exhausting, and emotionally overwhelming. In this Follow-Up episode, Dr. Mona talks with lactation consultant and author Victoria Facelli about why triple feeding is often recommended, why it’s not always sustainable, and what we should be doing instead. They discuss: The real reason triple feeding gets suggested so often (even by well-meaning pediatricians and lactation consultants) Why it can feel like torture and rob families of sleep, sanity, and bonding How to protect both milk supply and mental health What responsive feeding really looks like—and why connection matters more than perfection This episode originally aired in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, and it’s here to remind you: feeding your baby shouldn’t mean losing yourself. Check out Victoria's book (now available in paperback) Feed the Baby: https://www.amazon.com/Feed-Baby-Inclusive-Bottle-Feeding-Everything/dp/1682689662/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 Listen to the original, full episode. Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, it's Dr. Mona, and this is the follow-up.
0:04.9	Your Monday parenting reset in less time than it takes to triple feed, because if you've done that, you know that bar is pretty low.
0:12.1	We're re-releasing this episode in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, which runs August 1st through the 7th,
0:17.7	because if there's one thing we need more of during that week, it's honesty
0:21.0	around breastfeeding. Today's episode hits close, triple feeding. Nursing, pumping, and supplementing
0:27.6	sounds like a plan until you're in it. I used to recommend it. I even did it myself after being
0:33.5	hospitalized twice postpartum. I had help and it still broke me. That cycle nearly took me out
0:40.6	and I knew I had to talk about it. So I brought on Victoria Ficelli, IBCLC and author of Feed the
0:46.0	Baby, seriously, you have to get this book to unpack how triple feeding became the go-to,
0:51.0	why it's not sustainable, and what actually supports feeding, sleep, mental health,
0:56.2	and supply.
0:57.3	If you've ever felt like a full-time feeding machine with no off-ramp, this one's for you.
1:02.7	And hey, if you're liking these follow-ups, take a second to subscribe and download.
1:06.9	You helped shoot us up to number two on the parenting podcast charts in the U.S. for a whole week.
1:12.6	And that only happens when you keep tapping that subscribe button and those download buttons.
1:17.6	Let's press play on this episode.
1:25.2	What is your personal and professional experience with triple feeding and why, you know, using that term,
1:32.2	why do you hate it so much? I think part of what's really important to me is to remember that
1:37.7	providers are people and they have a lens, right? So like when you were just a pediatrician,
1:43.1	you had this lens of like, you're really looking at the baby.
1:47.3	You know, like you're looking at the whole family, but like your patient, you're vaccinating that patient, you're weighing that patient.
1:53.2	You're like making sure that that patient is healthy.
	...

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