Breastfeeding/Exclusively Pumping Mamas

So, I'm on a trip and am debating on taking my 4 month old with me vs leaving him with his nanny for a portion of the trip. He gets breast milk only and my milk supple is a little lower due to fatigue right now which is why I'd take him( so I don't have to worry about pumping enough). I was debating on possibly not taking him if I can pump enough bc of a hike that's happening during the trip. I talked with a mom friend who has older kids as I was thinking through it and she asked me if I supplement with formula. I said, I don't and then she insinuated that exclusive breast milk is a form of being controlling bc you're the only one who can feed your baby. This pissed me off! I am just looking for support I guess bc it made me feel weird and shitty to have that said to me.

Has anyone had success with using pumpin pals for elastic nipples? I’ve read several things about them and am at the point of just giving up on pumping if these don’t actually work because my supply keeps going down regardless of how hydrated I am and how often I pump

Hi, I breastfeed and pump throughout the day which means I have started to have enough to cover the night which is when my partner will stay up to feed him. So at night I can probably get 6ish hours uninterrupted however my boobs ACHE when I wake up they’re so sore and full it’s so uncomfortable and normally that’s what wakes me up. Is there a way to stop boobs from hurting or lessen the pain without having to wake up at night to empty my boobs out?

EBF mom of 9 weeks old. He latched really well from the day1. I make plenty of milk. May be a bit too much. However I never enjoyed a BF not even once. Multiple episodes of clogged duct, mastitis, milk blisters, Vasospasm, thrush. Top of all my boobs hurts all the time. So much so that it hurts to even cuddle my baby. Most of the time it’s not excruciating pain but annoying enough to feel terrible. I can sleep only on my back. If I sleep on my side I get blocked ducts. If baby cluster feed I will be so engorged and completely blocked by next morning. Last two months my whole focus was on managing my boobs. It feels like all I have is boob in my body. I don’t want to go anywhere Bcz I am so exhausted all the time. When walking I can feel every movement in my boob as they are so sensitive. In three weeks I am starting work as well. So I am thinking of stop breastfeeding. But I feel so guilty that it’s killing me. Anything you have that can help me?

I'm 3 weeks pp tomorrow and we have been breastfeeding pretty good for the most part. Well lately he seems to be crying at the boob after a few minutes of being latched. It's not a supply issue. I can only guess is my flow is to heavy for him but I'm not sure how to fix that for him. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful! Thank you!