Breastfeeding Question: Favoring One Side

Hi Ladies, my DD seems to only want to nurse on the right side and obviously it's turned into a vicious cycle.  Since she only nurses for a short time on the left, my left breast is producing as much milk and so now she really loses interest quickly. A) does it really make a huge difference if she's mainly feeding just on one side? B) should I start pumping my left side to increase milk production? C) WHAT SHOULD I DO????? My left boob feels so empty compared to the right one! Thanks in advance!

[deanne11]

Don't worry...mine was the same.  Except mine was the left side.
Everything worked out fine in the end....I did pump both too but never got as much on my right side anyway.

My baby always had plenty to eat though so try not to worry

[HeidiL5]

How old is your baby?  Sometimes baby will like one breast better than the other.  If your baby is a newborn you will benefit by pumping the side she doesn't take and try offering it in the same position as the one she does take (trick her if you can).  The good part is many babies can successfully be breastfed from one side, but for breast size you may try to continue to offer both.  Sometimes babies are hurt and being on her side that hurst may feel uncomfortable, so make sure there is nothing wrong.  The only way to know if one side is enough is to count her diapers.  She should have  (newborn) at least 5 wet diapers and 2 bowel movements in 24 hours (most babies have more, this is minimum). 10-12 weeks ahe may not have bowel movement daily, but will have 5-6 urine (clear). If she is gaining well and diaper counts are good, then don't worry.

[cutiemama]

My dd is 2 weeks old. She's definitely having enough wet and dirty diapers but I guess it's more for me. I have one breast that's really full and leaks like crazy and the other one seems pretty empty. I've tried feeding her in the same position, in a different position and I was purposely offering the left breast first when she was really hungry but no such luck! She'll nurse on the left for 10 minutes tops and I can see that she's not getting a lot because I can't hear her swallowing a lot like I do on the other side. On the right side, she can nurse for as long as 40 minutes. I will definitely try pumping and hopefully that will work.  Thanks again.

[lucky mom of 2]

I didn't finish. Just keep baby on the smaller anyway, and keep pumping too. Thats about all you can do! As baby gets older she might be less fussy and be more flexible, that's what mine did. Good Luck!!

[lucky mom of 2]

Are your breasts quite different in size to begin with? Mine are always a size different even when not nursing , so when I stared nursing I noticed the larger breast always produced more and baby favored it too. I did keep the smaller breast in the action though, otherwise they would have been way lopsided!

[pearl451]

Cutiemama, I haven't been on in a while! Congrats! My DD was the same way. Just keep trying to switch her up as much as you can!

[HeidiL5]

sometimes it is hard for a baby to try something they do not seem to want when they are hungry.  It would be better to begin feed on the side she  likes and then switch before she is finished.  You can always switch back to finish, but it may encourage her to suck more from that side.  Also, sometimes when they are falling asleep, you can trick them into suckling on the side they don't prefer. She is only 2 weeks and you don't have to decide it is over.  It is likely that she will eventually take it if you keep trying.  It sounds like she is latching- that's a good sign.  Has she had any supplement bottles?  Sometimes (as weird as it will sound) a baby can get nipple confused on just one side and it is often because the associate a different type of sucking on that side.  Sucking a bottle or pacifier is completely different then a breast.  Are you sore on that side or do you notice her sucking differently?  You said it was your left side, right?  are you right handed?  is it possible that you are less comfortable positioning on that side?  Is this your first baby?  I will try to respond rapidly if you have anymore questions.

[apple_blossom]

speaking of different sized breasts...I think I'm going to have difficulties because my one nipple is like more than twice the size of the other - I can't imagine the baby not choosing one and rejecting the other. besides that, I think I'm going to have to get a different sized thingie for my breast pump, just for that side.

[tam2girls]

It may be that she perferrs the flavour of one breast. If you taste milk from each you will find that one is more sweet and the other is a little sour. If she wont take expressed milk from that side either you could mix it with a little of the other and see if that helps. Good Luck

[mumwith#4]

I breastfed all 3 of my babies and funnily enough my DD was the only one that favoured one side. But I must admit I always seem to have 'more milk' in one breast even with the other 2 feeders (both boys). I would always offer the second breast regardless of how much she drinks from it - at least it's getting offerred. But if she prefers one side then that breast will always have enough milk for her to feed from. If you pump from the other less preferred breast and she rejects it or doesn't feed for long then it will only ever fill up how much is being drained - so it's up to you about the pumping. Personally I would just let her feed from the preferred side but perhaps offer the 'less preferred' breast when you first feed her as she will be at her hungriest and possibly drain a bit more. Then offer the 'good' breast next. You'll find a comfortable solution for both of you though and don't worry what anyone else thinks!!!

[cutiemama]

Hi ladies. Thanks for all the great advice. I am supplementing her with formula bottles  as per her pediatricians recommendation (although he prefers, syringe, cup or tibe feeding). Heidi, you may be right in that she's cradled on the left side when taking a bottle so perhaps she's that intuitive to associate left side with bottles and right side with breast. Could be!

She definitely has a pretty good latch and oddly, she is favoring the side that has been more painful for me from day 1. The left nipple went unscathed but the right one caused me pure agony for the first week and that whole first week I was pumping the right and nursing from the left but somehow she ended up preferring that side and has left me with disproportionate breasts! Oh what we for our babies!

Thanks again girls!