Is it normal for one breast to have more millk than the other? Now that I've significantly cut back on nursing, it seems my baby is preferring my left breast (she sort of always has)...when there are long periods when I don't nurse, it's the left breast that feels engorged and I don't feel any discomfort in the right one. Just curious if it's okay to continue nursing on one side or should I keep giving her both? I'm not sure how much milk is coming out of the right one...
Thanks!
Totally normal. Try offering the "less preferred" breast first. She may get pissed off, but in my case, my daughter was a little more vigorous and it helped balance things out.
Yes. My baby preferred my right and I could always tell that though there was definitely milk coming out on the other side, it was 'easier' to get on the right.
Do keep giving her both. She will stimulate your right breast to make more and you really don't want to be lopsided.
It is normal for one side to produce more than the other. You should feed on both sides, and to "even them out", start on the less full side. It will encourage that one to make more, and the other to do a bit less.
use BOTH breasts. Each session.
That happened to me too. Start on the "weaker" breast so it drains most fully and will produce more milk. If you generally start on the "good" side, that may be what happened - your baby drains the first breat more fully and it makes more milk and so on.
I've heard that from a lot of people and personally my left one always "worked" better. I always guessed that, just like we often have one breast bigger then the other, maybe one breast (and not always the bigger one, although my left is the bigger one) has more milk ducts than the other.
I've also heard some women say that their breasts DIDN'T even out later on (mine did). I tell you this for the same reason my friend told me you can still get stretch marks in the last week of your pregnancy, so you won't feel totally betrayed.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to make her nurse on both sides. If you want to offer and she accepts that, fine, but if not, don't force the issue. I breastfed 2 daughters and they both preferred the same breast (they are 7 years apart in age, not twins- just to be clear!) The one they preferred ended up about twice the size of the other while they were infants and heavily nursing, but I am currently nursing my 3 yr old and things are beginning to even out again (and they will go back to as close to the same size as they were before nursing, rest assured!)
I had plenty of supply- the demand increases your supply, so you don't have to worry that the one breast will "run out."
Hope this helps,
M.
I only nursed on one side by choice (I have a problematic nerve in my one arm.) and it was never a problem. I was a little larger on one sidefor a while but a few years post breastfeeding everything has returned to normal and I am not lopsided.
Be sure to COMPLETELY empty the right breast first before moving on to the left for a few feedings, and make sure to start on the right side at least every other time. Maybe even do feedings like this: R,R,L,R,R,L,R,R,L for a few days. This will help to even things a bit. If the engorgement hurts, try pumping a little while nursing the other side. Try to keep things moving on both sides to avoid a clogged duct. HTH! Good luck! (In case things stay the way they are, don't worry. I have heard of a woman exclusively nursing her children with only one breast - the other was removed via mastectomy.)
