Uneven Breaskmilk Production

All my children preferred my left breast. I don't really know why. At times I did look lopsided, but I'd try to counteract it. First I would try to offer my right breast first most of the time. Then I would keep the pump on the the right (less preferred breast) for longer than on the left. I keep wondering if No. 4 will have the same preference! Good luck!

Yes, at least for me 2 kids in it the norm. My right produces more, get's full quicker, and I can pump way more out of it. My son is 11 months and my the breast milk production has always been the same. Don't stress about it. I just try and keep myself comfortable by having him eat off the full one first then swap if necessary.

My left boob was nearly a cup size bigger than the right! My right breast never quite worked right - seemed like there was no milk! I'm still nursing, but only twice a day, and they're starting to look better to the outside world. :)

It is totally normal and very usual to have one breast make more milk than the other. I had that-- one breast made so much milk it was like drinking from a fire hydrant for my poor baby and pumping from my smaller breast was a joke (my bigger one could do laps around it). I just expelled a little before nursing and kept switching the baby back and forth until he eventually learned to love both breasts and their different flows-- which evened them out size-wise. Another thing that happens to moms is that the baby favors one breast causing it to make more milk than the other (and grow bigger). My girlfriend had that and couldn't get the baby to stay on the less favored one very long so ended up with lopsided boobs until she weaned. Her next baby had the same preference so there she is. You can learn more about this at the la leche website, but I think this lopsidedness is just another joy of motherhood for a lot of women.

I have the same experience, except the right boob does it all...this happened with my first son too and eventually it all goes back to normal:)

I had the same problem. I ended up supplementing my kids b/c they weren't getting enough b/c of that problem. So, I would breast feed, then give them a 2 ounce bottle of formula. You can take to maternal expressions in folsom to feed and then weigh and determine exactly how much baby is getting. I did this and found despite my babies gaining weight, they weren't getting enough ounces.

This is normal and you probably can't get them exactly even. You could try to nurse more on the right side to encourage more production and less on the left to make less, I guess.
The cool thing is a pretty big majority of women (and primates) produce more on the left side so that baby can hear your heartbeat while she's eating!

Almost all breastfeeding moms have one boobie that is a powerhouse and the other is a tad lazy :)

That said, most BABIES prefer one boobie over the other and that tends to set them up to produce different amounts (I say my son likes the vanilla side better than the chocolate)!

Babies are also better at drawing down your milk than a pump. I did find that what helped speed up the slower boobie was getting adjusted at the chiropractor (and I had my son at 5 months adjusted as well). Breastfeeding moms tend to be more misaligned that bottle feeding moms due to the way we hold the baby when we nurse (even when we nurse in bed). Our babies tend to get out of alignment as well.

And just so you know: It is not a bad thing to have one super boob. I know a woman who only HAS one breast due to cancer and she exclusively feeds the chunkiest little girl on that one boob!!! She is now 15 months and 34 lbs!!!!

You can try to trick the slower ta-ta: Nurse your son briefly (like a minute) on the slow side, then switch him to the "super boob" while you pump the slower one. Sometimes just getting the baby to start you off is all it takes to get your milk really flowing.

:)

My right breast was always the bigger producer. I think it's because it was more comfortable for me to have his head rest on my right arm, thus, sucking the right side more and longer. When I noticed I was pumping 2-3 ounces more on the right than the left, I'd make a point to nurse longer on the left or at least tried to alternate which side I started nursing with and which side he was falling asleep on. And yes, I noticed that my right breast was bigger than the left! I've since weaned my son and my breasts are back to their pre-pregnancy size (maybe even smaller!) and they are fairly even in size as well. What you're experiencing is definitely normal!

you need to milk both breasts the same or they will make uneven amounts of milk. I learned this in my parenting class, I am 38 weeks pregnant with my first baby so my milk hasn't come in yet. good luck. :)

Yes! My baby is 9 months old, and my milk production has always been lopsided. And yes, it's only evident when I pump, because you can see exactly how much is coming out. Pumping more on the lower-producing side doesn't seem to change anything. This has been the case from the very beginning - in fact, the breast that produces less milk is the one that I had problems nursing on early on. Sometimes I think I look lopsided, but my husband can't tell the difference.

I'm not particularly worried about changing this, at this point, because I am going to slowly start weaning after her 1st birthday, but here is a tip I learned that helps me pump more milk in general: massage and squeeze your breast as you pump. When you think you're empty, give it another last squeeze. I was amazed at how much more milk I was able to pump after I learned this.

Good luck!

I had 5 boys and nursed them all. I had about a even amount of breast milk from both at first but later on I was having the same thing as you. More from one side than the other..I think sometimes its the pump..how we pump each breast depending on if we are left handed or right handed..
I, as you, did not experience any problems though with my sons nursing from the breast..seems like they were satisfied with both breasts...I think its just more natural for the breast to give more to a nursing child than to a plastic pump...and I tried a lot of them!
So I wouldnt worry, especially since your son is already 10months old
I quit nursing them at about 10 to 11 months of age.
And they are all healthy kids now
I dont think I experienced the lopsided breast. though.
So I dont know what to tell you on that subject.
But all in all I think it is average for what you are experiencing.
J. G.
From Stockton Ca.

Yes, this is normal. One does produce more milk than the other and the baby will always be able to get more than the pump will.
You could try to put him on the side that you get less milk from more often to try to balance them out.
I find if I am lopsided that I will alternate 2, then 1 instead of back and forth to get it to balance out. hth

I have the same problem. Although my son is 20 months and not really nursing anymore. My left breast was noticeable larger that my right and made much more milk which I would notice when I pumped. It's still a little tiny bit bigger than my right, but it has evened out a lot. I was always told to start with the small side and then move to the other side. I did that, but it never made a difference in how they looked. They stayed lopsided. I just figured that was how it was going to be while I was breastfeeding. Hopefully you will find something that works for you!

I believe this is normal. Ever since breastfeeding my 3 kiddos, one side is slightly larger and always produced more milk...unfortunately now they're both deflated and slightly lopsided :( But it's not noticeable with shirt on, only when undressed.

But do try to offer the side that produces less. This should help stimulate it to make more.

Yep. Everyone in my breastfeeding support group had difference between sides and mine were like yours...one side would produce ywice thw amount as the other on the pump. Funny thing, at 6 mths the greater producer switched sides. Our lactation consultant said that wasn't typical. Don't worry. Totally normal. Babies are always better at getting milk from your breast than the pump.

This is normal. If you want to produce more on the right side, nurse on that side first a little more often. Then when it seems like your right side has increased a little, alternate sides each time. That will keep them more evenly prodctive. If you always start on the one side, that side gets the more "eager" suction of the hungry baby first. By switching, you're giving each breast more suction stimulation. Hope that helps!