one breast per feeding?

Emma - posted on 10/02/2009

I breast fed my boy till he was 2 1/2 he was constantly on me even throuth the night he still doesn't sleep through the night and he is three.My girl is 13 weeks and feeds on demand every 2 to 4 hours 4 10mins and has 1 feed at night she weighs more then my son did at 13 weeks he was under weight.My girl feeds from one side then on the other side on the next feed she only mornings she feeds from both and is more contented then my son ever was my son fed every 1hour to 2 hours for 20mins not getting the right nutrients his weight was slowing down and he would always cry now i know wy.Iv been going 2 a breastfeeding cafe 4 2 years and mums have had some problems with feeding 2 often then thay should your milk supply takes time the longer u leave it the richer the milk is and your baby will b more satisfied.

Dezaray - posted on 10/02/2009

You should alternate both breast at every feeding that way the other one doesn't get engourged...So if she nurses for a 30 minutes you should do 15 minutes on each side.

Sammy - posted on 10/02/2009

My daughter only has one side at night aswell.

I pump the other side and freeze it "just incase" I am not able to feed her.

Katie - posted on 10/02/2009

My two-month old often only eats on one side per feeding. I just make sure at the next feeding to give him the other side. This is what my lactation consultant told me to do, and she said it was perfectly normal. Also, we just had our two-month check, and he has gained 5+ pounds over his birth weight, which the doc says is over the norm. So, clearly he is getting plenty of milk even though he only feeds on one side. Good luck!

Stacy - posted on 10/01/2009

It's OK...just make sure you offer the other breast at the next feeding. Or you can pump the breast that hasn't been "emptied". That will help keep your supply up and you will have a "stash" for just-in-case or for when you have to run out without the baby!

Jessica - posted on 10/01/2009

My son is five months old and still empties only one breast at each feeding. So I think it's pretty normal!

Morgan - posted on 10/01/2009

When I was in the hospital after I had my daughter, the lactation consultant told me it was fine to feed my daughter one breast per feeding if that's what I wanted to do, so for the first 2-3 weeks I fed her on one breast each feeding until she wanted to eat more, then I started offering both. Your milk supply won't go down as long as she's nursing. She'll let you know when she wants more and when she'll want to eat on the other side too.

Juanisha - posted on 10/01/2009

I worried about the same thing until I spoke with a lactation specialist. We discussed the fore/hind milk issue with switching breasts during the same feeding. I was told to completely empty one breast and simply offer the other and she would take it if she wanted it, otherwise she may only be getting mostly foremilk which is like the 'RedBull' of breast milk - which seemed to explain her late night bursts of energy. What she didnt drink I would pump if I felt engorged - this turned out to be a big bonus when I returned to work, I had an amply supply of milk to send to grandma's house!

Pam - posted on 10/01/2009

Quoting Becky:

The only thing to look for would be neon green stools...fore milk/hind milk imbalance. That's when a baby needs to nurse on one side per each feeding. For one feeding @ night, you should be fine : )

Bright green poops mean baby is not getting enough of the rich milk that comes in after a let-down and that's why you would then nurse longer on one breast...to get past the first thin milk and get to the "good stuff" lol.

Pam - posted on 10/01/2009

It is "normal" your milk supply will be fine as long as she nurses on both throughout the day and/or you alternate the one breast she does nurse from...Try only letting her nuse for 15 mins on one (instead of 30), and then switch her to the other if it bothers you to be uneven.

Also FYI - switching up nursing positions help increase milk supply.

Jillian - posted on 10/01/2009

my son only nurses from one side for his middle-of-the-night feedings. He usually falls back asleep after only 10-15 minutes. I let him go back to sleep and then pump the other side. As long as they are gaining weight well and having plenty of wet/dirty diapers, I think it's fine. My son is 6 weeks old now and has been doing fine!

Sharon - posted on 10/01/2009

It's been a long time since I breast fed. My children have all flown the nest but I fed all 3 each for over 12 months so I figure I'm qualified and, yes, my middle son (he's now 26 and on the other side of the world) would feed from one side. He would last 4 hours between feeds and had less "wind problems" because he would only be getting one dose of the for-milk which is high is lactose and which is the main offender for causing wind/colic. This I learnt from the Nursing Mothers Assocaition.

Becky - posted on 09/30/2009

The only thing to look for would be neon green stools...fore milk/hind milk imbalance. That's when a baby needs to nurse on one side per each feeding. For one feeding @ night, you should be fine : )

Wendy - posted on 09/30/2009

Every time I nurse I nurse only on one side. I trade sides each time and it is not a problem whatsoever.

Sarah - posted on 09/30/2009

My bub is now 10wks old and still only feeds from one breast per feed, and only for about 15mins. My milk is far from down. Just make sure you drink plenty and you'll be fine. He feeds every 2-3 hrs during the day, and has a 6hr and 4hr sleep through the night.

Minnie - posted on 09/30/2009

There's no reason why she has to nurse two breasts per feeding. If one is satisfying her, let it be. Switching to the other breast before the first is adequately drained will lead to a problem of oversupply and a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Your breasts are especially sensitive during the night to oversupply, as the hormone prolactin is in its highest concentrations then.



We have two breasts for a reason. If one was injured and cannot produce milk, or if mom has twins- one breast is perfectly sufficient at producing enough milk for one baby, or even two babies.



Your milk supply is not going to be inadequate, as long as you're nursing her whenever she wants it, and she has a good latch.

Casey - posted on 09/30/2009

You can ask your Dr. if you want because every Dr. differs in what approach they feel is best. Although from what I've heard this should be no big deal, Just make sure you begin with the breast she didn't nurse from the next time she feeds. If she's feeding longer than 15 minutes on the same breast, she's getting the all important hind milk that comes after the first 15-20 minutes which is what helps their weight gain.

Tamara - posted on 09/30/2009

My son did that too. I just let him and on the next feeding switched to the other breast. I got a bracelet that I put on the arm on the side I was feeding on so the next time I knew to do the other side and switch the bracelet.

Sara - posted on 09/30/2009

at first i fed heather from both breast each feed. id swap over every 10 mins. that helped my supply heaps. i still feed her both my breasts and my supply is still rocketing through the roof x

Crissy - posted on 09/30/2009

i only feed my daughter on one breast at each feeding. like someone else stated i have a strong flow. i leak throughout the entire day..which sucks cuz thats a waste of milk but my daughter wont take a bottle and i really dont want to give her one.

BethAnn - posted on 09/30/2009

that article was so helpful! I was so worried my baby didnt have an appetite for me bc she didnt want both breasts.

Elizabeth - posted on 09/30/2009

I only feed on one side at each sitting. Partly this is because I have a pretty strong flow, and so I want to make sure that my lil one is getting plenty of hind milk. So I leave her on one side until she seems content, and I'll often offer the same breast if she seems hungry again soon after - I found this LLL article that someone on here linked to very helpful: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVSep...

Heather - posted on 09/30/2009

I wouldn't worry about it. My sister only feeds on one side every feeding. If she's content enough to go to sleep she's had enough to eat and won't go hungry:)

Jennifer - posted on 09/30/2009

I always pumped when my children did that its a great jumpstart on storing milk

Amber - posted on 09/30/2009

For the frst 2 months or so of my daughters life she only fed from one breast at a time about every 2-3 hours. Its completly normal. As long as you are feeding her as often as she wants it shouldn't affect your milk suppy. As shes grows she wll probably start eating on both sides for every feeding. If you are concerned about it you can pump the other side. Occasionaly my daughter will still only eat on one side at night and thats what I do and I have a nice little stash of milk in my freezer. Enjoy that fact that shes sleeping well!!!