uneven supply between breasts

Hi,
Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk than
my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get my 9.5
week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating at each
feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this going to
exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things out?

Thanks,
Liz

On 2006-05-04 15:15:47 +0800, "Liz" said:

Hi,
Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk
than my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to
get my 9.5 week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast,
alternating at each feed, but now I have to give her the right breast
more -- is this going to exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how
to even things out?

Thanks,
Liz

Yup, it probably will exacerbate the problem... my only suggestion atm
(on way out) is to feed her off the lower supply overnight at least
once while the prolactin level is the highest, and any comfort sucking
should be off that side, too. A breast will fill quicker if it is
being 'demanded of' while 'empty'.

HTH!

Jo
--
Woman, Wife, Mother, Midwife

Hi,

what I've been told but just about every nurse I've talked to, including
lactation consultants, is that one breast is usually more efficient at
making milk than the other. You are not a freak and this is not unusual. I
had it, too, as did some of my friends.

As I had a more efficient right breast and DS tended to favour it, they
suggested that I alwasy start feeding on the less favoured breast, when he
was more hungry. It eventually evened things out for me. This will only work
if your DD feeds from both sides each meal, though!

HTH!

Kasia

"Liz" wrote in message
news
Hi,
Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk
than my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get
my 9.5 week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating
at each feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this
going to exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things
out?

Thanks,
Liz

Hi Liz,
Your left breast feels emptier probably because you feed her more on
the right one in the evening.
I also suggest that you feed her on both breasts. Drink more water and
eat more veggies to maintain your milk supply.

Enjoy and your bf-ing!

Cheers,
Cinnamon Leaf
http://cinnamonleaf.lipblogs.com

"Liz" wrote in message
news
Hi,
Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk
than my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get
my 9.5 week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating
at each feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this
going to exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things
out?

Thanks,
Liz

I'm at 5 months now, and my left breast produces almost nothing, while my
right always looks over inflated. Initially, I could get about twice as
much from my right as from my left, but it just dropped off to nothing
recently.

"Liz" wrote in message
news
Hi,
Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk
than my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get
my 9.5 week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating
at each feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this
going to exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things
out?

Thanks,
Liz

Thanks for all the suggestions. Like I thought, it seems to amount to
feeding her more from the less full breast. (I wouldn't call it empty, it's
just not as overfull as the other.) That was hard to do this morning, when
my full breast was so tight it was in agony! But I put her on the less full
breast for a few minutes, then onto the full one to ease the pressure, then
back to the other for a bit.
Jo, when you say the prolactin level is highest at night, is that before she
goes to sleep in the evening, or when she wakes up, or should I try to wake
her for a feed at midnight? She often sleeps through from about 10pm till
5am!
Thanks,
Liz

Liz wrote:

Lately I've been finding that my right
breast gets a lot fuller of milk than my left
breast, especially first thing in the
morning. I try to get my 9.5 week DD to
nurse about the same amount on each
breast, alternating at each feed, but now I
have to give her the right breast more -- is
this going to exacerbate the problem? Any
suggestions on how to even things out?

Hi Liz...

Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but I had to point out that I was
just about to post this EXACT same question today. I also have a 9.5
week old DD and have more milk on my right side...so needless to say I
will be watching your post closely!

Kathy

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
Liz wrote:

Lately I've been finding that my right
breast gets a lot fuller of milk than my left
breast, especially first thing in the
morning. I try to get my 9.5 week DD to
nurse about the same amount on each
breast, alternating at each feed, but now I
have to give her the right breast more -- is
this going to exacerbate the problem? Any
suggestions on how to even things out?

Hi Liz...

Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but I had to point out that I was
just about to post this EXACT same question today. I also have a 9.5
week old DD and have more milk on my right side...so needless to say I
will be watching your post closely!

Kathy


Hi Kathy,
Well, most of the responses I got were variations on "feed more on the
emptier breast", so yesterday I made sure that I fed her on that breast at
every feed, and only sometimes on the full breast. Sometimes started on the
less full breast, swapped to the full breast to ease the pressure, then back
to the other. This morning, after an 8-hour sleep, there was a lot less
disproportion between breasts. The fuller one is still fuller, but not as
bad - the previous morning I'd had to put ice packs on it to ease the pain.
So I'll continue this way and see how it goes. Good luck to you!
Liz

In article ,
"Liz" wrote:

Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk than
my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get my 9.5
week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating at each
feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this going to
exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things out?

One breast always seems to be a better producer than the other. I used htis
to my advantage, when I could -- the better producer was the one I used when
DS1 was frantic with hunger and the other when he wanted to feed to sleep.

With DS2, I just jiggle 'em to see which one is more full, and give him that
one.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

"Chookie" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Liz" wrote:

Lately I've been finding that my right breast gets a lot fuller of milk
than
my left breast, especially first thing in the morning. I try to get my
9.5
week DD to nurse about the same amount on each breast, alternating at
each
feed, but now I have to give her the right breast more -- is this going
to
exacerbate the problem? Any suggestions on how to even things out?

One breast always seems to be a better producer than the other. I used
htis
to my advantage, when I could -- the better producer was the one I used
when
DS1 was frantic with hunger and the other when he wanted to feed to sleep.

With DS2, I just jiggle 'em to see which one is more full, and give him
that
one.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You
may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

That's what I'd been doing, too, but it had got so that the fuller breast
was in agony when I woke up in the morning, and DD wouldn't drink enough to
get it comfortable in one feed. I've been favouring the emptier breast for
the last couple of days, and woke this morning with both more comfortably
full.

I also found this while looking for something else:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/lopsided.html

Liz