Breastfeeding - Sacramento,CA

Agreed that it's normal. My right side is a better producer. When it gets really noticeable I start my daughter on the left breast for every feeding, so it gets more stimulation than the right. It helps.

Congratulations!!!

It is normal for one breast to produce more then the other. When I was pregnant with my second dtr I used an herb called fenugrek that helps increase milk production. You may want to give that a try.

I had the same thing happen and was told that I should favor the small side (so always start on that side) and to try pumping the small side, for a few days or so, after every feeding. I did all of that and it didn't make any difference. Today my daughter is 9 months and when I pump on the left side I get 3 ounces, on the right I get 1 ounce. One side is visually larger than the other - I guess for some folks you just can't do anything about it. Good Luck!

Yes, if you nurse on your right side first your baby might fill up on that milk and when you move sides she isn't drinking as much on the left, so you wont keep making more on that side. I would try and feed on the left side a few times in a row to have that side catch up. Keep pumping both sides like you have been, just have baby nurse on the left for a day.
Hope that works, and great job nursing! Keep it up :)

Yes, it is completely normal. Also, just be aware that your baby can and will get more milk when he nurses than when you pump. I was rarely ever to pump a full bottle in one 30 minute session, but my son had plenty of milk! Good luck!

Totally normal to have one side produce more than the other. I have nursed both my girls with the same problem. What worked for me was every time I nursed I started on the side that didn't produce as much. That did the trick but it took several days for the milk production to increase. Hope this helps!

congrats on your new son! I am too a new mom to a baby boy of 2 weeks old. Im experiencing the same, when i pump i get 1 oz on my left and 2 oz on my right, can you remember how often you nursed him and for how long on ech side. I was advised to start nursing on the lower producing side before offering him the fuller breast side. Ive also started pumping every 3 hours during the day but since he sleeps half through the night i dont other getting up the pump, so far i havent had any success with increasing my milk, but i hope all goses well with you it seems like this is normal with what were experiencing

totally. No two boobs are the same (thank God)

Try though, not to favor your better producer, as it's really not great on your back in the coming months. Try actually to stimulate that lower "girl" more frequently and the production will come up dramatically, though might not be your star boob in the long haul. Things really stabalize in another month. YOU'RE DOING GREAT!!!!!!!!!

So So happy for you! Babies are such nice people! When you're up in he night nursing that little ball of wonderment, think of us, your tribe, pulling for you "ahem left one now, sister!"

R.

For me the left produced more at first. When I tried to compensate by having him feed a little more often on the right side for a few days before switching between both breasts, I guess I did it for too long so then the right side starting producing more. Pumping also helps to tell the breast to produce more, it's just not nearly as efficient as my son and takes longer. With the pumping I would pump the side that he didn't quite finish (or both sides if he didn't quite finish one and didn't even get to the other). That way I had milk stored for future sitters. Plus it told my breasts that he was still eating the amount being produced. It usually took my breasts 3 days to register the increased pumping or feeding before upping the amount of milk to match.

I kept going back and forth until I finally got them to produce evenlly. Took forever! Sheesh! I'm still breastfeeding now and I have to keep an eye out and make sure my son feeds on both breasts at a feeding, or if he finished one then I start on the other the next time.

hi,

John Muir has free breastfeeding classes. All mom with the baby. Or you can get pravate cosultations.

Phone # ###-###-####

1656 N. California Blvd, Suite 100
Walnut Creek 94596

I hope it will help you!!

nat

That's totally normal! I had the exact same thing. It turned out that I had favored the right side and so now 9 months later it is still a lot bigger than the left. Also, when I started feeding on the right, by the time I needed her to nurse from the left she was already full. I'm currently only using the left to see if it starts to increase in its milk production.

My advice is to alternate which side you start with.

Congratulations R.!

You are giving the most wonderful and loving gift to your baby--I'm glad you're able to do so. Remember that rest (ha ha) and lots of good healthy food for yourself will also help in your milk production.

As for the breasts...totally normal. In fact if I'm remembering correctly it's about 75% of women who produce more with the right breast. Also remember that while there are a lot of great pumps out there, none of them are as good at getting the milk out as your baby. So don't assume that just because there isnt' a lot when you pump that the breast is empty and/or not enough for baby.

Again, congratulations. You're doing great!

Hi R.
Congratulations on your baby! I too had a hard time with my milk coming in. Take fenugreek, drink lots of water and Mother's Milk tea by the gallon and that will help. I also have one breast that produces considerably more milk than the other. I think you can pump extra on that side to increase production, but I believe it's perfectly normal to have a difference in each breast!
Good luck
n

I had the same problem and was told by my doctor that it was very normal.

Hi R. - I am a breastfeeder of 3 babies over the last 7 years, and this is normal. I was never one that could pump even a bottle, although i was able to consistantly breastfeed my kids up to 15 months. I suggest pumping more often for a week or so on the weak side. Do not however slow down on the strong one because you never want to deplete milk in any way. Warm compresses and massaging your weak breast in a hot shower will help stimulate as well. If not, I recommend utilizing our le leche league here in Redding...they are a great source. Hope that helps.

i have the same exact thing - normal

Yes, it is very normal. I'm am a mom of 2, my youngest is 4 months old and I experienced this with both kids. For me my right breast not only produces more but the milk comes out faster. When I pump I usually pump both breasts until the right one is done and then continue pumping just the left breast for another 5 minutes or so to try to even it out but it is still less on the left side.

Hi R., this is a little late sorry. Yes it is normal to some extent. I nursed both my kids for a little over a year and I had the same thing.. I noticed when pumping, especially when it was closer to a year when they were about to get weaned. Good luck.

Completely normal. I have a 9 month old and it is the same way still...you will probably get more than an ounce eventually, but there will be a discrepancy. Also I found for me that some massaging of the breast and, if you have a two setting breast pump, movement from one setting to the other would change my production.

Yes - completely normal. Sometimes the ducts develop differently in each breast. Just keep pumping, but your one breast may always produce more. My left always had more than my right. Start your baby on the lesser side to completely empty so it will keep making more and then switch to the more plentiful side. If you do it reversed and your baby fills up on just one side then the lesser side will never empty and make more. Or pump the side not nursed on. It's supply and demand ;-)

My right always pumped way more than my left. I nursed twins. They each were assigned to their own boob. The "left side" baby never had a problem eating. I think the right side was just a better pumper.

YES! very normal. and be prepared for the very real possibility that this may be how it is for the duration of your breastfeeding.

i had the same issue and was determined to 'fix' it *smile* i had a few lactation consultants, and spoke with a few doctors as well.

the best you can do is continue to supplemental pump. as long as your sweet one seems satisfied at each feeding, i'd not worry (stress) about it.

angela :)

Yes, it's normal, if you drink plenty of water you will have lots of milk, and before you know it you'll have more milk than your baby needs, in each one.

I can not say for medical certainty but yes it is normal. I had the same thing and I nursed for two year with my little guy. Hang in there. Your little one may nurse on that side a little more efficantly than the other.

Yep, normal. My sister's milk never came in on one side so she nursed my niece soley from one side for a year, it was enough for my niece & worked out great for the whole year she nursed. But, as another suggested, you could see a lac. spec. for more ideas on how to improve milk produciton on that side. Congrats on your little man!

That was very normal for me for the entire time I pumped. Filling a bottle is a great amount. I pumped until my boy was a year, and he was exclusively breastfed til 6 months.

Hi R.,

I have the same experience. My doctor said one breast usually produces more, that's why I need to alternate breasts. He also said the babies (I have twins) are much more efficient at getting breast milk than me pumping, because of the let down mechanics... The babies get about double what I pump. Hope that helps. I agree with worry makes it worse. Once I talked to my doctor and stopped worrying (I didn't even realize I was worrying) I produced more milk.

I also like to drink "Nursing Tea" from herblore.com Someone gave me some and I think it really helps.

M.

yes it's normal. the more you worry the more it effects your mlk supply so STOP worrying! LOL
My son is almost 13 months now and I'm still nursing so you can make it :)

Welcome to the strange world of pumping. With my firstborn, my right side yielded more milk; now, with my second, the left side is more productive. There is a learning curve to pumping breastmilk and it is very specific for your body. I have to encourage my daughter to nurse more on the less productive side (rt) to encourage more milk production. Sometimes, I exclusively pump on the left side so she will be forced to nurse on the right - she is so much more efficient at extracting milk that it stimulates more milk production. I try to ensure equal milk extraction/production/nursing so I won't become lopsided.

Some tips: apply warmth to the breast (heating pad works well), try compressing the breast before and during pumping, have your son nurse in different positions to simulate different ducts, check out kellymom.com for all your breastfeeding questions.

Good luck!

This happened to me after many months of breastfeeding equally on both sides. If you're early in the process, you might consider seeing a lactation consultant to get suggestions about equalizing your production. Perhaps you could pump on the left and not on the right, etc. Good luck!

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! I, too, am a new mom of a now 7 month old who has been strictly breastfed. My left produces way less then my right. In the begining I, also, was able to get a full bottle from the right and "maybe" 1 to 1.5 on the left. So I would always pump my left more often then my right. Also, when I do feed my baby girl I aways start with my left then go to my right. I have found that when she is hunry she will suck harder which will stimulte my let down and in time has allowed my left to produce a little more now. Now I can get 2.5 to 3 oz from my left but still much less then my right. Don't worry your body will and should produce the correct amount for your baby boy. Keep in mind that you can always feed from both breasts for every feeding if you feel your baby is not getting enough from the one that does not produe so much. Good luck!

Totally normal. If you spend more time pumping and nursing the slower side it will start to speed up. My daughter had a preference for my left side so I was always just a little lopsided.

Congratulations on the new baby.