my baby is now almost two weeks old. i breast fed my two older children and will with this one also, but i hear different stories from people about doing both sides at each feeding or just one side. i have always only done one side, should i try the other way?
I do one side at a time, I have an overproduction issue though. if I don't let her feed for 15 minutes or more I dont think she gets enough hindmilk. I have so much stored milk because of this issue. I have suffered with overproduction with all three of my kids even with attempts to lesson the supply.
I ALWAYS nursed from both sides, each session.
My kids as babies, would drain both breasts, per session.
I nursed on demand always.
My kids had ginormous appetites... and grew like weeds. LOL
all the best,
Susan
Well I always did both sides, mostly cause i didn't want to look lopsided lol. I would always nurse my baby on the first breast until her sucking started to slow down or my breast was feeling empty then I would switch her to the other side and then let her go as long as she wanted. Then at the next feeding i would start with the other breast first. by doing it this way I was always getting one breast still emptied (like when they eat on just one side) as therefore my babies were still getting the hindmilk but they were also keep my breast even and getting plenty to eat. both my girls were so chubby....like 20 pounds by 6 months.
i ws told when my daughter was born if you don't use both sides you could get an infection in 1 so i used both sides but i also engorged uncomfortably to the point i would wake up in the morning, and would be "oozing out" so i had to use both sides to keep ME comfy.
what ever your comfortable with don't make it a big deal.
At one point early in the nursing game I was only using one side and at a check up my son's weight gain was a bit slow. After that i switched to both sides and he then gained weight better.
Both sides at the start to build up supply but as they become more efficient at nursing (around 4-5 months) I switched to one side.
i mostly stick to just one breast during the day, alternating less to the other because i co sleep with my baby and wish for her to remain in the middle of the bed. That way i can have it pretty full to satiate her enought to get to sleep without having to move her.
Depends on how much milk you have. I had A LOT of milk, right from the beginning. I read on the La Leche League website that if you have too big of a supply, one way to regulate it is to nurse only on one side and let your other breast get slightly engorged. After a little while, your body learns to make less milk. If it's too uncomfortable between feedings, you can hand express a little milk. Now that my son is older, I find that sometimes one side isn't enough, and I give him both when he needs more. One benefit that nursing on only one breast gives is that you are sure your baby is getting the hindmilk. At the very beginning, when I didn't know any better, I was following the general directions from the nursery to feed him 15 or 20 minutes on each breast. The problem is, sometimes the baby doesn't get the enough of the hindmilk from the first breast and just fills up on the foremilk from both breasts. Since foremilk is mostly water, the baby ends up being hungry again sooner than if he was allowed to nurse longer on the first breast. My lactation consultant instructed me to nurse until the baby naturally latched off. You can't overfeed a breastfed baby, if he's hungry he'll eat and when he's full, he won't. Good luck and congrats on breastfeeding 3 babies!
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I was a huge producer with a big supply, so in the beginning, one side only worked best for me. I just pumped the other and then switched. As his needs increased, I just watched for cues that he was ready for both sides even if he didn't empty the second one. Once this happened, I was able to quit pumping and my supply works for him.
Because I was damaged when I fed my son, I only fed on one side to give my other side a break. At about 4 months, his weight gain slowed, and I ended up feeding on both to make up for it, and then had to take supplements too. With my daughter (3.5 months), I feed on one side, mainly out of habit, and her weight doesn't seem to be slowing at all right now. I actually have about 200 ounces of EXTRA milk in the freezer, even though I was told that my supply would slow down if I only fed on one side. It seems that your body just realizes what you are doing and accommodates. For the last meal of the night though, I do feed on both sides so that she gets a bit more to last through the night since I usually have less milk at that time.
As to when to switch, it is just a cue thing. During growth spurts, I stick with one side until she gets too mad (to stimulate that side), and then offer the other if she is still hungry. Helps both of us that way. Then go back to just one side when she seems satisfied with it again.
It depends on the kid. With my daughter, I over-produced by feeding on both sides. Now, with my son, I even have to go back to the first side to make sure he got enough!
Do whatever feels best for you. If you didnt' have problems nursing on just one side with your others then just stick with what works. The way you are doing it makes sure that your baby is getting enough hindmilk. Also, if you were successful before and didn't experience personal discomfort or blocked ducts then good for you. I personally also just do the one side at a time method and I found that my body got used to this production schedule pretty quickly and I don't experience engorgment or anything.
