Uneven Production

C.:

what you are pumping does not correlate to how much milk you have.

it would help to see a board certified lactation consult and find out what is going on and what you can do...

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

I had a lactation consultant meet with me because of the same reason, although my baby wasn't gaining any weight. She did recommend I take More Milk Plus, which they sell at Whole Foods, and it worked REALLY well. If you do take this, try to take it on an empty stomach and take it with as little liquid as possible. It's not the best tasting stuff, but you'll get used to it. Also don't eat/drink anything afterward for about 20 minutes.
Another thing she told me is to nurse him when he's fussy. I was way to focused on the clock and thinking, he can't be hungery, I just nursed him an hour ago. But he was. Maybe instead of giving your daughter a bottle a half hour after nursing, nurse her again instead. It will really help your production.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
A fellow lopsided Mom, S.

yes, you are describing my same situation. I can only get close to an ounce from the left side so I supplement and pump as well as drinking mothers milk teas. It seems to help production in the am. Our Dr. feels any amount of breast milk is beneficial so I will continue to do what I can. Good luck.

I am a mother of a five year old who I breastfed exclusively for 3 years. First of all you need to locate your local Leche League group. It is the best for woman who are nursing to get the most logical and experienced advice. Also when you pump the suction is different then when a baby is suckling from your breast. They have a stronger suck! You probably need to nurse more often which is very normal. My sister used to nurse her first born every 30-45 mins and when she was 5 months old she was 25 lbs. As long as you are resting, eating properly, and drinking plenty of water and tea, like mother's milk tea (which you can get from Whole Foods or Jewel) you will give your baby what he or she needs. I don't believe in formula but that is your choice. It is not natural and your breast-milk is designed for your baby specifically. Good luck and I hope that helped or made you think.

I had a similair issue due to breast reduction surgery when I was younger. The lactation consultant helped set me up with a tubing system that I taped along my breast and it allowed my son to have both formula and breast milk at the same time and I didn't need to use a bottle. I didn't breast feed as long as I had wanted but it helped make it possible for longer. I do not remember what the system was called but I suggest looking into it.

Instead of giving formula, I would just nurse again on demand. Nursing is a big supply and demand thing. The more the baby sucks, the more that comes. so I would nurse until baby is done and then when he/she wants more, nurse again. Maybe your baby is a snacker. Drinking lots of water certainly helped me.

Yup, it happens... Lefty produced next to nothing for me. (I was only kind of surprised. That one is an entire cup size larger than the other, and it didn't swell or get tender either before or after birth.) Keep doing what you're doing. Mother nature doesn't work the same for everyone...

In addition to the advice here, I would suggest letting her suck after you've pumped or vice versa. By giving the formula, your milk never really has to meet the supply (not that it's evil, she's getting your milk anyway but wouldn't it be nicer to skip the formula totally?)
Her sucking can stimulate it more.

Also, you may be, in general, dehydrated. We have to drink like 3x more water than if we weren't nursing. I think that's the main thing the teas do is force you to drink more water and being herbal, isn't making you urinate more like coffee or pop would.

good luck.

I had the same problem, and the same breast, funnily enough. Remember that when you pump you can never get as much milk as when the baby eats. Try a few things to jumpstart your milk production - like Eating oatmeal for breakfast every day, making sure you get enough Carbs in your diet - should be 50% - and try supplements like Brewer's Yeast and Fenugreek - all available from your local vitamin store.
Good luck! It does eventually even out!

I used a product called More Milk Plus to increase my milk production. It's put out by Motherlove products, and you can get it at Whole Foods. If that doesn't work, and you want a more robust approach you can get your doctor to prescribe Reglan. On the advice of my lactation consultant I didn't take Reglan just because it causes severe moodiness, possible depression, and all sorts of other less than pleasant effects. An alternative to Reglan is Domperidone - same results, no side effects. (If you look them up, I think they're actually listed to treat digestive issues. But it's widely known that they stimulate production in lactating women.) Domperidone, for some reason, is not FDA approved (or something like that); so the challenge becomes making sure you're doctor will prescribe it and finding a pharmacy to compound it for you. I used Peterson's in Oak Park. Also, since it has to be compounded it's not usually covered by insurance and can be pretty pricey. Hope this is helpful!

It's very normal to be able to get more out of one side than the other. Just keep nursing on both sides for every feeding. You'll b OK

Yes this is very normal. I got way more out of my right side than my left too. I did supplement with More Milk Plus and saw an ounce of difference (an ounce is an ounce!) Just keep doing what you are doing.