Issues going from one-sided feedings back to both sides?

glittergirrll

Hello,

I'm mom to an EBF 3-month-old boy and while I have had lots of nursing challenges (not unlike most moms!), this is my first time posting. I'm hoping the experiences of others might offer some insights/advice.

When DS was about one month old a LC suggested nursing using just one-side per feeding to really drain the breast. That is what we've been doing since. Sometimes one side isn't enough or he's really fussy until I switch sides, but generally it seems to work for him. I like feeding on one side per feeding - I just find it easier for some reason. 

The issue is DS typically nurses for an hour. And while I understand this may just be what he needs, it is wearing me out as he is also still eating pretty much every 2 hours day and sometimes night. Luckily he only does this during the day. He also nurses to sleep and pretty much only sleeps on me during the day. I'd really like to get up off the couch sometime! The end of my maternity leave also is weighing on me and I just don't know how I will manage if he still needs to nurse for an hour.

So this weekend I decided to try a theory -- that maybe if I go back to feeding from both sides, perhaps we could cut down the time he spends nursing to something like a half hour. Maybe he'll get more that way, faster. It seemed to work! The only thing that also seemed to happen is he started spitting up a TON. Today I mostly went back to one side and the spitting up subsided. 

Has anyone else gone from one-sided feedings to two-sided and found there to be an issue with spit up? If so, did it regulate after a while? I'm wondering if I stick with it, it will work itself out.

For additional info, DS was spitting up a ton previously but it improved significantly after I cut out dairy and soy. I am still dairy- and soy-free. I can't think of anything especially radical I ate that might have made the spit up suddenly increase again. 

Thanks for any insights!