Milk/colostrum production only on one side?

haylo33

I am almost 39 weeks. For about the last month, my left breast has been occasionally leaky at night. My midwife and lactation consultant gave me these medela cups to wear 6-8 hours a day to help bring out my inverted nipples. The pressure would cause my left breast to leak slightly but nothing major. Well tonight when I took off the cup, my left breast had about 2 tablespoons of colostrum and I spilled it everywhere. My right breast had nothing. Same amount of pressure and same amount of time wearing the cups and my right breast didn't produce anything and has never leaked. Why would only 1 breast leak? Will this be an issue after delivery? I'm scared he will suck on my right breast and nothing will come out. I will mention my underarm on my left side has gotten a lot bigger. I thought it was a small pouch of fat but my midwife said it was breast tissue so maybe that is why the left is an overachiever

ksyknelvr73

I can't really speak for how things will be once the baby is here, but after I had DS, my riggt breaat produced way more milk than the left. I always had issues with the left side when I was BFing. I think it is pretty common for one to produce more than the other and there are ways to try and stimulate more production for the side that is struggling. When I pumped, I would only get maybe half an ounce or one ounce out ofthe left and then I would between 4-5 out of the right one!

jenb_99

Pre-baby production doesn't mean much, so what you're experiencing now probably isn't a very accurate prediction of what you'll experience once your LO is here. Even breasts that appear completely dry during pregnancy will often begin to produce normally once your milk actually comes in.

However, lopsided/uneven production is very common -- pretty much inevitable, in fact. You can almost count on one breast producing more than the other. And sometimes they switch. Sometimes one breast will lag for a few weeks, and then it will start producing more and the other will lag for the next few weeks.

So don't sweat the dry one now! It's still too early to tell. And it could even end up being your bigger producer.

sws684

Thanks for the thread! Mine are doing the same.