Offering one or both breasts?

cmandell02

What do you all do? At a feeding do you sometimes offer just one breast or always offer both?

If just one have you noticed an effect on your milk supply?

Thanks!

MyCousinVinny

With both girls, I always offered both breasts.  However, they didn't always take both in one feeding so I would always start the next feeding with the one they didn't take.

i.e. Fed with right side for one session, started on left side for the next

For me, my left side has always been a poor producer so I can't give much advice on if it affected my supply.

However, if you offer one side and the baby doesn't take the other and you are engorged/full, you can always pump that side to sort of even it out.  There were a few nights in the beginning where DD2 would only eat from one side and the other side would be so engorged that I had to pump to get some relief.

Leahauc

Mine always nurses on only one side at a time.

delujm0

Leahauc said:

Mine always nurses on only one side at a time.

Me too. Occassionally she'll get into cluster feed mode right before bed and take both, but that's it. I do pump overnight from whichever breast she doesn't take at each feeding, otherwise I get engorged. And it has helped me build up a great freezer stash during maternity leave. During the day she eats often enough that pumping isn't necessary.

cmandell02

Thanks guys. A lactation consultant I visited told me if I don't offer both all the time I could lose my milk supply. I've only been offering one (unless she's cluster feeding) and she's two months old and gaining weight perfectly. I wanted to see what others did because I don't really want to change what's been working for us both.