BFing - switching sides ?

kat.in.the.hat

So Eliza is up to 3 oz a feeding now.  Which she'll happily take all from one side.  Right now, she'll nurse on one side, fall asleep, unlatch, then stay passed out for a few hours.  Nothing that we do will wake her up and get her to go on the other side (she's been like this since birth.)

The books and the LCs I've talked to say not to unlatch a baby until they unlatch themselves, but now that she's taking so much and only from one side, I'm ending up lopsided.  I can pump the side she doesn't eat off of, but I already have 50oz in the freezer and limited storage space.

Should I unlatch her after 15 minutes and offer the other side? Or might she just be the odd baby that is a one sided nurser?

(To clarify, if she nurses off of the right side at one feeding, we do the left at the next.)

charlotteL

Let her fill herself up on one side that way she is getting the hind milk.  If you switch her she will just be getting the less fatty fore milk.  Not sure what to do about the other side.  Sorry.

OSUx2

I had numerous days that I was lopsided.  Ditto what Charlotte said about the hind milk.  I swear that eventually my body "evened out" and even when she only nursed one side at a time I wasn't (noticably) lopsided.

horn_jm@hotmail.com

This can be totally normal and should hopefully even out for you.  If you stop pumping the other side, your body should get the message over time.  I know a very good friend of mine whose babies have both only nursed from one side at a time since birth and have always been on the high end of the %iles.

melrrr

Tracey didn't nurse on both sides until after she was a year old! I just did my best to remember what side I'd nursed on last, and she got the other side at her next feeding. Things were wonky at first, but my body really did even out eventually. 

TexasPaige

I seem to remember always feeding him off both sides...then again, the kid would eat for like 45 minutes at a time. It sounds like you've gotten some good advice from the previous posters, but I just have to say how excited I am for you that you have such a freezer stash!!!

Quizzle

I've had an oversupply since day one. I've never, ever fed off both sides. She takes one side (and usually doesn't even empty me out!) and is done. Just let your body adjust. I don't pump the other side unless I'm really uncomfortable, which is rare nowadays, and even then I only take off a bit.

I essentially alternate sides. I was already lopsided a bit to start with, but nursing hasn't made it any worse. Your body will get the message, but if you keep pumping you'll keep sending 'make more milk!' messages. 

Suzi-G-

I never nurse Cooper on both sides at a time.  It's fine.    I wouldn't continue to pump though. 

kreeper611

What Charlotte said.

But Cooper always nursed on both sides...until like the last few months and that was only for the morning session.  At night, before bed, he would nurse for 20ish min on each side.  Talk about wearing me out.

alisa1228

Quizzle:

I've had an oversupply since day one. I've never, ever fed off both sides. She takes one side (and usually doesn't even empty me out!) and is done. Just let your body adjust. I don't pump the other side unless I'm really uncomfortable, which is rare nowadays, and even then I only take off a bit.

I essentially alternate sides. I was already lopsided a bit to start with, but nursing hasn't made it any worse. Your body will get the message, but if you keep pumping you'll keep sending 'make more milk!' messages. 

this is how it was for me with maddy and now, also with paige.

nanann

I only ever fed one side per feeding after the first week.  As everyone says, you'll even out.  And I appreciated that it gave each nipple/boob a longer break from being touched.

erica_kaspar

I'm already starting to even out. O loves her right side and hates the left but its beginning to even out like others said.

sad5781

cason did exactly this the first month or so.

I would just go back and forth at each feeding so i would be lopsided part of the day. I had a massive oversupply so he wasnt fully emptying a side and i didnt want to pump and make the oversupply worse.  I'd just pump once mid day to empty both sides out.  Then I'd also pump after the last feeding of the day. 

As PP said, you want her to empty before you switch so that she gets the fatty hind milk.

 

kat.in.the.hat

erica_kaspar:

I'm already starting to even out. O loves her right side and hates the left but its beginning to even out like others said.

 

dude -e is the sanre way too