Has anyone breast-fed with just one (functioning) breast?

JuliaJAG

Long story, but because of surgery, I don't expect my right breast to "work"... but, I'm very committed to exclusive breast-feeding (at least the first three months and hopefully longer). I've been told that my milk supply should be up to par (after all, people breast-feed twins successfully), but has anyone here actually done it? I think I'm more worried about not ever being able to give my breast/nipple a break (and therefore expect a lot more chafing/bleeding/soreness)....

JRanalli10

Though I'm not in the same situation...for some reason my lo only likes to eat from my right breast. She nurses almost exclusively from the right side every feeding. As long as your little one is latched properly you should not have any more nipple issues than u normally would.  

dannie2011

Well both mine work and I'm still only using 1, mostly cause with my older daughter she had a preference for the right one and that one became my good producer. Now with my new daughter my right one is once again my good producer and slowly my left started to get used less and less. My daughter is now 6m and doing fine with the 1 side. Although you would get lopsided it will work. I have tried to pump the other side but it seems I don't do it right cause I end up with a Fore-milk imbalance.

BTW I nurse my older daughter till she was 15 months with no problems, she would of went alot longer if she had her way.

JuliaJAG

Thanks so much, both of you... I'm glad to know it's doable! (Just praying I don't have any issues with my "good" breast!)

Still free to be me

There is a book (The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, maybe?) that talks about a culture where most of the women are fisherwomen and because of their jobs and how the equipment is carried or something, they all just breastfeed on the one side.  It works for them...

katiewhompus

JRanalli10:

Though I'm not in the same situation...for some reason my lo only likes to eat from my right breast. She nurses almost exclusively from the right side every feeding. As long as your little one is latched properly you should not have any more nipple issues than u normally would.  

Same here. DD has only ever taken my right ans after numerous issues with my left I gave up and pump that side to stay even, but feed with the right.

MBandBud

I def had a dominant breast and yet made it to 17 months when we were both ready.  I pumped as well.  I will say my other breast still produced some, but not a lot, a few ounces a day even during high need times.  I would not worry until you cross that bridge and just see how it goes.  I did pump before bed to keep up some extra in the freezer to buffer; that way I could nurse and then dh finished off with a bottle of bm.  GL to you!

MrsHK

Yup. One side was always slower and a lower producer. DS1 weened himself from that side at 10mo and didn't completely ween until 15mo when I was 3 months pregnant again. DS2 weened himself from the slow side earlier, around 6mo and completely weened just after a year (I was pregnant again). This time around I've had some struggling with supply and I'm actually wondering if I just focus on the 'good' side if I could do better with just that.

I will add though that I "stuffed" my bra on the bad side. There was a good full size difference between the working and non-working side. LOL. With D's I never stuffed my bra until I was 30 years old!

Birdies08

I find (anecdotally) that most women have a "good" side that produces more and a "bad" side that doesn't do as much, so I'm guessing you'll be fine.

Do you still have a nipple on the "bad" side? I'm wondering because you could give the other side a break and let LO comfort nurse on the "bad" side. LO prefers my side that produces less when she's tired and just wants to nurse to sleep. You probably wouldn't have any serious problems with your nipple if you just use one side, but it might want a break now and again!