Milk Supply Question

edinger3

To those of you who breastfeed, has anyone noticed that (when you pump), one of your breasts pumps much less (at least half) of the milk that the other breast will pump?  Usually when I pump, my left breast will pump half the amount of my right breast.  I know that one breast can have a larger milk supply, but is this difference normal?  Any advice on how to balance this out, even a little bit?  I still have two weeks until my 6wk pp appt with the OB.  I'm trying not to call the office.  Thanks for any advice you can give me.

butterflynola

That' pretty normal, mine was and still is always my right produces more than my left. Not sure there's a way to level it out, just keep nursing/pumping it should be ok

martinimomma

I always had a measurable disparity between sides, maybe not quite half, but noticeable.  I tried pumping that side after feedings to see if that helped regulate things and it never really did.  From doing weighed feedings, I learned that LO was able to get sufficient milk from that slower side, so "righty" was just known as the slower side, and "lefty" the major producer. 

edinger3

Thanks Ladies!  Looks like I'll start his feedings on the left side & see how that works.

piedpiper07

I did for sure. I think it stemmed from DS preferring the left side, so the right side supply was reduced.  Although I just fed him more on the left and it worked for us.

4legsRbest

My left is a mega producer. After he eats in the am I can get 5 oz out of it if I want but only 2 out of the right. I only pump once a day though but I notice that he prefers the right boob, he is usually on it longer so that could by why, maybe.

I don't know if you can balance it out - why do you want to just out of curiosity?

JuddandJessica

I asked this exact question on the breast feeding board. Apparently that's totally normal.

Scooby2358

Yup, normal. Lefty was once my big producer, until I got mastitis for the 2nd time with DD and had a clog that stuck around in the depths for weeks. Now I get 1.5 oz on the right for every 1 oz on the left. DS doesn't seem to mind.

As PPs said, nursing on the slow side more often might help even them out, but I wouldn't worry if they're not totally even.

Karen1998

Yep.  I had a power boobie.  I never did get it to even out.  I don't know that you can even it out.  The left one usually produced about 30% more than the right, sometimes even more than that.  

tetiananina

My left typically produces about double to my right. Nothing I've done changes it. I've been nursing/pumping for 13 weeks