When BF'ing, does your baby empty 1 breast per feeding or BOTH per feeding?

Re: When BF'ing, does your baby empty 1 breast per feeding or BOTH per feeding?

• jllmb79 member

  March 2014

  With both DD#1 and DD#2 I tried offering both sides in the hospital. When my milk came in they only wanted 1 side. I had and oversupply and overactive letdown. DD#1 always only took 1 side, even when weaned at 16 months. DD#2 around 9 months started taking both sides. (probably a supply drop with 3rd pregnancy).

  

  
  

  
  

   

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• Ninjamama86 member

  March 2014

  DD takes one side per feeding, it's incredibly rare that she'll feed off the other that soon after, and usually it ends up being more of a fussy comfort suck that lasts 30 seconds before she falls asleep

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• barista411 member

  March 2014

  I have an oversupply issue and a LO who like to eat. If I give him both side he will eat off of both and then throw up a large quantity. So from the beginning I have limited him to only one side

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• scruggsa member

  March 2014

  My LO has always fed from one side and still does. I offered the 2nd a few times in the beginning but he never wanted it.

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• mommatotwo2 member

  March 2014

  For a while, only one side. I switched breasts every feeding. Most of the time now and since maybe 4 or 5 months old, except for the first morning feed, where my supply is highest, LO takes both sides.

  

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• MauLoaM0M member

  March 2014

  From the beginning, LO has only fed from one side. It's rare that he will ever take from the 2nd side. There was a period of time when he had a favorite side and would only nurse very briefly from his non-favorite side.

  
  BFP #2: 08/23/12; EDD: 05/04/13 ~Please stick little one!!! DS born 05/09/13 at 40w5d
  
  BFP #1: 05/05/12; EDD: 01/01/13; m/c: 05/21/12 ~Forever in our hearts~ 
  
  
  
  

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• rm2013 member

  March 2014

  Wow! I definitely am in the minority it seems. My LO has always done both sides, from birth. As a newborn we started out with 15 minutes per side. As she got older and had a stronger suck her feeding time on each side decreased, leveling off at 6-7 minutes per side on average. I know some moms worry about fore/hind milk balancing but we've never had a problem she's always been a chunky little monkey.
  
  I wouldnt say she "empties" the breast, basically she drinks until its not full and the milk slows down to a trickle. Im just 2 weeks shy of one year (yeah!) of EBF and i work full time (on weekdays pump 3 times a day at work and 1 time before bed) so its worked well for us.
  
  Now that she's bigger, when she is done with one side she will unlatch, sit up and lift up my shirt on the other side like "ok, I'm ready!"....Cracks me up.
  
  Either way I say do what works best for you. I prefer doing both sides so that both breasts are used to feeding every 2-3 hours and my supply stayed up in spite of setbacks like sickness and my period returning. And much more comfortable too - no walking around with one full breast, or having to go pump the other side when we're at home.

  

  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

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• Frannavaldez9399 member

  March 2014

  barista411 said:

  I have an oversupply issue and a LO who like to eat. If I give him both side he will eat off of both and then throw up a large quantity. So from the beginning I have limited him to only one side

  
  This. And I've never felt uneven.. Like one breast was full and the other was small and empty. And they never look uneven either. I do however, have a very very strong let down.. I recently got a cheap manual pump and have started pumping the other side while he eats.. This is strictly to make ME feel better. The pain of my let down isn't as bad when I pump.

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• hollandmama member

  March 2014

  At the beginning he would eat from both sides, after 1.5 months he started eating only from one side per feeding, he ate every 3 hours. During growth spurts he drinks both sides and every night before going to sleep.

       

  Surprise BFP on 11/02/12 EDD 07/06/13 --> Express wedding on 12/29/2012 --> G was born on 07/15/13

  *Multicultural family raising a multilingual toddler: Spanish, Italian, Dutch and English

  
  

  
  

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• eves1989 member

  March 2014

  DD took both breasts per feeding.
  

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• Mum2Be28 member

  March 2014

  DS only eats from one side and he has always been that way. My right side is kind of a dud compared to the left so I'm kinda shocked he doesn't want the other side when he has the right side during a feeding. But he's a whopping 17+ pounds at 4 months so I guess he's getting what he needs- dud boob and one side at a time and all.

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