what'll happen if I only feed from one side at night?

[mololoko]

we are cosleeping and I'd like to feed from one side only. will my other breast explode?

[GoodbyePinotGrigio]

Yes.

[Spagbolagain]

Depends how old your child is, how many night feeds your boob will miss! I doubt it will actually physically explode, but if you usually do several feeds a night from it then stop it will get full and probably leaky and uncomfortable, and I think it could affect the supply on that side? I think also, if you are letting down but not feeding from it a number of times it would feel horrible?

If it is just skipping one feed maybe not a problem :)

[RitaMorgan]

I did for months - my right boob was noticeably bigger! I just fed on the side nearest the baby from 11-7, and made sure I did a good feed from the left first before and after that.

[shuckleberryfinn]

i only feed from one side each feed at night. not much happens. she eats, pulls off, sticks head on boob and goes to sleep. supplys fine.

[mawbroon]

Why do you just want to feed from one side? If it's to avoid swapping the baby over during the night, have you considered trying the thing where you just lean a bit further over and feed from the "top" breast?

Works for me, but I appreciate it might not work for everyone.

[RitaMorgan]

You have to be awake to lean over - that ruled it out for me.

[Rosebud05]

I did this for ages when dd was months old and expressed buckets from the other side in the morning .

[mawbroon]

I did it then went back to sleep Rita. Not when they were teeny tiny though.

DS2 developed the habit of unlatching and rolling away from me, so it was fine for us.

[sc2987]

I tried this - I was already block feeding for 3 hours at a time so I gradually increased it to 6 hours each side - I got plugged ducts and mastitis on one side...

[nailak]

you miht wake up in a damp patch and wonder what happened, check dcs nappy, then realise....

[aswellasyou]

I've always coslept and often only feed on one side. I've done this since day 1. I've never had a problem. The other side does get quite full though so they get a good big feed in the morning. I found being able to do this was absolutely necessary while suffering from thrush on and off for 5 months. I'd cover one nipple in cream and leave it alone all night. Hopefully you'll never need toknow about that.

[PelvicFloor0fSteel]

I did consider this as I can only have DS on one side while co-sleeping but, in the end, decided it would be more comfortable just to wake up enough to feed, unlatch and reposition. DS doesn't really feed much by night, when he was doing more night feeds I was still more disturbed by breasts which felt like they were going to explode than the feeds.

[amistillsexy]

You'll wake up lopsided and in a puddle!

I used to put DS in the middle for his first feed, then roll him over me onto my other side for the second feed. That way we could both fall asleep during/after the second feed and he would be less likely to overheat from being in the middle!

[confuddledDOTcom]

I did the same as Rosebud - fed from one side and expressed in the morning, could fill a full size bottle and overspill it each morning. I think I used to change sides though each night.

[japhrimel]

I'm still lopsided at 6 months in because I did this in the first few weeks.

[TheSnickeringFox]

How old is your dc? If very young you might find that as they grow you can just lean over a bit and they can get the top one.

My ds could latch on in a pitch dark room at fifty paces. He has boobdar.

[aswellasyou]

My daughter has boobdar too! She's often latched on before I've even woken up.

[PelvicFloor0fSteel]

I think DS's boobdar must be a bit broken - I've woken up to a huge lovebite right beside my nipple before , poor little chap must've been sucking for a while and wondering why it wasn't working!

[Islandgirllk]

I'm only feeding from the right side now but only since she was 7 months. My left boob didn't get engorged or anything when I gave up with it, think the supply must have been lower on that side anyway. Now I have one slightly bigger boob but it's not that noticable. If it's early days I'd try to keep both sides regular.