"One feed, one breast" or use both? What do you do?

[greenlawn]

I honestly can't remember what I did before!

Ds3 is 5 days old and is feeding very nicely so far - had only lost 2 ounces in weight when he was weighed for the first time since birth today - I don't know why, but I've only been offering him one breast per feed, then swapping to the other for the next feed.

I fed my other babies for a year each but that was some time ago and I'm sure I used to swap about - is there any advantage or disadvantage one way or the other?

[greenlawn]

How funny, I've just noticed the previous thread - great minds question alike ...

[Habbibu]

I think I fed on one side, then offered the other - start the next feed on the side you finished on. Mind you, dd was pretty hungry, so in some feeds would go through several swaps. Am sure a proper bf person will be along soon with proper advice.

[fedupandisolated]

I was always taught one breast, one feed. However, on a recent breastfeeding course I was told that this is now "old hat" and you can use both.

Been meaning to ask tiktok about this.

[thequietone]

I've always done both breasts at the morning and evening feeds. The rest of the time is just one breast. That's even difficult - I aim for 15 minutes as I worked out first time round that's how long it takes to complete a feed but DS2 is not interested after 10 minutes...and that's a whole other thread there!

[tiktok]

There are no rules - prob a good idea for babies to be at least offered 2 sides every time, though, at least for the first weeks. It makes no sense to deliberately not do that, and I occasionally come across women who have been only ever offering one side, delib. avoiding offering both, and who have a supply problem as a result

[milkmoustache]

Isn't it about getting to the hind milk or something? I follow DS's lead - he started off wanting both sides, but seems to be just needing one per feed. Must be linked to your milk supply settling down too?

[cmotdibbler]

You should offer both breasts each feed - some babies won't want both, but they should get the option. So when they come off, you make the offer. If they have a good go at that one, and then seem to want more, you offer the first side again.

I did alternate first breasts at each feed.

Thequietone - babies vary massively in how long they take to feed. If your DS2 is happy after 10 minutes, thats great. Theres no need to try and make him feed for 15 minutes

[cafebistro]

I always offer DD both sides but she often only wants one. Just depends on how hungry she is I suppose.

[VeryHungryKatypillar]

Until recently, I've always fed using one side only. Didn't aim for this to happen, it just did. DD was a sleepy feeder and I never felt that she'd 'drained' the first breast, so never got round to offering the second. In hindsight, this may have been wrong advice though.

But now, DD is so easily distracted from the breast, I switch sides quite a lot once the switching of positions loses its effect, to keep her interested. I think once my milk flows more slowly after the initial letdown, she gets frustrated. Dunno where she gets this impatience from!

[phdlife]

ds took both breasts exactly twice in his entire life. well, the bfing part, anyway. He also never fed for more than 10mins, despite many torturous attempts on my part, following advice from block-headed MW.

[PumpkinPatty]

Oooo...I usually only offered one boob per feed, useless DD still seemed hungry (usually in the evening). She only feed for 10 mins at a time too.

But then this was 10 mins every 1 1/2 hours throughout the day

[PumpkinPatty]

I did the 'surreptitious feel of the boobs manoevre' to see which boob's turn it was too

[suedonim]

I've quite often seen the 'one breast, one feed' advice but if I'd done that with my dc, they'd have starved. I can't think that any of mine have ever refused a feed or decided they'd had enough. They'd have been clamped on 24/7, given the choice. I'd have been a rubbish milch cow.

[babyredsox]

The way I do it is this:

Offer first breast, baby comes off, I put him back on first breast, if he comes off straight away I put him on second breast.

I follow this every time and for my wee one at least it's a good way of making sure he wasn't just having a rest on the first breast and that he's actually finished with it.

Having said that I used to do one breast one feed but when he finally started cutting down his feeds from every 2-3 hours (at about 7 months!) I started offering both sides at each feed. It makes sense to me if you know there's going to be a long time between feeds to empty both sides if possible.

[BabiesEverywhere]

DD would aways take two sides when she was little, 7 week old DS takes 2,3,4 or more sides...he is chunky

[eviz]

Wish I'd seen this thread before posting mine

babyredsox I'm going to follow your advice. My 15wk DD comes off after 5-10mins and refuses all my attempts to get her back on. Will try offering her the other side instead!

Isn't it harder with 2nd babies to tell whether you're full or empty? It was much more obvious first time round!

[eviz]

Also.. (sorry) if you're 'empty' does that mean you can't get any milk out at all?

[andiem]

ds1 was a one boob only boy he refused second boob and if I did manage to get him on he would always vom it up
ds2 both boobs every time just not satisfied with one

[annamama]

I used to think "1 is enough surely" but then realised that baby was still hungry and I was close to getting mastitis so started always offering 2, much better for both of us!

[LadyBee]

I do the same as babyredsox.

Although my DS very rarely comes off. He just falls asleep and keeps on nursing so I watch his swallowing pretty closely. If he's not swallowing I tend to prise him off.

If he wakes, he goes back on.

[ButtonMeUp]

greenlawn - The advice i was given when ds2 was born was to feed 1 breast per feed and only change after hour break, that was because he was feeding for a minute of two and falling asleep and was very jaundice.

I never 'empty' a breast and have copius amounts of milk. Now he is 9 months and only have 5 - 6 feeds a day he has a good feed (say 30 min or more) then when he stirs and wakes I then offer him other breast, sometimes he has another long one and falls asleep and sometimes he just has a little pudding and is raring to go.

He never lost birth weight and has followed his centile.

[ButtonMeUp]

Also if you change sides too soon i believe they get a lot of foremilk and end up with greensih poo and they arent getting the nice calorific hindmilk.

[BabiesEverywhere]

Breasts can never be empty just less full, as long as your baby nurses he/she will get milk.

Don't worry about 'reaching' hindmilk etc, as long as the babys is given unlimited time on the breast, it will sort itself out.

Roughly speaking the fuller the breast the more fat and if you remove milk frequently the breasts will be less full. So frequent snackers will get fatty milk all the time !!!

[greenlawn]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'm going to at least offer the other side - he is a big boy (over 9 lbs) and is already asking for more. Woke up this morning in agony with what felt like two leaky melons attached to my chest so I let him have a go on both just to give me a bit of relief!

[notcitrus]

help - A is 25 days and tends to suck for 15-20 minutes, then fall asleep no matter what. i try to burp him a bit but offering another breast doesn't get anywhere. thing is, for the last 5 days he then wakes up and grizzles about 10 minutes later, and is totally disconsolate no matter how much cuddlimg/nappy changes i do, and won't feed again until an hour later.

i'm exhausted - i know i've got plenty of milk, and my latch isn't perfect as it hurts - saw a counsellor on sunday who advised his mouth needs to open more, and to break his latch if he gets on wrong - this has helped a bit but he doesn't seem to get that he's supposed to lean his head back and open wide. at least he's getting milk, pooing, peeing, gaining weight, but i haven't slept for over 24 hours. again.