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Infant feeding

No milk on left side???

7 replies

Shanster · 05/10/2009 18:00

Can this happen? My DD is nearly 9 months old, exclusively BF and hardly
taking any solids. Over the past few days I have noticed that she gets
frustrated when she tries to feed from the left side (she really burrows in and tugs if you know what I mean). Yesterday I was
expressing and got NOTHING on that side (which has never happened before) and
today I am expressing again with the same result. I still have milk on the
other side in the usual quantities. Is it possible to have your milk dry up on
one side? Why would this happen? She feeds (or I express when working) about 8 times a day. I have had a
cold and so has the baby, but I didn't take any meds. What to do, I am not
ready to stop BF yet!?!

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50ftQueenie · 05/10/2009 18:19

Hello. My dd is 1 on Friday and I have been feeding her on my left side only since she was 9 months. I had an op which prevented my from feeding her overnight and the right side packed in! I tried to get her feeding on the right side but she kept getting really grumpy. I noticed that there was hardly any milk and what was there was really sticky. It also tasted really horrible and salty. I have no idea why the left side has carried on and the right gave up, however I think that dd always favoured the left so probably fed better on that side. The same thing happened with ds but the right side gave up at 4 months (after a few bouts of mastitis) and I carried on feeding him until he was 7 months. AFAIK, there is no reason you won't be able to carry on feeding your dd as the working boob will make enough milk. Someone more knowledgeable will hopefully come along and provide a solution, but I just wanted to let you know it really isn't the end of breast-feeding.

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Shanster · 05/10/2009 19:02

Thanks Queenie, that is encouraging!

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piscesmoon · 05/10/2009 19:22

I had the same problem-the side with no milk shrank and the milk one was huge-I was worried they would stay that way but they both went back to normal. The second time I decided it was because I used one side more than the other so made sure that the side left without was used more. However the same happened! I just fed through one. They went back to normal size. I have no idea why!

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piscesmoon · 05/10/2009 19:23

I should say that I breastfed both times to about 1yr-there was no problem until they were about 8months.

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50ftQueenie · 05/10/2009 19:31

Oh yes, and you will look a bit lopsided until you give up bfing!

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50ftQueenie · 05/10/2009 19:31

Oh yes, and you will look a bit lopsided until you give up bfing!

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Shanster · 05/10/2009 19:59

Great, will be lopsided for a few months! When I expressed this afternoon I did get a dribble from that side, but it took forever!

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