Help please supply dwindling!

[Trying4Baby1]

Hi there, I need some help please from someone with more experience than me. I'm currently breastfeeding my 10 week old DD and things have been tough but I've always been determined to breastfeed her and I'm really loving it now and don't want to stop.

I have had problems from the start with one breast. I had really bad erosion and blisters (and a lot of pain) due to poor latch and I had help with correcting this. I've had thrush (after being on antibiotics for two weeks) and lumps and the start of mastitis in the same breast but luckily managed to keep feeding like mad on that side and cleared the lumps and mastitis symptoms left too, I think I was just lucky to catch it on time. I have been left with a large hole in that nipple which doesn't seem to be healing but I am going to see the doctor about it but what I'm more concerned with is that my supply seems to be decreasing on that side.

It has always been harder for my DD to feed at that side compared to the other. She barely has to suck on the other side and the milk just pours into her mouth. I have expressed a few times to start getting her used to a bottle in case I need to leave her with someone for an afternoon and my good breast, for want of a better term, fills a bottle in five mins whereas I get about 1 1/2 ounces from the other side and then it just seems to stop. I've really noticed it more recently as DD has started sleeping right through the night and my good side is really engorged by morning whereas the other side is very noticably smaller and not at all engorged.

I'm just worried that my supply is decreasing on my 'bad' side and I know that it's entirely possible to feed from one side only but would rather not if I can help it. Has anyone any ideas on how I can increase my supply on the 'bad' side please? I'd really appreciate any advice! Thank you!

I am trying to sort out lopsided breasts too although not as bad as that.

I start every feed on the lesser producing side and try and persuade him to suck on that side for as long as possible. At the end of the feed after he has fed from the better side I encourage him to again drink from the not so good side.

I also give him little top ups from the lesser producing side inbetween feeds.

I do think its making a difference as in the morning the difference between both sides seems to be getting less.

Other idea would be to express as much from that side as possible as well, but I think my baby more efficient at extracting milk so I'd rather do it that way.

I agree with the above. One other thing I do, is get her to latch on the good side and then when I feel let-down I switch her to the bad side. Don't know if this would apply in your situation.

Sorry ran off to bed shortly after posting last night.

MumNW I'll try getting her to feed more often from the bad side than the good side and see if that makes a difference. Expressing from the bad side won't work anyway as I'm quite often left with lumps as DD is far more efficient at extracting the milk.

ClimberChick I don't actually feel my let-down on either breast or I would try that.

I'm just glad at the moment that she's still happy to feed on the bad side as I've heard of babies refusing one side because they find it harder work.

Hello, good advice here, I had supply issues with one side producing less too. This website is very helpful. Particularly the second half of the page. Really hope the GP is a big help x

Climberchick, will think about that but I think for me the consequences would be milk spraying accross the room (from the better side) and a cross baby as he was pulled off his milk supply!

Although thats the reason I always put him back on the lesser producing side after the good side because I think it fills up again when the milk lets down etc.

Trying4Baby1, feed from bad side as much as possible. It takes time to sort out I'm about a week in and the differences are slow.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

teaandcake I've had a look at the website and lots of good ideas so thank you! The doctor just gave me yet more antibiotics for the hole in my nipple so hoping we don't get thrush again! I said that to him and he apologised but said he thought it was for the best.

I've bought a manual breast pump today to see if that works any better for me than the electric pump, hopefully I'll find it more successful. I really am prepared to do as much as possible to keep up my supply in my 'bad' breast. Been frantically feeding off the bad side all day!

Fingers crossed this time it works.

The best breast pump that worked for me was this one. The manual one I tried was rubbish but maybe that's just me

teaandcakes I've got a second hand medela mini that I've been using and it works great on the good side but I find it painful on the bad side. I would love a medela swing as I've heard some great things about it but we have to be careful with money at the mo as DH was just made redundant and I'm being made redundant next month. Was in boots for my antibiotics snd they had the medela manual pump reduced to £5 so thought it was worth a try at that price.

£5? Bargain!

Yep I thought so. Even if it doesn't work I've not spent that much money on it.