Should you always offer both breasts at each feed?

[anastasiak]

My two week old baby is being exclusively breast fed. She takes about half an hour to empty a breast. She has regained her birth weight, and is producing plenty of wet and dirty nappies. I tend to give her one full breast at each feed, after which she is happy to go for about three hours before her next feed. It seems to me that she is getting enough milk - should you always offer the baby both breasts? If I do she will suck for a couple of minutes on the other side but it doesn't affect how long she goes between feeds.

DC1 and DC2 only ever took 1 breast a feed, gained really well, never went under their birth weight etc

DC3 likes both but he is a very big baby

I think the things you've mentioned - satisfied after a feed, gaining well, lots of wet and dirty nappies - shows all is dandy

Congratulations!

my girl is a biggie too - 10 pounds three at birth but she still seems to manage on one breast. Over the past couple of days she has been starting to get colicky type spells in the evenings but I don't think this is down to underfeeding? Am I wrong? Many thanks for your help!

DS was a 10 pounder too. Lovely aren't they

IIRC 2 weeks is a classic growth-spurt age. If she is fussing a bit more I might be tempted to offer her the other breast to see if this settles her

I think best to always offer the 2nd breast, because by end of a feed milk is coming quite slowly and if the aren't very hungry (but still could drink more) the 2nd breast gives them the chance to have some more fast flowing milk. If they don't want the 2nd breast they'll take a few sucks and then pull off.

I saw a BF counsellor with DD at 6 weeks and she was with me that I wasn't offering the 2nd breast.

I didn't start offering the second breast til ds was at least 6 weeks old I think, because until then he always fell asleep at the end of a feed. Now if he's awake after one breast I offer the other, sometimes he wants it and sometimes not. I do try to get him to have both sides before bed though.

Hi OP - your breast is never actually empty -yes, it may feel empty but there is a reflex that stimulates more milk to flow once the amount gets to a certain point into the feed.

The fattier milk towards the end of the feed is just more hard work for the baby to get (imagine squeezing a sponge with fairy liquid in, but no water). You get very thick soapy goo which is harder to squeeze out). It's important that you let them feed as long as they want on one breast to get the fatteier, filling milk and if they seem to want the second, then offer that as well (it's always nice to drink water after ice cream!)

If you think about it, twins who are fed at the same time, only normally get one breast each and some women who are having trouble feeding their baby on one of their breasts, sometimes feed the whole time on just one breast.

I've only ever given one breast per feed and DD is following her growth curve beautifully. For a while recently I've tried offering the second, partly because she seems so quick I can't believe she's had enough and partly because I thought I should. Invariably, if she takes the second breast she chucks back a load of milk immediately after coming off. So for us smaller feeds, more frequently, are the way to go.

She's 19 weeks btw.

I never offered 2nd breast, both boys came off naturally and awake after 1 breast with no rooting for any more and like your baby gong for a few hours between feeds.

Listen to your baby, sounds like you are doing really well.

The breast feeding counsellor I saw in hospital advised me to feed from the first breast until she'd finished, change nappy, then offer the second.

She feeds to sleep on the first, wakes during nappy change then feeds for a further 10 mins or so from the second, and is settled for 2-3 hours then. She is only 11 days old and hasn't been reweighed yet but this seems to be working nicely;.