what's changed with my right boob?

[MamaChris]

I think my boobs come in two flavours - standard (left) and fast flow (right). In the first 2 months I couldn't feed dt1 on the right or she would be sick after. then the last 2 months or so everything has been better, and either baby can feed from either side.

this last week though dt2 is now being sick if he feeds from the right and feeding dt1 from that side has become a wrestling match - she arches her back and pulls back, stretching my boob and nipple quite painfully. she doesn't actually want to come off, but I'm guessing perhaps she wants it to slow down? things are a bit better if I feed lying on my back with dt1 on top of me - she can't pull so far back so less painful for me, but dt1 still sick (sometimes copiously so), and not hardly sick at all on left.

what's going on? what can I do?

Mama does this sound like what is happening?

yes it does, thanks. although it does say problems normally improve by 3 months, and they're now 4mo. also I really don't leak - even if I take a baby off when I let down. still it sounds right in other ways.

but each baby already only nurses from one side per feed, and even lying flat on my back at night doesn't eliminate the problem (also not practical in daytime). can I block nurse twins (put them both on the left for a few hours at a time) to reduce supply on right? I don't want to create an oversupply problem on left! anything else I can try? (I know kellymom knows everything, but just in case :) )

Really don't know the answer to that one sorry Mama, have you spoken to a Bfing Counsellor?

I don't know the 'correct' answer, but I had crazy oversupply on my left boob for weeks between about week 2 and week 10. I tried block nursing with both twins on one side, but the oversupplying left boob got so engorged after just missing one feed that I had no choice but to express (all 9 Oz of it. Once I started I couldn't stop . eventually the crazy boob calmed down but I don't know whether I did anything to help.

To avoid the crazy oversupply boob getting so engorged (I have stretch marks from that event), I think I'd recommend feeding at least a bit from the crazy side too. Perhaps feed one twin a bit from right boob to releive pressure, then switch them to left and do twin 2 from left too?

thanks HAAS. I spoke to a bf counsellor by phone and she suggested much the same thing, although she also said it could just as easily be undersupply on that side causing fussiness. I've never been able to express much, but will give semi-block feeding a go tomorrow and see how it goes.

hi Mamachris

I had oversupply issues, but also never experienced much in the way of leaking or spurting, even during letdown as well, so it can happen.

I also think that lop-sided supply is fairly standard, and even when I resolved it using block feeding, the fast one was always a little bit faster and more productive when expressing.

Not sure I can give any advice re block feeding when feeding twins though; hopefully one of our bfcs will be along shortly to help you out. Or try kellymom's tandem nursing section.

I didn't even spot that kellymom had a tandem feeding section! thanks, off to investigate now.

I just realised that it was after the attempt at block nursing that I decided to stck with one twin to each boob rather than varying it with each feed. I think that might have helped.

I started to notice that my two didn't always feed the same amount at any one feed, so I wondered whether my oversupplying boob just happened to be getting all the full feeds from both of them and the othe boob getting lots of short feeds. So I assigned a boob for each twin (all concern about being lopsided was pointless by now!), and they're still using those sides now (17 weeks - ish). They somtimes get the other side if it is just more conveinient and/or to make sure they don't start refusing the other side.

My theory is that this way each boob is stimulated to produce 1 baby's worth of milk in a day, regardless of the feeding patterns of each baby.

Might be worth discussing with bfc?