Feeding from one breast...not the right thing to do?

[RaisingMrC]

This post is following on from a post where the OP had been advised to feed from one breast per feed by the health visitor, which (as I understood from the thread) is not the right way to do it.

So my question is - what are you supposed to do?? How do you know when to swap them onto the second breast? When I was feeding DS I never felt full and then empty to know when to try the second breast. Or do you wait til they stop feeding then offer the second breast? I am a bit confused now!!

My DS just didn't like one side, we ended up 'retiring' it pretty early on. Managed to keep going on one side until 19 months so I don't really think it matters when/if you swap sides. I did look a bit wonky though!

i think everyone's different - i have oversupply issues and for 10 wks have done 12hr blocks on each boob! other people who perhaps produce less would need to offer both boobs at one feed i guess?

I just let him feed until he fell off, then offered the other one to see if he wanted it. Next feed I offered the side I finished on first.

When I was trying to get supply going at the beginning, I just swapped back and forth as I felt like - but I never had over-supply issues once everything had got cranked up so after that I didn't fret over it and just fed as felt right at the time.

Of course by about 7 months he was a frantic climber and swapper and I had to calm him back down to once per side and all done or I got rather bashed and battered!

If baby comes off spontaneously then you can offer the other side - they may or may not take it, either is fine.

If they drift off asleep, you can switch sides to see if they will take more or leave them to sleep. If they are very young and had not had very long bfing before going to sleep switching may be the best option. If they are older and have had a 'good' feed with lots of swallowing then leaving them to sleep would probably be the more reasonable option. If you leave them to sleep, you can offer the other side when they wake up - they may or may not take it, either is fine.

If they are fussing at the breast then switching sides when the fussing starts can help, as can breast compressions - slower flow can trigger fussing in some babies(not all though). You can switch sides as many times as baby still indicates they are hungry.

But basically, it's watch your baby and see how they are. Some babies fall asleep at the end of the majority of their feeds even when quite a bit older (say 1-3y) and some very young babies are alert after feeding but full and content and don't need more milk. Follow your baby, they will lead you where you need to go.

The issue on the other thread was the routine and blanket advice to just offer one breast at each feed. Not all women (most?) have the supply or storage capacity to maintain that kind of feeding without a drop in supply or a drop in baby's weight/increased fractiousness from less than desired milk volumes.

You are supposed to offer the 2nd breast after they naturally come off the first. This is in a normal, straightforward bfing relationship. With oversupply you might be encouraged to feed only from one for longer periods (block feeding) or to swap breasts several times to encourage production due to an undersupply (switch feeding). We quite naturally fell into a one side only pattern unless dd or ds were going through growth spurts as they didn't ever want a 2nd breast even offered. They both maintained their weights perfectly and were happy and healthy which told me all I needed to know about their needs. I think plenty of women feed from one side only at each feed due to their babies only requiring one breast. But that develops due to each individual relationship. Likewise, there are probably plenty of women who find their babies want 3 or more sides at each feed.

Thanks for the posts. Guess what showofhands described is how I fed DS (though can't remember early days anymore!!) but am expecting DC2 (not for a good few months) and suddenly got worried that I had done it wrong when DS was breastfeeding!!

Wow we have never been told this. Infact bf support team round here said to use one side per feed. Sometimes u just don't know who to listen too! Ah well 17 wk in it hasn't done us any harm.

I think first time round I didn't follow advice either way as I wasn't really given any. I offered the 2nd side simply because I wondered if dd wanted it/was full/simply whether I should. We worked out together that she didn't usually want it. But sometimes she'd come off still rooting and I'd offer and she'd take it. I suppose our bfing relationship was intuitive and luckily, successful. In fact, she thrived. If your baby wasn't satisfied with one side only I suppose either they'd let you know directly or you'd notice in their weight gain/nappy production/general wellbeing and ask advice. If it works for you then you'd never question it and just continue as you started.

Yep - Truth is right.....there is no 'one size fit all' except 'follow what your baby is indicating'. What is totally wrong is mothers being told they must feed one side only per feed or they must feed two sides per feed.

Some women and babies are absolutely fine sticking to one side only, but you cannot predict which mothers will find this reduces their supply longer term.

Anyone in a position to advise should not be saying these blanket 'instructions' and anyone who talks about babies who should have one side only 'so they get the hindmilk' has been badly trained :( :(

My SiL couldn't feed on one side due to a stubborn inverted nipple. She BF until DD was a year old so it certainly wasn't 'wrong' for her.

Fenton - that one breast would be getting twice as much use, 'cos of being used at every feeding session and this would as your SIL found be perfectly sufficient :)

The risk with mothers who use only one breast per feed and who alternate is that each breast only gets used once every other session and this can reduce supply.

i was told in the beginning to start a new breast each time.
I assumed that we would do the one-breast-then-t'other at one feed, butu we never have, and have always (apart from cluster-feeding) done one breast per feed. (so starting each feed on the opposite breast)