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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Shoddy milk in one breast - HELP PLEASE!!!!

15 replies

Flamesparrow · 26/03/2006 10:58

DS is four weeks old. He had a problem turning his head to his left from day one, which caused big issues with latching on the right side so I started feeding him rugby ball style (forgotten technical term ).

We started seeing a chiropractor to treat his neck from 7 days old, and can now feed properly from the righthand side again most of the time. But the first few weeks of me being reluctant to feed from that side because it hurt so much after he mangled my nipple to begin with, coupled with me tending to feed from the left only during the night... My production on the right hand side is low, and seems to be poor quality.

I decided to try just feeding from the right yesterday to boost production, planning to express from the left, but he was so unsatisfied after a couple of feeds I had to give him some big feeds from the left again.

How can I make things normal on the right? It is still uncomfortable (I get a tingly feeling, but only on the one side so was assuming not thrush - or can I have had it for a couple of weeks and it not be transferred to the other side?), but not painful.

Will expressing from it lots help? I can see the difference just by expressing - it takes much longer to get a decent quantity from the right, but just gushes from the left.

Sorry for the length, just wanted to give all the details!!

TIA

OP posts:

Original poster

Flamesparrow · 26/03/2006 11:01

Oh, if he has had a feed from the right, and then has the left, he takes about the same from the left as if he hadn't had the right in the first place. He is getting something out though because I deflate, and he is sick

OP posts:

mumatuks · 26/03/2006 11:03

Not sure what to say, but I did wonder why your DS is having to turn his head to feed? I made the same mistake with my DS and got very sore boobs! Can you hold him so his tummy is pressed against yours? That way he won't be turning his head, he'll latch on easier and you won't get hurt!!
The thing that will really help is just to let him feed, suckle on that breast, much better than any mechanical breast pump!
HTH and good luck with getting it sorted out!

Original poster

Flamesparrow · 26/03/2006 11:06

I think it is more being on that side than the turn as such - it is the turn that the chiro is looking at.

OP posts:

mumatuks · 26/03/2006 11:18

poor little DS, It's good that you are getting him seeing to.
I think only perseverance. Maybe if he fancies a suckle more than a full feed you could put him on the right one, then it could have a chance to heal but get used to being used again?. I get the tingly feeling as the milk comes down (or at least I used to with DS1, there is nothing left of my boobs now after feeding 2 babies )
Have you tried LLL or NCT? they have support lines and websites to use.

koolkat · 26/03/2006 11:25

flame - a baby should not have to turn his head to feed. Even if you rugby ball he shouldn't have to turn his head. It's best to have his body aligned with yours ("tummy to mummy").

You could also try feeding on the bed with his body completely towards yours and you prop him up with cushions behind him or just hold his back with your arm. This is a lovely comfy position for both of you. I did it for months because I had very bad pelvic pain after the birth.

Is it poss. to see a bf adviser re. positioning ? I think if you found the most comfy position for both of you expressing will become unnecssary. If you are feeling very uncomfy because the one breast is becomeing very engorged and he isn't latching, then express a bit off and offer the bm to him in a spoon or syringe.

Also, my DS defo. had a boob preference. He liked one breast more than the other for months, but I kept offering both boobs and he sooon loved both

Good luck !

NotQuiteCockney · 26/03/2006 11:28

Everyone has a "better" boob, some of us more obviously than others. If your DS mostly just feeds from one side, as long as he's getting enough (which he can do, as long as he's exclusively bf and feeding often enough), then that's fine. My left boob has always done a better job than my right. It's the bigger one, which may be the reason. Apparently it's normally the boob away from your dominant side, so I'm guessing you're probably right-handed, too?

You can get thrush on one side, though. Might be thrush down in the ducts? I know very little about thrush, though.

But it's not worth fretting too much about being lopsided. Plenty of women feed successfully with just one side (I've read, in a book, about a culture that believes that only one side is ok, anyway, and they all feed from the same side!), so a larger and smaller side is normal and fine.

I do encourage my DS2 to feed from my "bad" side, more, but it will never be as good as my "good" side.

koolkat · 26/03/2006 11:32

The tingly feeling could be a blocked milk duct. I also had this and it just went after a few weeks. If you had thrush you would normally get shooting pains AFTER a feed. There would not necessarily be that much discomfort during a feed with thrush.

I think the discomfort you are having is to do with positioning.

Do you have Lansinoh ? If not please consider buying some. Boots or Mothercare. Amazing stuff and will help keep nipples nice and moist so you won't get cracked nipples. Use after each feed.

Original poster

Flamesparrow · 26/03/2006 11:36

My left side is normally bigger (non-breastfeeding etc)! And yes, I am right handed.

I've had the positioning checked by 3 different HVs now, and they all say it is right.

I seem to produce broken babies :( I know that everything settled again with DD eventually, but my memory is shot and I don't remember how old she was when it did! (She had the same problem, which is how I noticed early on and started chiro so early)

OP posts:

Laura032004 · 26/03/2006 20:22

I had a dodgy side after I stopped night feeding. At night (which could be 8 or so feeds at it's worst!) I would always feed from the r-h side. When I stopped that side felt low for ages, and never got engorged if I missed a few feeds. It took a good few months to go back to normal, but it did. Try not to worry, and I'm sure it will all right itself. I just always offered that side first when he was hungry and sucking well.

SoupDragon · 26/03/2006 20:27

There won be anything wrong with the quality of the milk from your right breast. Quanitity, yes but quality, no. It will just be a matter of feeding lots from that side - production should soon pick up and you'll be leaking from both sides :o I think feeding from the right in the night will help as isn't night feeding meant to boost production more than daytime ones?

FWIW, I'm right handed and like feeding from the left to leave my right hand free for drinking coffee or eating! :o Both sides seem to produce the same amount though.

SoupDragon · 26/03/2006 20:29

and your baby's not broken :)

LIZS · 26/03/2006 20:40

The tingly feeling could just be a "let down" rather than a problem as such. Expressing from the lesser fed side may help but the fact you get more from one than the other may simply be a matter of technique and position of pump for expressing especially if you are right handed(I found that side a bit more awkward). He may simply want a second side because he wants a change - of position and/or taste/consistency-and his appetite is increasing ,rather than because the milk is "shoddy". You can't judge how much he is eating simply by timing feeds either.

hth and good luck

Original poster

Flamesparrow · 27/03/2006 08:45

Thankyou for all your replies.

I think patience is a big thing here . My friend pointed out last night that its taken 4 weeks to get into this situation, so its gonna take time to fix it (me being hormonal woman didn't think like that ). Since a 9pm feed on the "bad" side last night, things have suddenly improved - he came off looking drunk for the first time in ages , and has fallen asleep after feeding on that side this morning (never happens).

I'll go and get the Lansinoh - been meaning to for ages, but always forget what I went into Boots for!!!

The tingly does feel let-downy, I guess where it normally stops pretty much straight away with the left, I assumed it would with the right too.

Thankyou lots for helping put things into perspective a bit more!!! Its amazing how big things can seem when you're not getting sleep

OP posts:

koolkat · 27/03/2006 10:14

Flame - great news - don't they look adorable when they look drunk after a feed ?

SoupDragon · 27/03/2006 10:37

I love that post feed look :)

Flame, I always find that I post a problem on MN and then, within a matter or hours, the problem resolves itself. MN is magic :o Glad it's sorting itself out.

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