milk production - can you increase it?

[chocolatekimmy]

My left breast produces loads more milk than my right - the side on which I had very severe mastitis 5 weeks ago. It just doesn't seem to fill up and there is a massive difference in size when you look at them.
When I express in the morning after about a 4 hour break, I can get about 4oz in ten minutes from my left side but probably only just over half that from my right. After that, the supply just seems to stop (both sides). Even though I feel really full and leaky, 4oz hardly seems anything.
Is there a way of increasing supply and has anyone had such a vast difference in breasts?

just try feeding more from the right side

i'm not sure as I never did manage to get as much as 4oz by expressing! the amount itself is nothing to worry about: no pump is anything like as efficient at sucking milk as a baby.

but yes, I had more on one side than the other. to increase supply, you need to feed on the low-spurting breast more - I used to start on that side always, feed for as long as I could before ds started getting grumpy, then feed on the other side and finally I'#d do another 10 mins on the first side. it can be hard work: you may find you get on better by feeding in a quiet room (I used to lie down on the bed with the lights low), but you'll get there in a few days.

Thanks for your quick responses, I only joined this tonight so impressed already!

Fenugreek capsules from Holland and Barrat or other health shops. supposed to work after 24 hours. I sound like I'm on commission, but I just wish I'd known about it when I was b/f

Feed as much as possible to stimulate supply and Sweetheart Stout, Brewer's Yeast or Fenugreek. Not sure if you should take all three at once but I know that SS and BY together are fine. My BF support group MW indicated that Fenugreek can make all your body fluids green though...eek.

choco, why do you want to increase your milk production? Someone with a proven tendency to mastistis prob shouldn't be trying to make any more than her baby actually needs.

If you want to equalise supply for some reason (and no need to do that, even, unless you are walking with a limp as a result ;)) then yes, feed more on the right.

But why bother?

My advice is this. One of my boobs has always been preferred by all my children ( i've fed lots!) The preferred boob was naturally bigger and when i pumped would yeild more milk.
With this baby I have fed every feed since birth from the least preferred boob and it has increased its supply to surpass the other one now. I pump every day and have a freezer full - stops mastitis and soon I can stop and feed him what i pumped for a couple of months hth