To use the same breast twice in a row or switch each time?

[Fox28]

DD is 4 days old and seems to be doing well BF. However sometimes she'll only feed for 5-10 minutes then want more milk in 30 mins-an hour.

For the second feed should I switch breasts to make sure there's enough for the second feed (which may be longer) and to make sure I don't get sore?

Or should I offer the same breast again to ensure DD gets plenty of fatty milk? If there's a longer gap between feeds should I switch breasts, and if so how long? (Eg if there's a 2 hour gap between feeds should I swap to the other breast regardless of how long DD fed last time)

I've looked at the kellymom website but can't seem to find what I'm looking for

Thank you!

Switching is ok but if you forget you'll find that's fine too. Tiny feeds every 20 minutes is breastfeeding perfection.

Keep your back straight, pile cushions on your lap to support your arm while you hold baby high so she doesn't pull at the nipple and you won't get sore. Any soreness or cracking, deal with by touching nipples with ice (deadens pain, makes good shape for latching) and by feeding more often, not less.

It helps to think of breastfeeding as similar to breathing (babies do it all the time) rather than eating (older people do it a few times a day).

Good luck.

I think ideally switch so your breasts don't get overly sore.

Baby will adapt soon and lengthen feeds so the fatty milk will be received when needed. Right now colestrum/ easy to digest first milk is easiest on their stomachs

Sounds like it's going really well :) I always switched because otherwise the neglected breast would blow up like a hard, lumpy balloon and I was scared it would pop :)

Oh and the foremilk/hindmilk thing isn't as straightforward as "only if they feed for x time do they get the hindmilk". Its a gradual change as the milk comes out, so don't worry too much about that. Go with what the baby asks for and you won't be going far wrong

I would switch each time, but don't fret if you can't remember. I found it got easier to tell which side I needed to feed from next as it would be more engorged. I wouldn't worry too much about fore milk and hind milk - your body is adapting with the baby and producing just what your baby needs, so feed her when she asks and both your bodies will adapt together.

Hi there, I think this link will explain it all clearly for you written by a lactation consultant breastfeeding.support/one-breast-or-two-per-feed/ It's a matter of letting your baby decide because it depends on your own storage capacity of milk. In many cases babies will sometimes take both sides, and sometimes take one side. Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt or make you sore however long the feed lasts. If it does hurt, check your positioning here breastfeeding.support/how-do-i-position-my-baby-to-breastfeed/ and if you can't improve it then seek good help. This article is full of breastfeeding tips to get you off to a good start breastfeeding.support/breastfeeding-tips/

Thank you all. Lot of really good advise. Whitemusk your link was very helpful and made lots of sense.

I think essentially, as long as DD is fed and happy we'll be fine, and she should tell me if she's hungry or run out on one side.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, just make sure you are offering both breasts frequently. I wouldn't keep sticking to one side for multiple feeds though as this can reduce your supply.

You won't run out, boobs make milk constantly! It'll just be more comfortable if you switch.

I've got a loom band bracelet (it's rubber so I don't have to take it off in the bath) that I put on my wrist on the last side I fed on. Helps me keep track :)

Thank you

One more question - my milk has come in today and my left breast is hard and tender. Right isn't so bad. Feeding DD on the left she's staying there for about half an hour then I've offered the right and she's done an extra 10-15 mins. She definitely feeds easier on the right, whereas with the left she's on and off a lot. It almost feels as though she isn't getting anything from the left. But if she was getting nothing at all surely she wouldn't try for that long and give up long before half an hour??

I tried expressing a little to help her latch better but didn't know how much to express? I didn't want to do too much and increase my supply

You tend to find that they latch easier on one boob, my ds prefers the left boob :), when he is on the right boob he does latch on and off repeatedly he also struggled with latching on when my milk came in so I just expressed enough off so it was soft enough for him to latch on easily, doing this never increased my supply. As for feeding I have only ever offered one boob per feed and then switch for the next feed, the loom band is a great idea as I often forget and find myself handling my boobs to find which ones heavier :)!!!

This is a good link to explain how to relieve that engorgement, keeping the milk flowing will avoid mastitis. Here is the link Breasts Full and Tender If the breast is very full it can be hard to latch on so as the PP says you could try a little hand expression but as it is the first few days after birth there is also going to be blood and tissue fluids in the area so reverse pressure softening may help to divert some of the fluid... it's all explained in the above link. You could also try a different hold on the difficult breast eg rugby hold on that side if you have been doing cradle or cross cradle. Hope that helps :-)

My left boob is easier for DD to latch on too, seems to be the milky one! I've offered both every feed since she was born, and this seems to have evened them out a bit. She doesn't always do both nowadays (she's 12 weeks) but I still offer, even if she has a little snooze between boobs.

If baby is only feeding on one boob per feed, it's probably even more important to offer the opposite one on the next feed. I'm no expert but that seems to make sense to give each side equal stimulation to produce.

cathpip I did have a nicer bracelet but took it off for a bath and then couldn't remember which side it was on...