Breastfeeding with one breast

[somanyquestions2018]

I am 30 now but when I was about 19 and a student and a little self conscious about an inverted nipple I went to Harley street and paid some money to have my nipple “corrected”. This involved having the milk ducts cut on the nipple. I was warned that it was very unlikely I would be able to breastfeed from that breast but I was young and foolish and thought “well I still have the other one”.

I am due to have my first child September 2018 and would very much like to breastfeed.

Will I be able to breastfeed using just the one breast? Will my baby get enough milk? Is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation?

Any help would be greatly appreciated 😃

Yes, you definitely can feed from one boob alone! Look to see if there are breastfeeding cafes / LLL groups in your local area and there will be support there but it’s definitely possible.

Thank you for your swift response! Yes I know there are a few breastfeeding groups around so I will pop along when my milk comes in. I have told my midwife obviously and a few other healthcare professionals but it's always been a sort of 'let's wait and see what happens response'. Here's hoping 🤞

A midwife colleague of mine fed only on one breast. Twin mothers are basically doing the same!
Women who have had breast reduction surgery usually have had ducts cut and the nipples repositioned. Amazingly, many of them at least partially breast feed.
Your midwife is right to say "wait and see".

That's a good point! Twin mothers are doing the same. I have read things about mothers who have had breast reduction surgery being able to breastfeed successfully. Apparently there have been cases where milk ducts have regenerated! But it's rare.

I’m a twin Mum. I fed each baby from only one breast rather than half and half as Singleton Mums do.

My breasts did increase hugely in size (two hungry babies!) but went back down once I stopped feeding (18 months)

My twins had a boob each, and they thrived, so, yes, it's perfectly doable. However, prepare to be very lopsided for the first few months!

I feed with only one breast... it Is fine 😁 although I am at least two cup sizes bigger on that side. Which generally doesn't really bother me as I tend to look a bit rubbish anyway
I started feeding with both but one repeatedly got blocked. Was in SO much pain. Joked to a friend about feeding from one side then decided to give it go.... took a couple of weeks for other side t dry up but no issues since , so pleased!
Good luck!

I know a few people whose babies just chose to feed from one and one only, or where only one boob produced milk- they fed ok.
I would say that breastfeeding can be challenging and it's not talked about that much, so find out as much as you can and work out where you'd go for help if you have problems. I thought it was just sticking a baby on the boob but it turned out to be much harder! Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out but a bit of prep might be useful.

My twins had a breast each

I have a one year old who is still feeding all the time, and have only used one breast since he was about a month old - he just did not latch as well on the other one and before I really thought much about it, it had dried up. My son is bonny as anything, so don't worry!

On the negative side, I don't think it's been great for my back/ general posture, but if you do some stretching and general exercise (unlike me, oops), you'll probably be fine.

Loving your positivity OP, it is definitely possible to feed with one breast. I would say, try to take some time during your pregnancy to read up on this and prepare generally for breastfeeding as the first few hours/days/weeks can be nuts. As a PP said, LLL or ABM have good advice and helplines. Go for it

I exclusively breast fed my 11lb 5.5oz son from one boob after having two bouts of mastitis in the other very early on. And while I was a little lop sided at the time, it soon sorted itself out. Give it a whirl, you can always decide it isn't for you.