Is this normal?

[lime10]

I'm not a FTM but apparently my memory doesn't stretch back two years where breastfeeding is involved.

My baby is almost one week old, and we've been breastfeeding exclusively from birth. The midwife said her latch seemed fine just before we left the hospital (and I breastfed my first until she was two, so I feel confident enough about latching). It BLOODY hurts when I feed, but I do remember this going after two weeks the first time round, so I'm not too worried.

The problem is, my baby's developed an aversion to one nipple, and pops on and off and cries when she's on that one. It's not because there's no milk, or because the letdown is too strong. I've been letting her use the preferred breast as a result, but wonder if I should pump the neglected one so it doesn't stop producing milk? Or force her to use the neglected one?

Also, my milk has just come in. Should I be emptying my breast after each feed, or is that a bit later?

Thank you very much

I think a preference for one side is pretty normal. I'm weaning now and had been feeding accidentally from one side only. A quick check to see if the other had dried up ended up with a wet face 🙄. She's always preferred the right but I encouraged both and she got used to it. The first few weeks I got into a complete tizz about emptying the breast (couldn't tell if I had) and mixed advice about whether to offer both. In the end I just went with whether she seemed satisfied and as long as I'd used both throughout the day figured it was ok.

I was always told to let baby feed and avoid pumping in the first six weeks (unless topping up for weight or exclusively pumping).

Congrats on your new baby

Thank you so much for the reply, I think I'd got myself into a tizz and feel better now :)