How to fix lopsided-ness?

[shivawn]

Hi! I'd love to get some advice if anyone has any idea what to do about my problem!

I've been breastfeeding my baby for 9 weeks now. He isn't fussy about which side he feeds from but along the way I developed a preference for the left side just because I like having my right hand free and it's easier to put him back in to the next to me at night if he falls asleep facing thar direction. Although I always feed him on both sides I guess he's been on the left side a bit more.

Now my left breast has become noticeably bigger than the right. For the past 2 days I've been attempting to correct the problem by feeding mostly on the right side but it's only making things worse! Right breast is still smaller and softer and the left one is really firm and full. Just now when I switched him over to the left side he started coughing and choking on the amount of milk coming out (and loads had already leaked out before I switched him over - the bib I stuck under my left breast while feeding on the right side was soaked).

What do I do? Stick with what I'm doing?

Breasts are amazingly designed and work on supply and demand - the more you feed, the more milk they supply.

Left one is supplying more because it has been primed to do so by feeding on that side more, so at the moment it's still producing the extra but now it's not being drunk so that's why your breast feels so full.

If you feed less on that side for a while, it will adjust and start producing less, it might take 3 or 4 days for the supply to level out.

Hi @shivawn, if you start feeding on the right side more, your breasts should even out within a few days — they’re amazingly adept at regulating supply as the PP said.

One thing that might help is offering both breasts at each feed and potentially using a silicone hand pump (like a Haakaa) on the non-feeding side to catch the let-downs. That’s what I do to prevent soaking through muslins etc.! Well done for breastfeeding for 9 weeks. It can be tough. I’m just at week 12 myself with first DC. Xx

Stick to the right side for a while and use a haakaa on your left breast while feeding.

I also favour the left even though my baby isn't fussed either way. I have to make a conscious effort to put him on the right.