Confused about breastfeeding!

[Onaloop]

Hello! I have a 5 week old baby and exclusively breastfeed. I have a fast let down and a lot of milk which means most of the time he'll feed on one boob for five minutes then either fall asleep or it gets too much and he'll choke and splutter and cry with milk pouring out of his mouth. He never feeds from both boobs in one sitting.

After lots of experimenting with positions the rugby ball position seems to be best and very occasionally he'll feed for 15-20 minutes on one side but rarely. At the moment he feeds every 2.5-3 hrs during the day and has a longer break at night for 4-6 hrs.

Im confused about what boob to offer him - for example, if he feeds on the left for 5 mins, then 3 hours later should I continue on the left, or offer the right?

Also, If he feeds for 15/20 mins on the left, but only 5 on the right, ive been offering him the right again the next feed 3 hrs later but that means the left boob gets no action for several hours.

I dont want to accidentally stop one boob producing milk by getting it wrong, or am I overthinking it?

Also baby is putting on weight well and lots of wet nappies so hemy midwife is happy even though hes only feeding for 5 minutes most of the time.

I so had a baby who had very short 5 min feeds generally (which I was quite grateful for!)
I had an app on my phone that tracked feeding in the early days and also so I could remember which side she had fed from.
I alternated each feed so one feed left then next would be right as she also didn't take both in one feed.

also

I would still alternate boobs even if they only feed for 5 mins, they might have a fast feed as they are alert then a more sleepy feed that lasts longer.

Amazing work on them gaining weight, you sound like you are doing a great job!

I just squeezed my boobs and which ever was fullest I fed from that one.

You are overthinking

If it's only 5 mins I would sometimes go onto the same side next time to ensure you get some hindmilk in baby

I used to alternate boobs, left boob for one feed, right boob for the next. They don't need to feed off both boobs at each feed.

Addictedtotheflats is absolutely correct. Feed off the boob that feels fullest and you will be fine. Your baby is getting plenty of fatty milk or wouldn’t have great gain.

Sounds like my 2nd and 3rd babies! I had such powerful let down in the early weeks I swear I could have hit a running rabbit across the garden
They only ever had one boob per feed before falling asleep so I’d just offer the opposite next time they woke up.
Also with the choking and spluttering on the crazy fire hydrant letdown? That will calm down! I used to have to perch my bum right on the very edge of the sofa and then lay back practically horizontal to let gravity help slow the flow

Yes to the feeling fullest method. I'd probably alternate but if you notice one feeling a bit fuller start on that regardless.

Block feeding (sticking to one side for X hours) is a method recommended to help with oversupply, but should be done under the support of a breastfeeding specialist e.g. lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor.

Here too! Just poke the boobs and see which feels most full.

I would just alternate at each feed, regardless of time, unless one feels too uncomfortable.

I used a hakka in the early days when my letdown started too, otherwise baby would just choke or end up too gassy.

Definitely alternate. Switch a bracelet onto the corresponding wrist of last used boob to help keep track (sounds nuts but helped my baby brain)

Another squeezer to see which is fullest. It helps to feed leaning back/reclining with a fast let down, sort of propped up in bed style, it stops it being so overwhelming.

Thanks so much everyone. I've been using an app to track the feeding times but actually the squeezing technique is much more intuitive! I think I've been overthinking it

The apps are not very helpful IMO, they encourage you to think about minutes spent feeding which is really not relevant or useful information. If you were trying to lose weight but you couldn't count calories would you log how much time you spent at a table? Probably not. Being able to log the last boob used is semi useful if you tend towards a preference (I know I automatically want to feed more on my left to keep my right hand free) but again not really necessary. It's useful to be able to look and say oh right, yep, it's a couple of hours since he last fed, he's probably hungry. But less useful if you're stressing because today he fed 6 times and yesterday it was 10, or this morning he spent 20 mins and now he's only spending 5 etc.

Basically - they encourage worry over things that you wouldn't normally notice, and generally don't need to worry about.