Lopsided expressing

[milkyJammy]

DD is 7.5 months and almost exclusively BF until weaning at 5.5 months and BF + solids since then.

I now work 2 days per week, when DD goes to nursery. I am expressing at work to a) get milk to send into nursery for DD and b) stimulate supply so that I can continue to BF on days at home.

This is just my 2nd day at work but so far each time I'ev expressed I get plenty out of the left and nowhere near as much from the right. For example mid morning I got 80 ml from L and just 20 ml from right, and 60/20 this lunchtime.

In the early weeks I had to express everything and feed her via bottle as she had problems latching and staying on due to jaundiced induced sleepiness, and then the RIGHT side was more productive. Should I be worried by this considerable discrepancy now, and what can I do if anything to even up? The right side doesn't feel swollen or sore or anything, I just want to know if I can even up and therefore maybe boost production.

By the way the flow is SO much greater on the left side, it's not just a case of more time on one side.

That's perfectly normal, expressing shows no indication of how much milk you have in your breasts, they are made to be stimulated by a babies sucking reflex, not a plastic suction machine.

I was the same with DS, my left breast would be like a fountain yet my right by a trickle, it's nothing at all to do with the amount you have.

Thanks VS - good to know that when she's feeding directly she's still able to get milk out.

On days when I'm at home with her I never seem to be able to expess - she's always been such a good feeder that there didn't seem to be much of a chance to do it, or much to spare. I find that when I'm at work I can get a good bottle's worth out, so each day she goes to nursery she goes with some expressed and some formula. I'm finding expressing easier now though than when she was little, so maybe in time I might get more?

Thanks too FioFio

You could try expressing and feeding tandem, that way you'll get milk from both breasts and could increase the amount of EBM you have.

Hi Victorian Squalor

What is EBM?
Thanks

EBM = Expressed Breast Milk

Dur - thanks!! Am so thick!

I think it's very common to have a better let down in one boob, often the left one as right handed mums often prefer to nurse on that boob as it can free up the right hand. Even if you take care to feed from both boobs, you might subconsciously have been giving more time to the left one, IYSWIM.

Wouldn't worry, it's all good stuff.
HTH