One breast working better than other

[NiaElsie30]

Hello lovely mums. My 6 week old fusses terribly at my right breast, I know this breast isn't producing as much as my left, between 30 - 50 ml compared to 70 to 90 ml, as I express (so my hubby can do two feeds in the morning.) Today has been particularly stressful at one point she wouldn't go on either breast so we ended up giving a bottle feed ( of expressed milk). She has since fed from both breasts, but with the usual fuss at the right one.

Here are my questions ....
Have we a case of nipple confusion and if so how do we get round it?
Could the fussing on right breast be related to when my hind milk starts to flow as the fussing isn't always from the start.
Could it be at some feeds that she only wants a thirst quenching drink?
I usually start with the right breast so at least it is stimulated, we switch over as soon as she fusses, do you think this is the right way to do it?

Any help and suggestions greatly recieved!

1. unlikely
2. hind milk doesnt start tio flow, its more of a tap effect.... you know when you have cold water and it trickles to hot but in the middle its mixed? breastmilk is like that, but you know what, most HCP's dont know that either sadly.
3. Possibly I guess, hard to know though

4.I would alternate breasts myself.

OK LOL

Firstly well done for getting so far you've already given your DD a great start and one bottle will make not a jot of difference so please dont worry.

Sometimes babies can e like this, mine is. Its my left one and I worked it out as to do with muscle weakness on that side and a dodgy hols. So he mostly feeds on the right and that's OK, it's enougha nd now he'sover 12 months and it's fine. It will be for you also.

Six weeks is a notrorious growth spurt age so fussing when waiting for let down is not unusual TBH, S4 likes me to sitch breasts regualrly (so much so he helps himself now PMSL, making feeding in public an issue shall we say ).

I would say just relax, alternate the breast you start on and keep that up for a few days to build supply. Relax and let your baby guide you, switching breasts when she pulls off. Mums can feed on one side alone, so its not a huge issue.

If she ownt go on either breast try feeding her if you really feel the need EBM from a cup (best one I ever used was the lid of the baby bottle) if youre worried about the bottles teat, bt keep trying .

Kellymom is a great site for info if you struggle to get help at nuight BTW

good luck and congrats on the baby

Try feeding in slightly differnet position on fussy side too.
School of thought that considers fussy/colicky papers have sustained pressure to head during birth (unsurprisingly) which can be painful.

The amount you express does not correspond with how much milk your breasts actually make. Most women find that they can express better from one breast than the other - I know I certainly did. You might find that because you are worrying about it you are conveying that worry to your baby and that is why she is fussing?
I would suggest alternating which breast you start feeds with as usually a baby sucks more strongly at the start of a feed. You could end up lopsided if one breast always gets more stimulation athn another.

I would also suggest giving less teat feeds if she is not breastfeeding well. Babies can develop a prefence for the bottle and that can cause breastyfeeding difficulties. Does your DH need to give 2 feeds a day?
Dads can be involved in lots of ways without having to actually give bottle feeds. My Dh always did the cuddling after a feed and used to enjoy watching my babies breastfeed.

If you find that she remains fussy, try feeding her lying in the same direction as when she is on the left breast - that can help too.

And congratulations on breastfeeding BTW

Thank you all, really helpful! We have lots to try. Will try and get an hours sleep before next feed... Xxx

May be worth trying a cranial osteopath possibly ... DD preferred one side when she was teeny and the osteopath said it was because her jaw was slightly lopsided due to the pressure on it during birth and sorted it out (btw the osteopath volunteered this info - asked whether she preferred the left (which she did), which impressed me as I thought it was a bit cranky! Seemed to work though ).

dita what did the osteopath thing involve? was it a few painful sessions or more like bishbashbosh, jaw sorted?
i only ask because i think my baby might have a lopsided jaw, and also fusses a bit on the right boob. he's 5 months now though, would that be too old to fix it?

The cranial osteopath has made a massive difference with my ds who is now 4 wks old. She used a method called set and hold, appyling no more pressure than testing the firmness of a tomato. My ds was calm throughout and after a mammoth feed he slept well. Previously he was very fussy at the breast and hated been put on his back. His neck was far too strong for a newborn and this is now far improved.
I think they can always assist - no matter what age. Would be worth ringing one to talk it through.

Briefly - it's quite normal for babies to have a preference for one breast. Usually, with right handed mothers, it's the left one (I think). Despite DS2's preference for my left one, the right one is still producing milk 16mths later, and even though the left one looks bigger (from where I'm standing - DH assures me I don't list to port-side too much), it's only ever the right one that leaked!

Don't fret too much - at 6 weeks I would probably offer both breasts at each feed but alternate sides until feeding is a bit better established. Also at 6 weeks you'll probably get away with offering a bottle of EBM once every 24 hours - again I've heard that if you offer bottles too frequently, LOs can start to prefer bottles (as there's no hanging around for let-down and the flow is more regular and possibly faster); conversely if you don't offer bottles regularly enough (say once a week), your LO might lose the knack.

Sounds like you're doing a good job, try not to fret too much, and definitely have a look on www.kellymom.com for some excellent BF information and advice.

As for the osteopath theory, might another reason for fussing on one side also be down to the fact that we are not anatomically symetrical - therefore one nipple might be easier to latch onto. SImilarly, your hold (when you switch baby over) might differ slightly.

One good tip I had was to hold DS2 in a cross-hold to the left breast, and then keep him pointing the same way, but shift him across the breast (in a "rugby ball" position) so that he thought he was on the same boob. You might also want to try different feeding positions, e.g. lying down, different configurations of cushions etc.

Rest assured, it all gets much easier.

alannabanana like TomThumbMum describes, the osteopath just held DD in different ways - it was really gentle. Think we had about four sessions but it depends on the baby I think. I am totally sceptical but it did seem to help! TTM we had the neck too strong thing too

Funny the doctor said for me to find out about head massage as she thought baby's head was tending to go one way. Am booking a course on Weds. Will look into osteopath too as baby also has strong neck and can hold head up really well already.

Am experimenting with postions.

Thanks to all xxx