Boosting milk supply in left breast - advice needed

[littleduck]

Hi all

I am concerned that the milk supply in my left breast is decreasing. DD is nearly 6 weeks and is exclusively breast fed, there seems to be plenty of milk in the right breast, it practically spurts out (and indeed did just that all over poor DD's face when I fed her a short while ago) but the left breast seems far less full and she doesn't seem able to get much out of it - after 5 mins or so on that side she starts fussing as if she has taken all that she can from it but will guzzle away on the right breast if I switch her across and will keep at it for much longer.

I had to express from both breasts last week when DD was briefly in hospital nil by mouth and could get a good 4-4.5 oz out of the right breast but only ever managed just under 3 oz from the left.

Is there any way I can boost the supply on the left, hopefully not at the expense of the supply on the right. I have been trying to start each feed on the left hand side today to make sure it gets plenty of stimulus (sometimes she gets full on the right breast if I offer that first and then won't take the left), should I start expressing between feeds as well or something like that?

Any help much appreciated, I have called three BF helplines this morning to discuss and couldn't get through on any of them.

Many thanks

Littleduck - i will watch this with interest as I have the same problem (but opposite breast). DD is now 9 weeks and i have very little in the right breast (never fills even overnight and DD gets fussy on it v fast). I have been feeding right breast first for 3 weeks now but unfortunately it isnt helping (and funnily enough her latch is better on this breast too).

I understand it is quite common and I suppose it is only a problem if it is affecting your overall supply levels (problem for me) or making you look v lopsided!

I have tried fenugreek, and currently More Milk plus too but no obvious change.

There is a section on this on the kellymom.com site that might be worth you reading but otherwise i am out of ideas!

I was the other way round - lads of milk from lefty but hardly any on the right. Nettle tea helped a bit, as did always putting him on the right breast first, but he eventually developed such a strong side preference that he wanted nothing to do with the right breast whatever weird and wonderful positions I tried. I kept it going by pumping for a few months, but am now resigned to having boobs like Laurel and Hardy for the duration! Apparently some women can have three times as many milk ducts in one breast compared to the other, so it's not unusual to have an uneven supply.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but try starting with the 'weaker' boob for a few days and see whether that's enough to boost it.

I had this too, and I did try to start most feeds on the left boob so that it was always being "used" as like you if I just geve the right, there was so much milk in that one that DD didn't need the left. But I ended up trying not to worry about it, yes I probably looked slightly wonky but as long as I had milk somewhere then that was good enough. I ended up feeding DD for nearly 16 months so it obviously wasn't too much of a problem.
Hope you get help if it continues to worry you.

What you are doing it good, and if you are really worried you could try doing a bit of pumping either between feeds or after she has finished. Why not use the left one as her "comfort nursing" boob, you can Mumsnet with your right hand whilst she nibbles in her sleep, that would help your supply too.

However, try not to worry about it too much, it is possible to feed your baby just from one boob ~ I know two ladies who have, and twins only get one boob each, so don't spend ages pumping and stressing about it. Everyone has one boob that is more productive than the other, obviously your right one is your Super Boob and your left one is the Lazy Lactater!

Don't forget she will probably be extra fussy at the moment, 6 weeks os growth spurt time, so don't take her seemingly insatiable appetite as a sign you don't have enough milk, just keep feeding her, switching from one side to the other and she will soon settle again.

I have exactly the same problem! it does my head in !