Is it possible to successfully bf using one side only?

[UndercoverMother]

Am bf ds, 4wks. One boob is fine, the other is painful, nipple v sore, and doesn't seem to have as much milk.

I am trying to crack on and offer both sides equally, and I know the sensible thing to do would be to try and sort the "bad" boob out, but am seriously considering abandoning the "bad" side and just feeding entirely from the "good" side.

Does anyone know if this is a feasable idea, or have any experience of doing this?

FWIW I fed dd for nearly six months (with no probs of this sort) so would like to aim for same length of bf this time too.

Thanks for any advice.

You KNOW the sensible thing would be to try and get some face-to-face help. It honestly could be something so simple with your positioning that less than 2 minutes with a breastfeeding counsellor could make all the difference. It almost certainly has less milk as a result of the fact the positioning is not great and the supply not being stimulated.
If you call a helpline the counsellors are also trained to discuss positioning over the phone. Information like where damage occurs on the nipple and the shape of the nipple on exit can explain what's going wrong.

BUT to answer your direct question. Yes, it's possible to feed from only one side as the two sides operate independently. You could theoretically let the unfavourite side 'dry up' slowly and continue feeding on the other. I've known mums to do this when they have had breast surgery or a repeated problem on one side. I know someone else (online from another board) who fed for 18 months + from one side after her daughter showed a preference that was hard to shift.

The disadvantages are that you will end up looking quite lop-sided. Potentially dramatically so. It's also possible that feeding from only one side in one position affects the way your baby develops in terms of neck/ head position and even eyesight as he'd be getting stimulation from one side for frequent periods in the day but perhaps not the other - so work on compensating at times outside the feed or varying the position.

The other possibility is that you may find you have slightly shorter feeding intervals than someone who can offer both. Although technically you will make the same amount of milk in 24hrs and the baby will receive the same amount of milk, your one breast will have less storage capacity which affects the initial portion of the feed before the milk starts to be manufactured during the actual feed. I hope that makes sense. More here.
www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html. That may mean more frequent feeding to produce the same amount of milk overall.
BTW duct storage can't be predicted from breast size. Research from the Hartmann team in Australia showed a breastfeeding mum might have 4-20 ducts and it's not dependent on how much fatty tissue the breast contains.

I'm feeding from one side only. DD is 14 weeks. I have very inverted nipples, and although she managed to latch onto one side (after 4 weeks initially of expressing and practising) she cannot latch onto the other at all. I've had lots of professional advice and support and we decided in the end to stop worrying about the 'bad' side. I express from it once a day still and it produces and leaks quite a lot as I feed, which I collect in a shell and use as a top up. So far, there is no difference in breast size or shape.

One of my friends had a baby who would only feed on one side. She did it successfully for a year.

Apart from being pancake falt on the left and buxom on the right - it was fine!

Tambajam thanks very much for your post, I do know what I need to do for the best and really appreciate the gentle support in the right direction...I am feeling slightly less sorry for myself after a good afternoon so am going to try and perseverse and speak to someone for latch advice etc before doing anything drastic. Reading your post is just what I needed to hear to give me the kick up the bum I need!

Belindarose very interesting to hear you are managing the one side only approach, really good luck with it all (feel guilty for moaning when you have a genuine reason to do this rather than my sleep deprived attempt for an easy life!)

HMM thanks for the support too, will deffo try and speak to someone. I very rarely post (but lurk a lot) and remember someone else commenting about the nickname but haven't got round to changing although I've noticed someone else with a very similar name so probably should.

Elsie I am very much on the buxom end of the scale so not too worried about size change, good to hear your friend managed a whole year though, well done her