[premama]

My 8 week old has been preferring my left breast and now my left breast is much bigger in size than my right. When I try to feed from the right breast, she look uninterested and/or she would latch on then stop drinking after a few seconds (she actually looks like she may vomit!).

Isn't the milk from both breasts the same in taste?

I've been pumping my right breast to keep the milk flow and to avoid blocked milk ducts but I would really like her to drink from the right breast as well.

Has anyone else experienced the same problem? What did you to encourage the baby to drink from the less favourite breast?

Thanks!

[Buckeroo]

This happened to me with my first one. Eventually got both breasts to 'even out' by always offering the less favored breast first.

How are you holding your baby when you are feeding him from the right breast? Maybe you can try a different position?

[premama]

Thanks for your reply, Buckeroo.

I'm using the cradle hold position - she latches on for a few seconds and then loses interest very quickly. She looks like she may vomit (she doesn't actually) which makes me wonder whether the milk from my right breast tastes differently...

How did you encourage your baby to drink from the less preferred breast?

[Buckeroo]

Maybe you can try the football hold when offering the right breast...?

Lately I've also noticed that my 4-month old seems to nurse longer on the left breast if I b'feed her lying down, but would happily take the right breast and nurse for a good while if I use the cradle hold (sitting up).
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When baby is hungry, they will (generally) take what they can get. By always offering the less favored breast first (until such time you feel that the size of your breasts have evened out somewhat), you get to drain that breast more, and hence help it to produce more milk, while the other breast might "slow" down its production a bit. It's a matter of supply and demand.

Good luck!

[JennyB]

I have also had this problem with my babies. Funnily enough, the left breast is most common to be the favoured one. Maybe it's connected to how comfortable right-handed women are breastfeeding on the left so that they can do other things on the right?! I believe babies do pick up on these things. Check your holding position is identical.

I also did as Buckeroo suggests, always offering the least favoured side first. They never evened out for me but at least it enabled me to keep feeding on both breasts.

Incidentally, there is usually no nutritional problem feeding from just one breast, it's just more convenient and attractive for us! Twins can manage fine on just one breast each.

[JennyB]

Sorry, I got my facts wrong on the left/right issue. It's my right breast which is fuller and I think that's the much most common one, which might be connected to most people being right-handed but I haven't heard of any surveys where they have connected the issue!

[LLL_Sarah]

Prof. Peter Hartmann doing research the University of Western Australia stated in a lecture given earlier this year in Hong Kong that 90% of mothers have more milk in their right breast and 10% of mothers have more in their left.