When to Switch Sides

A.,
It is such a balance, isn't it? What worked for me was feeding 10min. on each side each time. I wore a bracelet to remind myself which side to start on and each time my children ate I would switch the start side. So if she at on the left first last time, this time it would be the right.
Try it out for a while and see how it works.

milk will always come out because your breasts being the wonderful perfect things they are are always making it! supply and demand is an important thing to remember.

one side note im going to suggest you find the le leche league in your area. www.llli.org. they are fantastic!

i would say that when and if she starts to disconnect a lot on the one side thats the time to switch. or you could go a half hour on each side (about half the time she would nurse total or something).

pumping is hard. this sounds terrible, but try to record your baby crying or fussing and try pumping when you listen to that. i didnt have a recording, but when i pumped while my son fussed or something i got more than twice as much LOL.

CONGRATS for choosing to breastfeed, its the best most beautiful thing in the world. find your le leche leage! that will give you support that every breastfeeding mom desperatly needs! :D

Hi:) I didn't want to post this and insult a lot of people, but you should listen to Jennifer the OB nurse and Jaci K? the one with the kellymom.com website link. They know what they are talking about. I was told, 10 years ago, to switch sides after 10 minutes. That is old information. As one of the other women said, the milk content is different as you breastfeed. The milk at the beginning is more of a thirst quencher, and the hindmilk is the calorie giver. I'd breastfeed on one breast as long as she will. When it becomes painful, then I'd switch, because you don't want to damage the tissue.

Also, be sure to take care of your breasts, lol. Do not soap them, especially if you are like me and shower everyday. Tha tissue is very sensitive, especially with a nursling.

Good luck!
N.

Can you feel the "let down"? I always felt when my milk let down and could hear when they started to slow down on the one side. Then I would stop them burp them, and reattach them to the other side. I would start on the opposite side each time, but always switch after the let down.

You've gotten some great advice already, but I thought I'd add my two cents. What to do does depend a little on whether you do in fact have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and/or oversupply (talk to your local LLL leader to discuss whether this might be the case, you can find a listing at www.lllusa.org), in which case you'd want to continue nursing on just one side per feeding. This isn't all that common, though, and if your nipples are getting irritated you might be better off giving them more of a break by switching sides during each feeding. I agree with the other posters who recommended watching your baby rather than the clock. When her sucking starts to slow way down and/or you're not hearing active swallowing any more, that's a good time to offer the other side. It's also okay to nurse more than once on each side during a feeding -- my daughter did that sometimes during growth spurts. Good luck, and I'd highly recommend contacting your LLL leader to get the best recommendations for your situation.

Hello!
I agree with the other mom, call a lactation consultant, they are FANTASTIC and they can really help you with your specific situation. Your pediatrician's office might even have a NP who is a consultant, you can start there. I had a lot of issues nursing/milk supply and with the help of my consultant I was able to nurse/pump for 8 months. I would have given up when I went back to work if it wasn't for my NP/lactation consultant!
Good luck :).

I would suggest that you take your daughter either to the doctor's office or to the hospital where she was born and have them weigh her before you feed her. Then go ahead and feed her as usual and have them weigh her after the feeding. This will tell you how much that she is getting. It may be that she is not getting enough milk, but if she is getting enough, it will put your mind at ease. Our local hospitals have a lactation consultant who can help you if she is not getting enough. I had a similar issue and my daughter was spending so much time trying to eat that she was actually expending more calories to eat than she was getting. It worked out just fine for us and she is still the slowest eater known to man! Good luck!

I am by no means an expert at this, however I have spent lots of time on the phone talking with lactaction consultants regarding my own baby. I was doing the same as you with doing one side per feeding early on. Then my supply started to drop. The lactation consultants told me to switch sides at least once per feeding and maybe even 2 or 3 times if needed. They told me to switch as soon as I couldn't hear active swallowing. They have also told me that breasts are never truly empty, some milk is stored and some is made at the time of the feeding. They also recommended that the breasts need to be emptied at least 8 times per day to keep supply up. Again, this is just what they told me over many phone calls. I would suggest that you give the lactation consultants a call and explain your specific situation because they are really helpful. I was never made to feel that I was calling too much or asking silly questions. Especially if you are going back to work soon I would call them just to ask what you can do to help ease the transition and what you can expect will happen.

I hope this helps!

Hi A. -

A little background about myself: I'm an OB nurse and I've been involved in La Leche League for a number of years. In addition, I breastfed my twin daughters for almost 2 years.

First of all, congratulations on your new baby & on being so dedicated to breastfeeding. I know it can be a lot of work, and I can't imagine what it's like to have to go back to work when she's so little.

When I'm counseling new moms about breastfeeding, I don't stress watching the clock during a feeding. It used to be that women were told to nurse baby for 10 minutes on one side and then switch. However, we know now that the milk a baby gets during a feeding changes from the beginning to the end. At the beginning, the milk has a higher water content which sates the baby's thirst. By the end of the feeding, breastmilk has a higher fat content. This is called "hind milk" and is where baby will get most of her calories.

The best recommendation I can give is to let your baby nurse on one side until she is satisfied and pulls away (or falls asleep). Then you can offer her the other side, and of course, start the next feeding on the second side. If she doesn't want to nurse on the other side, that's just fine. My daughters always nursed on one side only, since I nursed them at the same time, and while we had long nursing sessions (45-90 min), they gained well and never needed supplements.

As far as pumping and getting an adequate amount to feed your baby while you're at work, there are several things you can do. You might try pumping one breast while you are feeding your daughter on the other breast. Pumps are wonderful, but are not as efficient as the real thing. By pumping while you nurse, you will receive the stimulation from your daughter, which might increase your ability to produce expressed breast milk. If you don't have better luck with the breast pump, you can also try expressing your milk manually. Some women respond better to hand expression than breast pumps.

Did your breast pump come with a manual attachment? If so, you might try using that in the shower. Warm water can help with let down and increase the amount you are able to express.

Finally, I would recommend you contact your local La Leche League group, or contact your local health department. Most health departments have a WIC program and should include a lactation consultant. I'm also including some links to La Leche League's website which might be helpful.
http://llli.org/NB/NBmilksupplyissues.html
http://llli.org/NB/NBpumping.html

Good luck!
J.

A.; she will loose interest when you are running low, then you switch breasts, she will take the next one, on your next feeding, start with the one she finished one, and then switch again, put a safety pin on your bra strap on the side you did last, then you will know which side to start on next feeding, my kids ate from both sides during one sitting, start on one side, switched in middle, when they lost interest, and then they ate from the other side, then i owuld mark my bra with a ribbon or safety and started their next feeding on the breast they did last, D. s

A.,
Hi, I am so glad to hear you are planning to pump so you can continue breastfeeding when you go back to work. There is no better nourishment for your little darling than your milk!!
You can be sure your daughter is getting enough to eat as well as increase milk production if you allow her to nurse both sides at every feeding. She will need about 10 minutes per side to fill her tummy. The "alternate sides" part of nursing means alternate which side you offer first at each feeding so the same nipple does not constantly get the vigorous sucking when she especially hungry at the beginning. (You can slip a small paper clip on the bra strap of the side you started first so that at the next feeding you will remember which side to offer to first.)
With good advice and coaching, I was able to breastfeed all 6 (yes, six!!!!!!) of my children without supplementing at all until 6 months of age when I gradually started introducing solids so as to minimize the chance of developing allergies.
I recommend you contact your obstetrician/doctor or the hospital where you delivered to get in touch with a lactation consultant who can give you some great tips on how to make your breastfeeding experience a success. God has designed mothers so that when both breasts are nursed at the same feeding and you are taking good care of yourself (enough rest and drinking lots of water), your body will kick in to produce more milk to keep up with your growing girl.
Praying you'll have a pleasant, satisfying experience,
L.

Hi A.,

I nursed 3 of my 4 kids and what I found is that I did always have one side that produced more than the other but I still only let my kids nurse on one side for about 15-20 minutes, then I switched at every feeding. Then the next feeding I would start with the one that I had stopped with. I think this will help so that you don't get an infection or mastitis on the side that doesn't produce much.

As your baby gets older too you will definitely produce more milk. As her needs increase, yours will too.

Good Luck and Enjoy Your Little One!!

L.

My kids ate for an hour as well early on but I switched them after 30 minutes or so during each feeding and never just had them eat one side at a time. Your supply and demand will be best if you switch during the feedings:) When she gets older you can do 15 minutes each side.

You could just experience a let down and let your baby go a bit longer and then switch sides. I think women experience one or two let downs during a feeding per side.

A lactation person may not tell you to time things and let the baby go as long as they went. I agree with this but when the baby isn't taking both breasts at the feeding your supply is not at capacity unless you pump after your feedings.

I hope things work out for you. Let me know if you have any more questions.

If she isn't getting fussy or frustrated, I wouldn't worry that she isn't getting enough. If she unlatches and looks at you then it is safe to say she is done on that side, that is when I'd offer the other side. It sounds to me like she is doing just fine eating on the one side, and it is actually better for her since she'll get more of the hind milk which keeps her full. Keep in mind too, that when you pump, you aren't able to get nearly as much milk out as your baby can, because she is much more efficient than a pump. You'll probably find that you'll have to pump before and after work in order to get enough milk for your daughter for the next day.

This site: http://www.kellymom.com/ is the best site out there for breastfeeding advice. Read about the difference between foremilk and hindmilk, cluster feeding, and growth spurts. That should help put your mind at ease!

Good luck mama, you are giving your daughter the best start possible!

edited to add: I just read some responses on here, and while they are all good, I'm afraid some are misinformed. Your baby does not absolutely have to eat on both sides in order for your supply to stay up. Your body will figure out your baby's need on it's own. Besides, there is such a thing as oversupply AND foremilk and hindmilk imbalance (they go hand in hand usually). By switching sides before baby is ready, you are not allowing your baby to get as much hindmilk as she might need. In fact, if you switch too soon, you might find your daughter eats for even longer.

To everyone who reads this, I absolutely recommend reading about oversupply and learning the difference between fore and hind milk, and how they work.

My pediatrician told me from day one to nurse each side per feeding. She said to do 10 minutes on each side, with a burp in between. A feeding should not go over 15 minutes on any one side, or th baby is just pacifying. By nursing each side, you really establish your milk production. You must be very sore, if she's eating for nearly an hour on one side. Try the cold gel pads to help with the pain. You can find them at Walgreens in the baby isle. Also, make sure you're using lanolin cream after each feeding. My ped. also said it is good to walk around topless for an hour or two each day, to allow the air to get to the nipple to heal.
You may also want to check her latch to make sure she is able to get the milk out. The best tip I got from my lactation nurse was to massage the breast as the baby feeds, it can help with let down, and pushes the milk toward the nipple making it easier for baby to get. She's still very young and figuring out the whole thing. Give her time, and do your best to go into each feeding very relaxed. Best of Luck!

Mine baby was the same -- we'd have marathon nursings of an hour or more. The most I ever let him go normally was about 40 minutes per side. I finally asked a lactation consultant, and she said it was okay to cut him off after 20 minutes on each side. She said that the breast is stimulated to make more milk the longer he nurses, but only up to about 20 minutes. He has always eaten on both sides every time he nurses, but my friend has a baby who only ever took one at a time.

Some days you feel like you spend your whole day feeding the baby! It gets better, though -- mine is 8 1/2 months, and now he will finally nurse for only 10-15 minutes on each side!

Good luck returning to work. It's hard at first -- I cried on the way to work for a while. Pumping at work is kind of a pain, but doable. That gets better too. The best is looking forward to seeing your baby when you get home:)

Hello Adrian,

First of all good for you for breast feeding, it isn't easy at this stage is it. It will get easier once some of the guess work is figured out and the nipple tenderness goes away.

As far as "which side" you should be feeding her both sides at every meal. Consider the second side as dessert (your breasts need this stimulation to know it's production schedule), she may not take as much but in time she will and it will be up to her. As you breastfeed more you will learn to feel the sensation of being empty, it is pretty uncomfortable. For now just let her eat as she needs to, I am sorry I don't remember exactly how much a typical 7 week old eats. But if she doesn't seem content and happy when you think she is done, she probably hasn't had enough yet. Or if she is able to take a nice longish nap after you've fed her, she's probably had enough.
Fyi, the milk is different when nearing the empty stage of a feeding, it's called the hinde (sp) milk and is a nice fattier milk.

Also, calling your hospital and asking to speak to a Lacation Nurse/Specialist would be very helpful. Also going on LaLache Leagues website would be useful.

Good luck and hang in there! In a couple of weeks you'll be on autopilot with breastfeeding.

~T. (mother of three, breastfed three)

If you want to keep nursing, you need to be switching sides at each feeding. What you are doing is "training" your breasts to produce milk every 6 hours instead of every three. That isn't enough to keep up with her needs. Nurse for 1/2 hour on one and then switch.

I switched every 15 minutes- but he rarely nursed for more than 30 minutes at a time at that age. When I was preparing to go back to work, I'd let him nurse from both sides and then pump afterwards- if he'd eaten more off one side than the other, I'd pump a little extra from the other side (e.g. he nursed from right breast 15 but only 10 from the left, I'd pump an extra 5 minutes on the left). I'd suggest too that it's nice to see what others are doing, but there is no right answer except what works best for you.

There's no clear cut answer for you. Your breasts are never empty which is why you can get milk after an hour of her sucking. I would say switch her when her when you can't hear/see her swallowing anymore or her sucking becomes very light.