Looking for ideas to prevent one sided bf

[Phaena]

Hello All-
I'm currently breastfeeding my 4 month old daughter, and occasionally my 2 year old son. I'm looking for ideas for how to prevent uneven/one sided breastfeeding. I think primarily because we cosleep, we unintentionally came to breastfeed only on the right side with my son (easier not to switch sides in the middle of the night). With my daughter, I'm trying really hard not to get stuck just feeding on the right. I think my breasts have a "memory" though, and already, my supply is much heavier on the right. Any suggestions from people who've been there?

I'm not worried at all about supply or if it is a problem for the kids. I know from my son that being one sided won't be a problem. But because we plan to bf for a long time, it would be *nice* not to be so dramatically uneven for the foreseeable future... I try to nurse primarily from the left in the day (if there's anything there), and only nurse on the right when fully engorged. And I'm trying to be really good about switching at night, or sleeping on my left. Should I let the right side get engorged? And nurse as much as possible on the left? That's my strategy so far, and it hasn't evened things up at all... And maybe it's partially a mental thing - I think my girl isn't getting enough from the left and I switch? Any thoughts suggestions would be welcome!

[shapiro-strano]

I was just about to post the same question!

Hope someone has some tips!

[crunchy_mommy]

My strategy keeps changing lol...

But some of the things I've done (my right produces way more than my left):

-Use the right side for "feeding" and the left for comfort nursing (which also boosts the left side's supply since he stays on there longer)... for him that means I use the left more often for naps & during the night

-For every 1-2 times he feeds on the right, I'll have him feed 3-5 times on the left

-Feed from the top breast while nursing side-lying (so you can feed from either side without flipping over etc. in the middle of the night)

-When my son was younger (3 or 4 months) I finally figured out that one of the reasons he preferred a certain side was because he didn't like laying on the other side... I think it bothered his neck or something... so I tried some different positions & he got more comfortable nursing on either side

-Only switch sides when I feel TOTALLY empty on the less-producing side. On the side that produces more, switch sides after 1 or 2 feedings, even if there's still a lot of milk.

[CookAMH]

I'm curious about how to avoid this too with our next baby b/c 9mo DS has been exclusively one-sided for about 5 months. I'm pretty much dry in my left breast. He's doing fine growth wise and seems satisfied, but I'd like to have milk in both sides next time! I had over active letdown on the right side so to control that, it was nursed more and the low side was neglected.

[chefjulie]

Is it bad?

Not sure how to prevent/avoid... and not sure how bad it is to single side feed -- and lopsided is only a concept, not a reality in my experience.

I nursed my 3yo son when my daughter was born and though my mom was very supportive of breastfeeding she was not quite so on board with tandem and she kinda freaked me out about germs (I've long since gotten over it! LOL) but she was so insistent that I either "wash" (not soap and water, but really wipe well) between children nursing (ok, I know, I know, silly!) or that I wean my son. That wasn't about to happen, so what started out as just simply easier for me became fact for almost 18m until he self weaned!

I'd say that 80% of the time (or more?) I nursed my daughter on my right side and my son on the left. It was just easier that way -- and since my right side was a super producer anyway, it worked out fine. I was never lopsided because my production adjusted for use! Even after he weaned, my right side is my "go to" breast and though she gets both sides periodically, she requests just "milkies" and not always "other side" (her names for my breasts! LOL) At night, I nurse on the right side primarily but she'll occasionally ask for "other side" -- and so I roll a bit but she doesn't move. Its worked fine for us and I think the fact that that side has less milk allows her to nurse without milk which sometimes she prefers!

Hope this helps

Enjoy to journey!
Julie