breast preference??

[organicbanana]

elijah will be 9 weeks old on wednesday and has suddenly decided that he no longer likes my right breast (?!)
i can only rarely get him latched on that side, and even then he fusses and won't nurse for long. i can sometimes fool him if i lay on my left side and football-hold him on the right, but that becomes insanely uncomfortable after just a few minutes, and i think he's figured me out. so now my supply has diminished significantly on the right side and increased on the left, making me look and feel slightly off balance boob-wise.
help! has this happened to anyone else? i had a minor breast infection a few days ago and that seems to be around the time this started, but i wouldn't think it would have affected the taste of my milk, would it??:
i just haven't a clue why this is going on...
i haven't been nursing less on any one side up until now, so this is stumping me.

[Ione]

Hi,
My DD definately prefered my left breast for a few weeks and I've been told that a preference for one or the other breast is common and normal. I'm sure the gang here'll be able to give you more information about possible reasons and what to do.

I just kept offering wichever side's turn it was but not insisting if she really wanted the other side. After a few weeks her preference seemed to get weaker and now she'll eat just as happily from either side. But then her preference wasn't as strong as you describe (she never flat out refused the least favorite side).

So... now I'm almost always lopsided--just never on the same side. (Whenever she only eats one boob worth, that is.) LOL

Good luck and hang in there!

[DaryLLL]

Yes, a breast infection can change the taste of your milk. My info is: whenever the milk isn't flowing freely (plug, mastitis, strike, etc) sodium can build up in the milk.

Or it could be another reason. I think my son had an ear inflammation one time that made it uncomfortable to lie on his one side (didn't tak him to the dr, b/c I knoew he would just offer antibiotics, I used alt remedies). so I fooled him by nursing on the good side, sitting up in the usual cradle hold. After a few mins, I slid him over to the other breast while keeping his feet in the same direction. I used a pillow on that side to support him in the football hold.

Do you have a pump? If he continues to refuse that side, it could get even saltier. Start pumping after every failed attempt, to keep your supply up. Also try getting him to take it when half asleep (him, not you LOL!), or while walking the floors with him.

[chellemarie]

My son did this for a few days and I started to panic. I tried the football hold but it was just too uncomfortable. I just couldn't find a way to do it since I'm not an acrobat.

Someone posted a link on MDC about a pillow for nursing twins. It's big and square-ish. If he'd kept it up, I was going to get one of those pillows to see if it'd help.

As soon as I had a plan of action, he took the lonely boob back. He's such a nice guy.

I kept offering that breast first when he was hungriest...and then switching to the favored side when he would have no more of it. Then I'd pump the side he wouldn't take. Keeping that breast from being engorged and always giving it to him first seemed to do the trick. Good luck.

[mydannyboy]

I don't know if this is the case with your baby, but I know of someone whose baby did that and they took her to a chiropractor and she straightened her right up!
I take my ds to a holistic chiropractor (LOVE HER). He was only rolling over to his left and after his adjustment he would go both sides for the first time!
She has done many other wonders but it would take too much space!
HTH