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Setting myself up for failure?

492 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  LionessMom 
#1 ·
Ugh, I've gotten myself into this annoying cycle at night and I'm worried that I'm going to cause my supply to decrease.

My left breast has always producued more milk, more quickly than my right breast (it was like that with my first DC too). I try not to favor the left side, and during the day I'm able to switch the starting side with every feeding, pump if DD refuses the second side, etc. to keep things "even."

Nighttime is a different story though. When I go to bed I intend to alternate starting sides throughout the night, but my left breast produces so much more that it always feels uncomfortable by the time DD wants to eat (because she goes longer stretches at night), so I end up starting on that side and then often she'll fall asleep and I can't rouse her to eat from the right side. And I'm way too tired to get up and pump when that happens, so sometimes the right side won't be used all night long. I do feed her from that side first thing in the morning, and either feed her or pump from both sides throughout the day, but I'm worried that this nighttime habit will cause a supply dip.

Do I need to suck it up and get up to pump at night, or is it okay to go for a long stretch at night without emptying milk from one side?
 
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#2 ·
Wow, I could have written this post down to the letter! I have the same problem most of the time.
What I try to do is keep a cloth in the bed and if my left side is really full and uncomfortable I'll express enough into the cloth to make myself feel better and go ahead and nurse her on the right side. I can actually do this while she is nursing so it doesn't take any extra time and it really does help, I'm trying to redistribute because my left side is so much bigger than my right due to the fact that I usually favor my left side so much.
 
#3 ·
talking to some co-sleeping BFing moms - many of them offer the one side all through the night - easier than constantly changing sides, which is nearly as bad as actually having to get up. Apparently your body sorts it out - boob 1 thinks baby is STTN boob2 thinks baby's particularly hungry at this time, but as far as I know the supply/demand thing holds good in this situation. so if you want to you could just go ahead and nurse from that side only during the night. It shouldn't affect your daytime supply from the other side. HTH
 
#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lisabeeprague View Post
talking to some co-sleeping BFing moms - many of them offer the one side all through the night - easier than constantly changing sides, which is nearly as bad as actually having to get up. Apparently your body sorts it out - boob 1 thinks baby is STTN boob2 thinks baby's particularly hungry at this time, but as far as I know the supply/demand thing holds good in this situation. so if you want to you could just go ahead and nurse from that side only during the night. It shouldn't affect your daytime supply from the other side. HTH
this is what i do! after DH gets up to go to work we roll over to the otheside so she is laying on DHs side of the bed and nurse from the right side.
 
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