Question about breastfeeding

Danalana wrote: I'm confused about which side you start on each feeding. Do you start on the side that you finished on last time, or the one you don't get to? Or if you do both, do you just start over again? SO much I don't know. LOL, I already have questions and I haven't even started yet!

Sam & Abby's Mom replied: You start on the side you didnt get to last time. If you fed off both then you start over the next time. The goal is to equally drain both. So, if you fed on the left and stopped,,,then next time start with the right. If you fed on the left and then the right and then stopped....then next time start over on the left.....
Make sense?

So smart of you to think about this ahead of time -- It didnt cross my mind until I was doing it.

You're gonna be a great Mommy!!!!!!!!

Jamison'smama replied: What I tried to do: I would nurse primarily on one side then start with the opposite side the next feeding. You just want to try to be as even as possible so they both make milk at about the same rate. I always had one breast that was fuller and I wasn't great at switching off as I should. Sometimes I just wanted to do what was more comfortable. When I co-slept, my right breast made a lot more milk because that is the one that was offerered throughout the night so I would try to nurse more on the left during the day. You will just figure it out eventually but to start, switch starting sides with each feeding as a general rule.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: I used only one side per feeding so I knew they got the rich, filling hindmilk. Then just switch to the other side next feeding. It'll take at least a few weeks to get both sides evened out at first.

Danalana replied: I'm so nervous! It all sounds so complicated!

moped replied:
That is what I do!

PrairieMom replied:
you will befine. Be aware that itcan be very painful at first. VERY painful. esp. after the first few days. There are lots of different ways to hold the baby when you BF, and the football hold really helped with my pain. I also wore a braclet on the wrist of the side i nursed on so I would remember, when I switched sides, i would switch the bracelet over.

Monday is comming! eeeeee!

Jamison'smama replied: I won't kid you and say it's a piece of cake for everyone. For some it is, for me it was extremely difficult with my first. I had to be 100 percent in if for the long haul but after about 6 weeks, it was fantastic and very uncomplicated.

BabyOwen427 replied: For me it wasn't painful at all. You just have to make sure you get a good latch at every feeding. Your entire areola (dark part of the nipple) will go in his mouth. If just part of it is in then the suck will be akward and painful.

I also did one breast per feeding. He just never seemed hungry anymore after completely draining one side. After a while he did pick a favorite. I think about 6 months old he wanted nothing to do with my left side which left me a little lopsided. He did eventually go back to using that side occasionally but never as vigerous as he like the right. We nursed like that until he was 19 months old.

I can't wait to see pics of your little cutie pie.

Mommy2Isabella replied: Everyone is different!!

I feed on both sides EVERYTIME. Then the next feeding, I start on the side that we did SECOND because it is almost always not emptyied if that makes sense.

For me personally if I feed on one side only my boobs are uneven. I am large chested so i think that makes somewhat of a difference...

Good Luck, if you have any questions just call me

maestra replied: I just wanted to add that it is really important to make sure that they empty the one breast, which is why I had my kids nurse on one side only per feeding. Like mommy to a bunch said, there is more than one kind of milk in your breast. The milk that comes out first, the foremilk, is almost like a skim milk. There is usually a lot of it, and it fills the tummy. However, because it doesn't have as much fat, if they only get this foremilk, they will be hungry again sooner. After the foremilk is the hindmilk, which is rich in fat and satisfies the baby for longer.

I think in the first few weeks it is easier to feel lopsided, but don't worry about it, as it will all even out in the long run, if you switch sides between feedings. I didn't always remember to do that, and I'm not lopsided now. I nursed Giselle for 3 years, and it was hard to remember which was the last side she nursed on.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: I'd suggest reading these links:It's helpful to know how milk production works: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html . Also, here's a link on newborn nursing: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html .

And of course, 101 reasons to breastfeed: http://www.promom.org/101/ .

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Me too. I started out with both sides every feeding though, to build up my milk supply. I switched to just one side every feeding after the first week or two.

If you are doing both sides each feeding, start each feeding with the side you did second during the last feeding, because if you always start with the same side you might get uneven. Sometimes I'd put a elastic pony tail holder on my wrist to help me remember which side I was supposed to do next... it can be hard to remember!

jem0622 replied: Well, if you have a large supply, then completely empty one side and see if the baby wants more from the other side. If not, then you start that side the next time. Suggested time is 15-20 minutes per side. And if they fall asleep, then strip them to their diaper, tickle their feet, to keep them nursing.

It does take up to 8 wks for your supply to balance out.

boyohboyohboy replied: you will find your own way that best fits you and kade.
i also bought on of those glow in the dark plastic braclets so that when i was so tired, and couldnt remember in the middle of the night which side to start on, i had put the braclet on the wrist of where to start at the end of each feeding..does that make sense?
anyway it was more for me because my brain was so sleep deprived.

jcc64 replied: The kelleymom site is awesome- pretty much everything you need to know about bf is on there.
I didn't find bf to be difficult or even painful in the beginning- though everyone's experience is unique to them, even from kid to kid. However, be sure to seek out as much bf support as is available while you're still in the hospital. Have a nurse or LC sit with you and watch you feed- it really is the best way to know if the baby's on there the right way. I am also a big fan of the football hold in the beginning- it's easier to get it "right" than some of the other positions, or rather, to know when you're doing it wrong.
Don't be nervous and don't over-think it. It will become as automatic to you as driving or even breathing after awhile- you won't even have to think about it. I think the shame is that so many moms quit well before this point, not realizing that it gradually gets easier with time. So often, their drs don't support them when the going gets rough, b/c it's so much easier and less stressful to just offer the bottle, rather than dealing with an emotional, exhausted mom freaking out in their offices, kwim? You CAN do it, and you will. Just try to relax about it and it will all come together, you'll see!

maestra replied:
Keep these sites bookmarked for those 3am questions, when it's just driving you crazy! Kellymom's site was a godsend for me, and for several of my friends. I almost gave up with Jaci, but ended up going for 21 months, then 3 years with her sister. I never would have imagined that before Jaci came!