I feel like I have never done this before despite being on my 3rd child and having had nursed the first 2...
I have a 3 week old who is doing great at nursing when it comes to latching on and sucking. She will cluster feed (3-4 feedings within 2 1/2 hours) right before bed and then sleeping 4-5 hours. My question is during the day, she only will eat from one side for about 5-10 minutes then is done eating for 2-3 hours. Leaving me with one side full and needing to pump. Has anyone else gone through this? It seems as though she will just get going on one side and then she's done. I have tried stopping her on the one side and changing her to the other, but then she will not eat either. Should I just keep pumping the other side and not worry about it??
I should add that she is gaining weight. At her 2 week check-up she gain 1 lb and 3 oz since her birth weight.
ANY help is appreciated.
Is she preferring one particular side? When my daughter used to do this, my doctore said to switch about 1/2 way through and start the other, then go back to the first if she continues to eat. She will stop falling asleep as she gets older. At 11 months my daughter still prefers my right side and I never have to pump the other side, but am usually a little bigger on that side always.
Hello,
My son did the same thing when he was that young, actually for a long time he would only take one side but then at night he would normally take from both. The first week we were home I was so worried he was not getting enough since he would only eat from on side and only for 3-5 minutes. Everything I read seemed to say both sides for 10 min or so. But we went to see a lactation consultant and she weighed him before and after a feeding and said he was getting enough. I would switch sides and not normally pump unless I needed a bottle or just pump a little if to uncomfortable. I think I still would offer the other side just incase he was still a little hungry. Also, durring growth spurts he would take from both sides. Even though we went to see the lactation consultant I still worried he was not getting enough, but he was fine. I hope it works out for you, breastfeeding can be hard!
Hi R.,
Boy, I believe it really depends on the child and I think it veries for every baby. I have only 1 child, and she did a bit of all types of feedings. Long and slow, short and fast, or clusterfeeding. It was horrible to try and figure out. (bad foe scheduling things) I eventually found that since my boobs go everywhere my daughter goes, it didn't really matter how often, or how long, unless I was in the car. (I occasionally even had to pull over somewhere and feed her.) I had to grow comfortable whipping my boobs out where ever I went.
Don't know if this helps at all. I found that as long as she wasn't sleeping, she must've been eating. Good luck.
Oh, good tip. Bathrooms are kind of gross to feed in, but ok in a pinch. Dressing rooms are GREAT for feedings...quiet, they're almost everywhere, only women are in there, and you can stay in there as long as you want. (this might be more info than you want, but trying to figure out those feedings is hard to dial in...so try not to worry too much)
I had a similar situation with my youngest son at about the same age. He ate very little in the mornings and slept a lot, then cluster fed at night. He only wanted to nurse on one side most of the time during the day and then I pumped on the other. The doctor told me not to worry because he was gaining weight and said he was also becomming more efficient at nursing so he was getting enough during the day. It didn't take him too long before he wanted to eat more so he started accepting the other side as well. Good luck!
This happened when my son got older and started solid foods. If she's gaining, it should be fine. I didn't pump the other breast unless I became really uncomfortable. If that happened, I pumped or hand expressed just enough to be comfortable. After a few days, my milk regulated to his feeding habits and I no longer had to pump (I'd just feed on one breast, then 2 1/2-3 hours later, feed on the other). My body seemed to know to make more in the evenings and mornings when he cluster-fed.
Best of luck and good mamma for breast feeding!
:) M.
P.S. I'm a former teacher too! :)
My daughter nurses for 10-15 min and at only one breast every two hours. I alternate sides with each feeding and do not pump unless uncomfortable. I have also tried to change sides and she just gets mad and ends the feeding. She is now five months and some times she will nurse on both sides and then I know she is going to grow. So your situation sounds very normal to me. I would not worry unless she seems hungry and has few diapers. It seems that she must get enough milk in that 5-10 min. My baby is gaining on a normal curve in the 50%. I was and little worried because my son would nurse for 25-35 min and on both sides and was in the 90th percentile. I guess they are all different. I hope this helps you to not worry.
A.
I would keep pumping the other side just to keep the demand up or you can break suction and switch sides after 5 minutes so the other side gets it. You could pump both sides after if you would like. Each kid is different. Mine will feed 5-10 minutes each side. She comfort sucks before naping or bedtime so it'll be the 10 minute side but usually it's brief. You might be producing more than what your child needs and that might be why the other side is neglected:) Keep up the good work. Patterns of feeding may change throughout the time your doing it. Just go with the flow and keep up the demand.
I think it is best to only nurse her on one side, that way she gets the hindmilk from the breast. IF you flip flop back and forth or switch her too soon she will only get the foremilk and won't be satisfied, nor will she gain weight as well.
So nurse from one breast, and call it good. For the next feeding, give her the toher breast. Your body will adapt and make milk for feedings as needed. You are only 3 weeks into this so your body is still making alot of excess milk. If you want it to even out, then don't pump the other side,j ust nurse her from one breast until she is done, and then give th oether breast at the next feeding. I wore a stretchy bracelet to remind me which side to feed from next , switching after each feeding. Helped me remember which side was next. :)
Hi- My 6 month old nurses from 1 side at a time as well...my milk supply adjusted accordingly. He tended to eat every 2-3 hours as well and is growing fine. I also tried cutting off mid-way, but he also then stopped. I would not pump on the side he doesn't nurse from unless you want to build up a supply.
good luck.
Kristine
I from the very begining only nursed on one side with my daughter. To me, it didn't really make sence to switch sides. And it was kind of a pain to go through all the work. In the hospital I would have trouble getting her to latch on again. Plus I wanted to make sure she was getting the hind milk, because she also would only eat about 10 minutes. I am now pregnant with my second and plan on doing it the same way. Your body will adjust shortly.
