April 2008 Expecting Club

I haven't tried pumping to figure this out yet, but even when I do pump, I get maybe half an ounce from my left breast versus two ounces from my right.

Lately the baby has been crying and pulling away from my left breast after about five minutes.  And I don't think it's from engorgement or a blocked duct or anything like that.  Is it possible that once he started sleeping more through the night that my supply has already dried up on that side?

Many moms have lopsided output, so that's nothing to worry about.  Many babies also develop a preference for one side.  It may be that your LO prefers the faster flowing side and so she nurses better on that side, which, in turn, leads to even more lopsidedness.  Does that make sense?  My first daughter did not like nursing on the left side and that side was my lower producer (I worked and pump, so I saw the difference every day, several times per day).  I don't know which came first though -- did her preference for the right side lead to higher production on that side and lower on the left, or did the lower production on that side cause her to not like it?  Who knows?

What is important to know is that as long as you BF on demand and allow your LO to nurse as often and as long as she wants to, then your supply will not just dry up.  If milk is being removed, your breast will continue to produce milk.  Since she will nurse for five minutes on that side, then it is likely still producing milk just fine.  It may not be as abundant as the other side, though.  If you want to increase production on that side, nurse on it often, and you can even pump that side between feedings for a few minutes for some extra supply stimulation.

Here's some information on lopsided production (what causes it and how to "fix" it if you want to): http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/lopsided.html