6 Reasons To Breastfeed From One Breast Only

6 Reasons To Breastfeed From One Breast Only

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Like most nursing moms across the globe, you might notice that one of your breasts produces more milk than the other. You also may have found that one of your breasts is bigger than the other.

Don’t be alarmed! This asymmetrical issue is perfectly normal and you need not worry about it.

6 Reasons For Breastfeeding From One Breast Only:

Sometimes babies, especially newborns, might have certain preference towards feeding from one breast. Your newborn might find it hard to latch on to one of your breast or might reject feeding from one breast for a number of reasons, such as:

1. Anatomical Differences:

It is natural for women to have one breast with active ducts or alveoli when compared to another one.

Generally the left side breast might have working ducts than the right breast. The breast which your baby rejects might have an engorged with a hard nipple or the nipple of one of your breast might be inverted or have a different shape making it tough for your baby to feed on.

2. Baby’s Preference:

Your baby might prefer to feed on one side of your breast because that feeding position makes her feel very comfortable.

This may happen only for a brief period, due to an ear infection or a recent vaccination. Thus your baby may prefer not to rest on that side while feeding. This situation would change as soon as your baby is well again.

3. Mother’s Preference:

Sometimes, you tend to feed your baby with more milk on one side than the other knowingly or unknowingly. This might be because you might feel at ease when nursing from one side of your breast.

[ Read: How To Use Breast Pads ]

4. Injury Or Surgery:

If you had a recent surgery on one of your breasts, it can dramatically affect its milk production. If you underwent cancer treatment or an injury on one of your breasts, that too can create problems in milk supply.

5. Breast Mastitis:

If you have mastitis on one breast, then your baby would not prefer to drink milk from that breast.

The main reason behind this rejection is the milk in this breast might be different in taste. The milk from the breast affected by mastitis tends to have a salty taste as it has low sodium supply.

[ Read: Can I Wear Bra While Breastfeeding ]

6. Stiff Neck:

If your baby experiences a stiff neck owing to birth trauma, it might make it difficult to feed from one breast. In this case, it is vital you find a solution fast to make sure your baby does not get malnourished.

How To Make Your Baby Nurse From Both Breasts?

Even though feeding from one breast is perfectly fine, your breasts might look lopsided, which might bother you. Hence, you can try to follow a few simple ways to make your baby suckle milk from both the breasts, such as:

• Encourage your baby to nurse on the less-used breast when he is very hungry, as the nursing might be vigorous on the first breast he nurses.
• Try this trick when he is waking up or is sleepy and hungry.
• Try different feeding positions or rock your baby gently while feeding on the less preferred breast, to make him feel comfortable.
• Nurse on the less preferred breast more often, as it would increase the milk supply.
• You can also pump out the milk from the less-used breast and nurse your baby later by storing it.
• As you feed your baby from one breast, it is natural that the milk production in that breast would be higher.
• You can press out the excess milk to prevent engorgement when you begin feeding from both the breasts.

[ Read: How To Avoid Baby Biting While Breastfeeding ]

What If Your Baby Refuses To Feed From The Other Breast?

Some babies would refuse one breast for no specific reason. If your baby is one among them, then be assured that there is no harm in breastfeeding on one breast only alone.

• There are many mothers who have successfully nursed babies from one breast successfully.
• You need not worry about the lopsided look as your breasts would look normal as soon as your baby has weaned out.

We hope this article cleared all your doubts regarding this issue. If you continue feeding your child from one breast only, the breast which is not used by your baby would begin to produce very less milk. If you have a medical condition or if the milk production is low in one of your breasts, it is best to meet with your doctor and seek advice.

Moms, did you have similar experience? Please share your story with us.

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