Pumping Breastmilk - Massillon,OH

One side usually produces more. Sometimes babies have favorite breasts. As long as you are pumping what she is eating, you don't have to worry about supply.

You can call and talk to a lactation consultant at the Elizabeth Blackwell Center at ###-###-####. They are extremely helpful. That is great that you are so dedicated to breastfeeding!

Yep, normal. Sometimes babies naturally prefer one breast over the other or nurse more efficiently on one side. This causes a higher production on the prefered side. As long as you are getting enough to keep her supplied while you're gone, I wouldn't worry.

Hi Aime,
I breastfed 3 of my 4 babies. I always produced much more milk on the left side, about double the amount. I pumped about the same as you are 4 days a week at work.

With my first baby I was very concerned & saw a RN that was a lactation specialist. Her office was at the hospital I gave birth to my son at. She gave me suggestions. Nothing I tried made any changes. She said some women have this & it is perfectly OK.

With my second & third baby I just excepted it. I had to extra pad my right breast to make them match in clothing. Old time shoulder pads out of old 80's type clothes worked as well shaped pads. My Mom had a masectomy & gave me that tip.

I was very fortunate that my breasts went back to normal & both went back to the same size. Like I said, I breast feed 3. The first time for about 5 months. The second time until my daughter weened at one year. The third was 9 months. I did not breastfeed my 4th baby because my life was very hectic running around town & sports with the 3 kids. I am petite & had trouble with milk production when I experienced stress.

Go see a RN lactation specialist & see what your situation is. Do not worry.

OMG........the exact same thing happened to me when I was pumping!! I would only get like one ounce out of lefty and like four out of righty. I don't know if it's 'normal' or not, but you are indeed not alone!! I had to go back to work after 6 weeks, but I pumped until my son was about 10 months old and I fortunately had great success. I would stay on a prenatal vitamin too.

Hi A.,

Did you happen to have any kind of breast surgery in the past? If so, maybe not as many ducts recanalized. But in geneeral, from what I understand, is that it can be normal for one side to produce more. Maybe your daughter favors the other side and so it produces more. If you are worried, call a lactation consultant or attend a breastfeeding support group. But if your daughter is gaining wait, pooping and peeing normal, chances are she is doing just fine and both sides together give what she needs. I feel your pain, my right side produces double what the left produces. I started pumping one to two extra times a day on the left, to try to increase my supply on that side or to at least maintain it. Maybe that would help you too! Good luck

YEs it is considered a "dud" or that's what they told me. I have breast feed both of my kids only using one breast. My right breast produces less than an oz and my right produces about 6 ounces at a time! Your other breast will produce enough as long she your baby keep nursing from it. I stopped nursing with my dud and solely feed from one breast when my son was 2 months. He is now 8 months
hope this helps!

I had the same issue with both of my kids!

I'm breastfeeding and pumping for my third baby, and this happens all the time. I find that if I have the baby nurse an extra time or two on the "weaker" pumping breast, that breast comes back with more milk. So at any given time, one of my breasts seem to have more milk. But by switching around, I'm able to keep it from getting out of hand.
Good job and good luck!

Congrats on your commitment to breastfeeding! As said before, it is perfectly normal - happens to many moms - is not an indicator that anything is wrong. I did want to point out that hydration is important, but be careful. Drinking too much water can actually have a negative impact on supply. Just drink to match your thirst, and you will be fine. I have heard a lot of moms say oatmeal is helpful, and of course fenugreek can help too. But if you are supplying enough for your daughter, there is no need to worry about the supply you have now. :)

Hi A.,

I breastfed both of my children. Actually I am still nursing my daughter. She is 13 months. Anyway, I wanted to share my experience with you. I was never able to get the same amount out of my breasts from using the pump as my child was able to extract. I even purchased the high-end Medela breast pump because I worked full time and wanted to continue breast feeding as much as possible. I talked to the peditrician about this because I was concerned at first that maybe my child wasn't getting enough to eat and she is the one that told me that your body reacts to your child more than it will ever react to a machine and that is why you will never be able to pump as much as your child gets in a feeding. I also got a significant amount out of my left breast compared to the right breast. It was about 3 to 1 like your ratio. I only pumped once a day at work and after my supply increased I was able to pump about 9 ounces out fo the left and 3 - 4 ounces out of the right.

Now that I think about it that was only with my first child. When I had my daughter, my supply greatly decreased once I went back to work even though I only went back part time. I tried to pump a few times, but it was more hassle than it was worth because I was only pumping maybe 5 ounces total and she needed much more than that. I supplemented with formula on the days I couldn't be there, but continued to breastfeed as much as possible when I was home. Now that she is 13 months, I nurse her twice a day. In my case I think my body wasn't producing the same amount of milk because life became so much more busy than when I just had one child. My children are 2 years apart so with two toddlers it is romper room at my house on most days.

Sorry this is so long. Apparently I felt like "talking" today. Have a good day.

Yes, it is common for one side to be more productive than the other. Are you keeping up with how much she needs? If not, you can get fenugreek and blessed thistle (they work best together) and try to boost your supply that way. PM me if you need to know how much to take.

You might wish to see a lactation consultant (a good one...) who is trained in these sorts of things. There might be something going on, healthwise, with the one side.

Vitamins will not bring up your milk supply BUT there are some things you can do. Make sure you are hydrated and drink lots of water. It isn't that water = more breastmilk, but the chemical process of making breastmilk in your body can sometimes take a toll on the body and you want to make sure you are properly hydrated. When you pump at work, take a big Nalgene bottle of water with you and drink the whole thing while you pump. Also, you can try eating oatmeal. For whatever reason, when I was exclusively pumping (8 times a day...) once I started eating oatmeal for breakfast and also as a snack, my production went up.

Some people swear by fenugreek, mother's milk tea, and other products but I never used them because the hydration and oatmeal made the difference.

It is perfectly normal. No worries as long as you are getting what she needs. (If you are looking for an explanation why, the below responses are correct, your baby prefers that side) Keep up the awesome work, you are providing your baby the best thing possible!

I would suggest that you get in touch w/a lactation specialist. If you had your daughter at a hospital, contact the lactation specialists there. The amount of breastmilk that you have is based on supply and demand. While pumping does a good job, nursing is the best to get your supply back up. You can experience breastmilk "loss" or reduction from pumping. What I would suggest you do, is, when you are at home with your daughter, nurse her as much as possible to get your milk supply back up. Also, drink lots of fluids. That will help your body produce more but definitely if the demand for your breastmilk is up through nursing then the supply will increase. I know that drs say to start putting little ones on a schedule of every 3 hours once they are older but I think you can forego that for a little while until your breastmilk is "up" again. Definitely check w/a lactation specialist though.

A.,
I too pump at work and yes it is normal to get different amounts. Remember to drink extra water or juice to help the production.

Hi A., Does your baby nurse more on one side then another? If so, that could be why your other side is producing more milk. I noticed this with my son and started having him nurse on the other side more to balance it out. Also, if you aren't already, drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Water really kept my milk supply up. If you have a caffeinated beverage, balance it out by having another glass of water. I worked part time as well so I know the "fun" of having to pump 2-3 times per work day. Good luck to you! A.

Totally normal to get more out on one side than the other.
Do you normally feed from both breast each feeding? Feed from one breast to start than switch to the other? If so, Do you rotate which side you start on? If not, start.
One way to bring up supply in that side is to pump that side for a little longer. Breast make milk based on supply and demand (hence the reason you are getting out the amount your daughter is taking). If you demand more, they will supply more. Make sure when you pump, you don't stop just when the milk stops. Pump for two full minutes after the last drop. This will help keep the supply up. I would not suggest any vitimins or supplements now.
So far sounds like you are doing great. Congrats on the baby and the breastfeeding!

Good for you for breastfeeding! I also bf my 9.5 mo son and work full time so I pump often as well. It is completely normal to get more from one side or another. It is also normal to get more/less from day to day. When you nurse, your daughter gets what she needs - she is much more efficient than pumping. Also, the more you pump, you will increase the amount of milk you get. I can tell after 3-4 days of strictly nursing it takes 1-2 days to get back into pumping enough. Good luck and hang with it!