When I breastfeed my six week old, is it alright to not offer the second breast?
ByMy daughter is just over six weeks old. When I breast feed her in the middle of the night, she usually feeds vigorously for around ten minutes, lets go, then falls asleep. I can then easily move her to her crib where she will sleep anywhere from two to four hours. Should I bother to wake her up to move over the second side?
During the day, I usually do her diaper change in between sides and she usually doesn’t fall as soundly asleep at the breast during the day time anyway.
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3 Comments
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 am
It’s fine, as long as she is eating enough during the day, and gaining weight properly.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:06 am
There is no medical or nutritional reason to switch breasts. Its not the way its done traditionally, even in other cultures- it was something devised by doctors so they could better quantify liquid amounts. It actually is a major reason why so many nursing mom’s fail- babies who end up with GURD, reflux, colic and other issues- its impossible for a baby to strip the hind milk from both breasts in a single feeding- the result is too much sweet foremilk- its acidy and causes gas and reflux without being balanced by the hind milk. Unless you have a supply issue you dont need to switch.
I never switched when nursing. There was no interest in the second breast, and my supply was obviously enough since I got 6+ wet diapers a day.
There’s absolutely no reason to offer her both breasts unless she is unsatisfied with one.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:24 am
so long as you’re rotating sides each feeding.
say if she starts on the right and night and falls asleep, offer the left at the next feeding.
Did the same with my daughter, but she still preferred one side over the other.
keep rotating and you should be fine. or pump the side she doesn’t feed on