Breastfeeding is something that is essential for a baby to grow up healthy. It is highly a requirement for
Therefore, one of the many concerns of moms is the situation where their one breast produces more milk than the other. But do not be overwhelmed when you, mom, encountered something like this.
In this article, we will try to help you understand the reasons why your one breast produces more milk than the other, how to help even out the milk production of your breasts as well as give you tips concerning the proper ways to breastfeed your baby.
Hopefully, as you finish reading the entire article, you will have a clear understanding as to why this such thing happens and how to solve it.
Contents
Reasons Why There is Uneven Production of Your Breasts
First things first, we need to identify the cause why this happens. Now, there are several reasons why you are experiencing this. We have listed down some of them and provided explanations for you to understand fully.
1. All parts of our body are not symmetric.
It is a well-known fact and is the simplest answer why you have uneven milk production. Although all of our body parts are not symmetrical, to some, it may look like there is no difference. This is because it is not an obvious thing if you take a quick look at each and there is just a minimal difference.
Therefore, it is a factor which affects your situation. Even though your breasts are doing their job similarly, they still work independently thus, the occurrence of uneven milk production.
2. We can also attribute the baby’s preference over the other breast.
If you notice, he likes to be fed on the other breast more than the other. Now, there are reasons for that. One would be because your baby is more comfortable feeding on that side. Another would be because the other breast produces lesser milk, so your baby prefers to feed on the other.
However, this could be the opposite. Your baby may like to feed on the one that has low milk production than the other that has high milk production. It is all up to your baby’s preference of which side he likes to feed on.
3. Your breasts respond according to which side your baby is feeding on.
It means that they produce milk from one breast more than the other because your baby feeds on one of the two. Your breasts apply the “supply-and-demand” method.
The breast which produces more milk than the other is simply the one that is being used to feed your baby. Of course, the other one which is not being used will produce less milk as compared to the other one.
4. If you had an operation with your breasts, it might be the cause of uneven milk supply for your baby.
Breast implants, biopsies, and breast reductions are just some of the operations that may have caused your concern. During a breast reduction surgery, the removal of your milk ducts and glandular tissues might affect the supply of milk. Moreover, there could be a nerve damage which affected neither one of your breasts.
5. Your choice of which breast to use for breastfeeding might also be a reason why you are experiencing it.
You may prefer breastfeeding your baby on one breast than the other because you are comfortable with it.
How To Achieve Even Milk Production for Breastfeeding
There are ways on how to meet even milk production of your breasts. One of them is using your breast which does not produce milk as much as the other more often. By “supply-and-demand,” the more you use it for breastfeeding, the more it will respond to the demand of your baby, thus, evening out the milk production.
If your baby still seems to prefer the other one, just simply let him feed on it for a while and switch to the other side later on. It is an effective way of evening out your milk production. Just make sure you will not let your baby notice the changing as he may refuse and cry after doing so.
You can also pump the smaller breast in between feeding sessions for 10-20 minutes or if you prefer, add additional pumping sessions which last for about 5-10 minutes. You can read an article about breastfeeding and pump schedule here.
Make sure that you do not use one more than the other. You have to remember that to be able to achieve even milk production of your breasts; you have to switch breastfeeding on both sides.
Furthermore, you can also try changing positions for breastfeeding. It will help the switching much easier if you’ll get used to it. If your baby is drowsy, it will be done effortlessly. Just switch the feeding on the other side and there it goes. It is also recommended to breastfeed your baby in a slightly dark silent room.
Breastfeeding is an important part of a baby’s growth and development. Thus, if can do it correctly, you will surely benefit from it in the long run.
By reading the entire article, having a clear understanding of your concern and following our tips provided here, you can give your baby a greater breastfeed experience. You may have trouble doing it for the first time, but you will get better at it over time.
Have you gotten useful tips and ideas from us? We hope that we have helped you through this article. Thank you for reading! Do you still have questions in your mind or any other concern after reading the entire article? Don’t worry, we would love to hear from you in the comment section!
