Baby prefers just one side - what should I do?

[TxCat]

I've sort of posted about this before, but not as specifically, and the problem is getting worse.

DD2 does not like nursing on the left side and I'm suspecting over active let-down - she pulls away, occasionally makes choking noises, etc. If she does nurse on that side, usually it's just for very short periods, 5 min or less. Of course, that's also the over-producing side to begin with - when I pump, I usually get twice as much milk as on the right. Is there anything I can do to try and improve things? Ideally I'd like her to nurse regularly from both sides but I'm wondering if I may just have to start pumping the left one and nursing from the right. I also want to try and keep up my supply for when I go back to work in 5 weeks, so I'm juggling a few different issues at once. Any advice?

[Pilotbaby]

Have you tried expressing a little bit on that side first to help with the over active let- down? That's what I would suggest. Also, maybe try some different positions on that side to see if you can make her more comfortable.

[goldenpig]

I had the same problem too--all three of my babies have had periods where they only wanted to nurse from the left side which is my under-producing side. My right side produces twice as much when I pump. DD only wanted the left for a long time and she had issues with silent reflux and poor growth. And when it got bad she won't nurse from either side. And she would refuse to drink from a bottle too, so it wasn't just letdown. She would usually start nursing, but then pull off after a couple of minutes and refuse to continue. I just thought it was really weird, but never figured it out. (That brings back bad memories of when I would start on the left side, then move her without changing positions to the right to "trick" her into thinking it was the left). Then I noticed with DS1 and now DS2 that it happened mainly when I would accidentally have hidden dairy. DS2 doesn't choke or complain or pull off unless I have something with dairy, soy or eggs, so I don't think it's overactive letdown for me. He seems to be able to tell...it's like he can taste something in my milk when I have one of his allergens in it and then pulls off and refuses to nurse further. Have you tried keeping a food and symptom diary to see if it's from reflux or allergies or letdown? It can be hard to tease out sometimes.

[maybeebaby08]

I pumped with a manual pump for just a few minutes before nursing, it helped with the big rush of milk, that DDs were able to nurse a lot better. I liked the manual better for just that then my PISA.

[georgiegirl]

I second the idea of pumping until the flow slows down. You can also try a different position, like laid back nursing, so gravity works in her favor.
https://breastfeedingusa.org/content/article/some-ins-and-outs-laid-back-breastfeeding
http://www.llli.org/docs/0000000000000001WAB/WAB_Tear_sheet_Toolkit/01_laid_back_breastfeeding.pdf

Also, to even out your supply, you can nurse twice on the side with lower production then the other side. It's a modified version of block feeding.

As she gets older, she might prefer the faster flow side. It's totally normal to have one side that produces more.

I'm a LLL leader by the way. :)

[brittone2]

I had oversupply and overactive letdown issues and you've gotten great advice. My DS1 did best when I would semi recline.

I'm sure you've considered this but one other thing to keep an eye on is torticollis, as sometimes an early sign is refusal to feed from one side. It sounds like OAL is a much stronger possibility but just keep an eye on the possibility of tort.

edited to add: It also comes to mind as something to keep an eye on because she was breech, correct? Tort can be more common with positional issues in utero. Probably just the OAL but I thought I'd mention it so you can watch and make sure you aren't seeing concerns for tort. I've worked with many, many pediatricians who have completely missed diagnosing torticollis, so it flies under the radar for sure. Babies hike a shoulder, rotate their body, etc. and unless you are really isolating joints, etc. it can be difficult to notice.

[TxCat]

I had oversupply and overactive letdown issues and you've gotten great advice. My DS1 did best when I would semi recline.

I'm sure you've considered this but one other thing to keep an eye on is torticollis, as sometimes an early sign is refusal to feed from one side. It sounds like OAL is a much stronger possibility but just keep an eye on the possibility of tort.

edited to add: It also comes to mind as something to keep an eye on because she was breech, correct? Tort can be more common with positional issues in utero. Probably just the OAL but I thought I'd mention it so you can watch and make sure you aren't seeing concerns for tort. I've worked with many, many pediatricians who have completely missed diagnosing torticollis, so it flies under the radar for sure. Babies hike a shoulder, rotate their body, etc. and unless you are really isolating joints, etc. it can be difficult to notice.

I had never heard about the association with torticollis and nursing from one side - thank you. And yes, she was breech.

Georgiegirl - thanks for the links! I'm trying some of those positions and they seem to be helping a little bit and the modified block feeding seems to be helping as well. Only 24 hours, but I feel like I've seen some improvement.