Breast feeding? Will pumping increase milk production increase if not producing much in one breast at all?

Question

May be a dumb question, but oh well. I have one breast that is enormous and becoming engorged more and more the other looks normal but feels softer and "deflated" with very little milk, I am trying to feed daughter with that one more but she seems to only use as pacifier and seems hungry still still I feed on the other. I ordered a pump online, want to know if that will help or am I stuck with the one doing the job for two?

Answer 1

by feeding on the 'deflated' breast more you are encouraging more of a milk supply for both breasts. This is causing the big breast to become more full and engorged. You need to feed regularly on both breasts. Say 15-30mins on each side, each feed. Feed off the really full breast for 15mins first so she gets satisfied a bit then switch her to the smaller side for 15mins to encourage the milk to flow equally to that one.

pumping won't do anything that the actual breastfeeding can't. really its only going to get you to produce more milk if you pump and feed. you don't want to produce anymore than you need or you are going to get more engorged.

I would contact your nearest breastfeeding assoc. or le leche league for help. Hiring a lactation consultant can be a godsend to get breastfeeding established. I had one with my first through the hospital i delivered at and i learnt so much more than any book or the net can tell you.

best of luck, but keep feeding. don't pump it won't help

Answer 2

You don't say how old she is? If she's under 6-8 weeks, just be patient, your body will catch up/adjust and the engorgement will dissipate. But you'll probably always have a bigger side. In addition to size differences, most people have a 'fast' side and a 'slow' side.

The Nursing Mother's Companion suggests always starting on the smaller side to 'catch it up' (I'm paraphrasing), then switching to the other side to finish. She may be frustrated because the let down on that side is slow also.
Try to nurse only enough to relieve the engorgement on the bigger side, otherwise that breast will keep increasing production. Of course if she's still hungry you have to feed her... Sometimes switching back and forth (smaller, bigger, smaller) helps the smaller one catch up.
Consistently starting on the smaller side helped me; although that breast is still a bit smaller, it satisfies my 19 pound (!!!) 4 month old. (I guess he's getting enough...).

Alternately, you can start her on the bigger breast long enough to start the letdown on the smaller breast, then switch her over. This gives her instant rewards for nursing on that side.

You have to experiment and see what works best for you (see the sources below). That said, if you feel you've tried everything and still no luck, it's worth seeing your Dr. or the Lac. specialist just to rule out any problems. A friend of mine had problems and it turned out she had a benign lump (very small, too) that was fouling up the works. If she hadn't been nursing, she would never have found out.

As far as pumps, it may help if you only pump on that side. For example, start your baby on the small side, move her over when she gets frustrated, and pump that side when she's nursing on the bigger breast. This takes a bit of coordination, and I actually find it easier to use a manual pump for this (no tubing etc. in the way). You'll get better let down if you pump while nursing, and since it's to increase supply and not to store, it doesn't matter how much you get, just that you're stimulating the breast to produce. Of course, store that liquid gold anyway!

Don't worry about being one sided - if 2 breasts can feed 2 kids (twins) then one breast can feed one baby! As far as appearances, it's not noticeable unless you're in a bathing suit :-)
Have you found kellymom.com yet? It's a great site with all kinds of fact based info on breast feeding. The Nursing Mother's companion is also great , and the Dr Sears site is extremely supportive.
Congrats on you little miracle!

Answer 3

I work in the ob department of the hospital and it is recommended that while you are feeding of the breast that has more milk flow you should pump the other side until the flow evens out. Naturally you will have more milk from one side than the other but it shouldn't be that significant amount. There's also an old home remedy that says to drink sugar and water to increase the flow of the milk, try it really works. I've done it myself and came out successful.

Answer 4

You need to increase milk production in this breast before the milk dries up completely. Let baby empty this breast completely and then put her on the other breast, then if you can manage it, pump the other empty breast while baby feeds on the other.

This suckling on an empty breast will send the message that it needs to produce more milk. Do this at every feed for a few days and you should see an increase in the volume produced.

Answer 5

The pump should help. But feeding her first on the one you are concerned about like you are should work better.

Answer 6

They say it does, because it gets your milk flowing, but i never had any luck. I didn't produce hardly any.. and the nurses told me to just keep at it... and i did and still hardly anything... like not even a cc after like 3o minutes.... it's hard... i know.... but if it doesn't happen then there is nothing you can do....

Answer 7

The baby is the best pump for your breast. You may have medical problems see you doctor.