When should I switch sides while breastfeeding?

February 26, 2021

 

Is it normal for the milk supply to go down at 4 weeks?

Yes. It's definitely not uncommon for this to happen and this is because during this time and right before this year and its transitional milk period, it starts with colostrum and goes to transitional milk and then to matured milk. It’s common for the milk to start regulating to what the baby needs at this time so you are going to notice a little change there but if you start breastfeeding on demand and increasing galactagogues then you should be able to get your supply up a little bit more then.

  

I don't know when to switch sides, good to get back milk but good to do both sides.

Yes, you’re absolutely correct where it's good to where they get the hind milk but it's also good when you breastfeed on both sides. You wanna empty one side completely before going to the next. You wanna pay attention to a couple different things:

• your breast are going to be big indicator if it's time to switch sides, if there's still feeling very full and engorged keep your baby on that side as long as you can so you can, feel when it's a little bit emptier
• you can do to test how much milk is still left in that breast is when you get towards the end you can kind of start maneuvering the milk towards the nipple and if no milk emerges then it's probably time to switch
• pay attention to your baby’s cues so if they are breastfeeding on that side for a while and they start pulling off it could be an indication that milk is not coming out anymore or that its running low and then that could be your indication that it's time to switch
• another thing to take into consideration is that as a baby grows and gets older the time that they breastfeed on each side is going to vary. So as babies get older their breastfeeding time is usually cut by a lot, maybe cut in half even. So as your baby grows, it's going to change so just really observe them, observe how your breast feels and how your body feels and that should hopefully let you know when it is time to switch.

 

Is there anything you can do to help a "slacker boob?" One side has always only produced 1-1.5 oz.

Yes, while you're breastfeeding on the good side, pump on the slacker side and then also after feeding on the slacker side you can pump afterwards so increasing your pumping sessions on that side should help.

 

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*Mommy Knows Best is committed to providing informational, motivational, and inspiring videos to all moms. Statements in this video are for informational purposes only and are not to be taken as medical advice or recommendation. Any health concern or condition should be brought to the attention of your doctor. *This original content is from August 20, 2020.

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