Feed from one or both breasts?

[eeyore007]

It's a pretty simple question, but I can't find the answer anywhere!
When feeding I do breast number one, burp, breast number one again, burp, then breast number 2.

Was sticking to just one breast, but mum said I should be doing both. I'm not so sure though. What is right?

When I move bubba over to breast number 2, breast number 1 still has milk coming out.

Not sure I'm doing the right thing - should I just leave her on one for entire feed until she 'drops off'??

Sort of feel by feeding from both I'm not giving either the chance to become fully full. If that makes sense!

BTW - She's 2 weeks old today and seems quite happy - get lovely explosive orange nappies and plenty of wees!

 

[trumpetbum]

Stick to one until she drops off like you're doing, switching around too much can cause problems with babe getting too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk. You sound like you're doing fine. Well done.
If you go through a growth spurt and one seems to have emptied, the other is full and babe is still fussy you can offer the other.

 

[shinona]

I went through this with my mum in the beginning too as the advice she was given when I was a baby was 10 minutes on each side. She kept telling me that I would get painful boobs if I didn't feed from both sides. But your boobs get used to whatever you do. If you still have milk in one side then I'd stick to that side until your lo has had enough so that she gets enough hindmilk.

 

[eeyore007]

Thanks very much both of you!! Much appreciated, and yes, I think that my mum had been given similar advice, the 10 mins on each side, so fair enough if that's what she was told. I'll do now as you both suggest and feed her from one, and when I burp her I'll have a quick squeeze and if milk still squirting out (which it tends to) I'll pop her back on the same one - if she's still hungry then she can pop over to the other side if it runs out.

Very reassuring to finally have some proper guidance on what to do! Thanks x x

 

[trumpetbum]

Lol, no problem. It's a nightmare when people give you old fashioned advice, my mum thinks of milkfeeding as ounces per bodyweight being an old school nursery nurse. At times I was sure she thought I should squeeze it out and measure it.

 

[bana]

u only need to burp her if she comes off. and after shes finished feeding. I feed from oe boob until i think its emptied then put on second. It depends on how hungry yr baby is, mines a hungry monster! Merry xmas xx

 

[Kate84]

A midwife in a hospital told me to feed a baby from breast no 1 until baby drops off, then again from the same breast, and next time to change breasts and feed like I fed from the first one.
I found it very good

 

[Elysian1c0]

I've always let him nurse on one side til it's "empty" and he's had enough. Very rarely do we do two sides. Only during growth spurts do we do both. And they advise against timing the feeds because you want to make sure they get the hindmilk and not a belly full of foremilk. So you let them eat until they're content on one side, or they pull away. Then, burp. If they're still hungry, offer the next breast, and if they don't empty that one, start on that same side again next time.

Adi gulps a lot of air, so he usually eats for a few minutes on boob 1, gets fussy, I burp him, stick him back on boob 1, he eats for a while more, pulls off, we burp again. All done. Next time, boob 2...

 

[Blah11]

I've only ever gave Amelie one boob. She drains it usually and then next feed I give her the other one. I can always tell what boob she goes on because it's harder than the other LOL

 

[eeyore007]

Thanks very much! Did this for the whole of yesterday and last night. Seems to be working a lot better. She just eats of one, and only once did she move over to other one. Yes, you are right, come the next feed, the boob for feeding is hard and ready to burst - actually started leaking at mum and dads yesterday waiting for her to wake up!!

 

[shinona]

Thanks very much! Did this for the whole of yesterday and last night. Seems to be working a lot better. She just eats of one, and only once did she move over to other one. Yes, you are right, come the next feed, the boob for feeding is hard and ready to burst - actually started leaking at mum and dads yesterday waiting for her to wake up!!

That should hopefully get a bit better as your body gets used to your new way of working. I now find the next boob I'm going to use is fuller but it tends to only be ready to burst now first thing in the morning.