Some mothers notice that their babies tend to nurse better on one side or the other and sometimes this is something that has existed since birth - the baby just seems to prefer one side or the other. Sometimes the baby is well-established with nursing and then suddenly starts to prefer one side to the other. There are many different things that can cause this. If the baby has preferred one side since birth, then it could be something with the baby. It could’ve been something that happened with labor or delivery. It could be an anatomical difference for the mother or baby that causes them to nurse better on one side or the others. It could be that one side’s a better producer, or that one side has too slow of a letdown, or one side has too fast of a letdown, or simply that the baby’s more comfortable being held in a position on one side and they prefer that. Or it could be that the mother’s more comfortable holding the baby on one side and so maybe she starts that feeding more frequently and the baby’s more efficient at latching and sucking and that side may produce more milk. So as you can see, there’s lots of different explanations and thus a lot of different things that you can try if you find that your baby’s favoring one side or the other. The most important thing of all is that your baby’s getting enough to eat and if they’re getting enough from one side that’s producing a little bit more, then that’s okay but if you want to even it out then there are some things that you can try. If you think you’re dealing with under-supply on one side, then you can try to stimulate supply on the other side by nursing your baby more frequently on that side - like twice as often for a few days. You do generally speaking want to alternate the side that you start you baby on at each feeding. For example, if the left side is the under-producer, then start on the left side twice in a row and then start on the right and then go back to the left for two times and continue to do this for a few days and see if that boosts supply. In the meantime, your over-producer that’s not getting emptied as frequently is subject to clogged ducts and mastitis, so watch that and be sure that you pump off, manually express, or just latch your baby on a little bit to nurse to the point of comfort so that you don’t have those complications. You can also try pumping the under-producing side for 5-10 minutes after each nursing session to try to boost supply and see if that helps. If you think you’re having a fast letdown on one side and not the other and maybe that’s why the baby doesn’t like the fast side, then you can start them out on the fast side and then without changing their position, slide them over to the other side. Now this would mean starting them out in the cradle hold and then just moving them into the football hold and sometimes just changing the position alone that your baby’s in while they nurse will help and help them feel more comfortable, like if you’ve been nursing your baby in the cradle hold then try the football hold on the side your baby doesn’t prefer and maybe they’ll like it better. For example, maybe they’re just feeling like there’s some uncomfortable pressure on their legs or their abdomen or their shoulders on one side or the other. Or if you feel like it’s a comfort issue for you, try using more pillows or sit in a more comfortable chair while you’re nursing so you can get yourself comfortable with your baby on the side that they don’t seem to prefer as much. If you suspect an anatomical difference on yourself, then talk with your doctor who can perform an exam and see if that’s contributing to the problem. Or if you suspect that it might be an issue with your baby, then talk with your pediatrician who can ask you more specific questions and give you tailored information and advice about it. You may also benefit from having a lactation consult with a specialist who can watch you nurse and see if adjustments need to be made in order to help breastfeeding be successful for you and your baby. Good luck with everything and if you have more questions in the future for me, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at facebook.com/IntermountainMoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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