Does everyone offer the second boob?
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Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: Does everyone offer the second boob?
Posted By: Mel&Kel
Subject: Does everyone offer the second boob?
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 9:20pm
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My little one is 3 weeks old, so far I give her one boob, she drinks and then gets to a point where she is just suckling rather than drinking and she has that drunk look and goes to sleep, I wake her and burp her. If I squeeze my boob milk is still coming out so I don't think she has run out, if I put her on the same boob or the other boob again she just suckles and I also find if I offer the boob again she spews a lot more.
Do I need to offer her the second boob? Should just offer the same boob again if I sqeeze and milk still comes out or do I not need to offer more if she is just suckling and spews if I make her have more boob? How do you know if the first boob is drained with nothing left? She is having lots and lots of wet nappies and wakes herself for feeds every three hours during the day and 3-4-5 hours in the night. She is gaining weight, I think I am a bit paranoid as for the first couple of days she didn't feed well and had lost weight on the 5 day weigh in and got back to birth weight at the 10 day weigh in and has gained more than 30g each day when she was last weighed but she isn't putting on loads of weight so far like some other babies have. Thanks heaps in advance! ------------- Mummy to Eva born 11 Feburary 2009 and Charlotte born 18 April 2011 |
Replies:
Posted By: Henna79
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 9:32pm
| Sounds like she is getting heaps. I think (if I remember rightly) that my MW told me to offer second boob all the time but most of the time Alex wouldn't take it. My boobs never drain completely so maybe you just have heaps of milk. |
Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 9:33pm
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I still have no idea when my boobs are drained. I dont think they ever do really.
When Arianne was first born one boob was enough for her, she would also have the "drunk" look aswell. For about a month now I have offered her the second boob and she takes it. I think its just a growing thing, when they get bigger the more they want....maybe lol someone tell me if I am wrong lol. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Ella1
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 9:42pm
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Hi Mel, all babies loose weight after they are born, sometimes up to 10%. Mika had gone over her birthweight at day 7, but my mw said it often takes 14 days for BF babies to get back to their birth weight, so Eva was well withing that 14 day period.
I usually put Mika back on the same boob as well. Because of the fast flow I have I often feel she pulls off to catch her breath. So when she signals she's ready for more I put her on the same breast, to make sure she gets the hind milk as well. I can't tell you though if what I do is correct. |
Posted By: FreeSpirit
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 9:49pm
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If she acts full - eg sleepy, full tummy, not looking for more - then I'd just pop her back on the same boob, as she'll be getting the good quality hindmilk - rich in fats and antibodies and vitamins that she needs. Foremilk is high in water and sugar. Its the hindmilk that will help her gain weight, foremilk takes care of thirst (keep in mind if its hot in the middle of the day). You can't make a child drink. If she isn't interested in more milk, she's had enough. ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 10:31pm
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No, I dont always offer the second. James is like your wee one. Drinks till he's full then has a wee suck for a while. If I offer him the second he will have a damn good go at it, throw up or get windy. Great!
As for emptying a boob....you never will. There is always something more in there.
My rule of thumb is if he comes off and still seems hungry, offer him the second. But this is rare with James. If I think he just wants another suck rather than a feed, I put him back on the same one. That way he is only getting hind milk not the foremilk which can sometimes lead to a sore tummy.
James is gaining 300gms a week so I think he;s doing ok. From memory Tom used to take both sides so every baby is different. Oh, but I think we went through phases where he wanted both and then only one etc. |
Posted By: NovemberMum
Date Posted: 05 March 2009 at 10:54pm
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I do most of the time..sometimes she will only take one side as she wants to get down and play. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 3:07am
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I've only just started seriously offering Callum the second boob in the past week or so. Up till now he's taken a good 45 mins to an hour to have had enough of the first side and, like Eva, he would just end up puking if he had a go at the second side too. Now he can finish the first boob in about 20 mins and is still looking for more. I'm still pumping the same, if not more, when I express so I figure he's finally getting more efficient.
If I try squeezing a bit more milk out there is ALWAYS more there. I know if I've let him suck too long if I start getting a sore nipple 
Eva's weight gain looks pretty good to me (not that I'm an expert LOL) .. and if she's got plenty of wet nappies then that's perfect. ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: first
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 9:47am
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My boy has alway been a quick feed-takes about 4-5minutes so no I don't offer both sides as it is hard to break a four minute feed into two sides.
I know he is full because he would go a godd 3-4 hours on his four minute feed. He has also put on considerable weight. Sounds like one side is going to be enough for now. It is good because when it comes to a growth spurt and they want more feed just offer the other side too. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/"> 
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Posted By: angel4
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 9:50am
i was only once side feeding up until about 3 or 4 or 5 weeks can't remember but the plunket nurse told me i needed to start offering both sides - not for him but for me. She explained it like this. If you feed on the right side at 7am and then feed on the left at 10am then back to the right at 1pm the right breast has gone 6hours without anything coming out - which in my case meant it was very engorged. She said that this increased the risk of mastitis, so that convinced me straight away i started offering both sides. It was quite a relief not to be lopsided anymore. She also said somehting about it keeping up milk supply because some milk is removed from each breast prompting it to make more. At this point though if you aren't engorged on one side i would just keep feeding one sided until she starts going a little longer between feeds. or she is awake after burping. It can all get very confusing really - trust your instincts hun
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 9:58am
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I just offer one at a time in the early weeks, so I can be sure they aren't just getting the top of the milk on each breast. Sounds like she is full enough on one side - offer the other side at the next feed and your breasts will soon settle into the routine. -------------  |
Posted By: kiwikid
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 11:12am
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I only offered one side per feed in the first 8/10 weeks, I wasnt sure how long it would take for bub's to get all the hind milk so let him feed til he was full off one side. Then he got hungrier and needed the second side to be satisfied - you can really tell when they want more so if baby is happy / sleepy etc then she's fed well, if she grizzles and fusses when you take her off the boob then that would indicate she wants more.
Hayden has gone from feeding for 45 mins off one boob to draining both in max 10mins so funny how his feeding has changed over time. ------------- 
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Posted By: busyissy
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 12:40pm
| so long as you alternate boobs per feed then it doesn't matter if you do one sided feeding for a while. Sounds like you have heaps of milk which is great and that your little one doesn't need the other side. You will probably find when she is a bit older she will be wanting both sides more. |
Posted By: Chickoin
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 1:44pm
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I'm still doing the one side, I did used to get one very engorged boob when she started sleeping through the night at about 7 weeks (I know, insanely lucky mum!) and so last feed on one side was about 8pm, then the other side at 8am and the next at 11am, so it was 15hours of one boob not being drained. But my body adjusted at 12 weeks and I have never had any problems with mastitis etc, maybe I am just very lucky.
Now I will feed one side at 6pm-ish then the other at 7pm-ish and she goes to bed with a full tum. The rest of the time it is one side only. -------------   
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Posted By: Siananigan
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 5:21pm
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My boy has always been a one side man. Sometimes in hot weather he will have little sips from both to quench his thirst but one is always enough and I was always sure he was getting that good hindmilk. ------------- http://lilypie.com">   [/url]
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Posted By: whitewave
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 7:51pm
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Sounds like every bubba is different, so don't worry! My little man has been taking just one side, up til yesterday when he started wanting more... I think he's going through his first growth spurt! He's nearly 4 weeks old now. But even today, he's had some feeds on just one side and he's had enough, and then the next one he may want both.
Just watch for feeding cues after she's finished on one side, she'll let you know when she wants more. |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 06 March 2009 at 8:38pm
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One of the mums in the Jan thread said that by offering just a little bit of the second breast at a night feed is a bit like a knock out drug to them, can't quite remember how she put it. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Blankney94
Date Posted: 07 March 2009 at 9:52pm
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Did it work for you Kel? Yeah the foremilk contains the oxytocin which is a sleepy hormone. So top baby up on this from the second boob at the end of the feed (5 mins) and they get that dopey look! Maybe just make sure they are all pre-burped before doing it though - my baby is really windy and won't sleep with a bubble coming up. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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