What's wrong with the right side?

[laceys]

My EBF 3.5 month old strongly prefers left side. I try to start nursing on alternating sides. One time start on right and the next time start on left. She has always preferred left side but lately she just cries at the right breast so I switch her to left and she's fine. Right away in the morning she'll finish off both sides but I need to do left first at that time. Otherwise the left one just drips. Oddly enough my son preferred right side. If he nursed on the right side he'd be done even if it was first. I got around this by always starting on left side. Then he would nurse on both sides and be done. Is this a normal thing for a baby to do and why is it happening? And, what am I supposed to do about this lopsidedness? Can anyone help me?

[rcarver]

Oh, I don't know. This happened to me, but that's because my righty is smaller and made less milk than lefty. Doesn't sound like that's the case for you.

[C&EsMom]

I also have babies who prefer one side over the other. My right side produces way more milk and has a faster letdown so they have both preferred that side over the left. My left side is even smaller when I'm not lactating.

With my dd, she started refusing the left side around 6 months old and I tried nearly everything to keep her going on that side... pumping to beef up supply on that side, starting her on that side each time, nursing her when she was sleepy to get her to accept that side.... finally, it was a losing battle so she nursed from just the right side for the second six months. I was lopsided but at least I knew which side to start on each time

This time my son has done much of the same thing. When he was about 2 months old I read on kellymom to feed the baby on the smaller side first each time.... BIG MISTAKE!!!! My larger side was never getting fully emptied and I developed a clogged duct and then mastitis... I don't remember ever being that sick.
Ds started refusing the smaller side at night at about 3 months old... then a week or two ago he started refusing that side during the day also. It's now been about 10 days since he nursed on that side. It's now about back to it's pre-nursing size. It's a bit noticeable but only if you stare at my chest

So, sorry about that ramble... guess I just wanted to let you know it's normal and it's up to you how long you want to fight it or if you want to fight it at all. Good luck

[lilyfish]

Girl, I don't know. Maybe from day one, the flow of milk in one breast is preferable to the other.

My left breast, 16 months pp, makes probably 85% of my breastmilk. Jed will nurse well off of the right side in the mornings, but most of the time, he will not stay latched on to my right breast--he just wiggles and is easily distracted. *sigh*