Breastfeeding on One Side

Most lactation consultants will tell you that you should start by breastfeeding your baby on one side. Once he has emptied one breast, offer the other side to see if he’s still hungry.

You may be surprised to learn that many infants, especially newborns, only need to nurse on one side to be satisfied.

We as mothers tend to be worried from the very beginning that our baby isn’t getting enough to eat. Because babies are very good at reading their physical cues for hunger, breastfeeding on one side is okay as long as your baby acts like he’s had enough.

To keep your milk production even, make sure you nurse on the opposite side at the next feeding.
photo credit: Alexander Tundakov

Some mothers also find that baby prefers one side strongly. For many babies, this is the left side. Since the left breast is closer to the heart, the milk is richer. Baby may also like to be nearer mom’s heartbeat. Or perhaps mom is right handed so she gets into a habit of nursing on the left side more often so she has her dominant hand free, and so the left breast has more milk.

Another reason a mom may only breastfeed on one side is if she has more milk than her baby can handle. In order to slow down the production a little to match baby’s actual needs, she may only nurse on one side for a few days or weeks.

Women who have lost a breast to accident or cancer have also successfully nursed their baby with only one breast.