Is it normal for a baby to prefer one breast over the other?
Infants, especially newborns, may have periods of preferring one breast to the other. You may notice your baby fussing, pulling away, or simply refusing to suck from one breast. If your baby is refusing to feed from one side, you'll need to pump that breast regularly in order to maintain your overall milk supply. (You may also need to offer the expressed milk you to your baby to supplement his feedings.)
What causes it?
A newborn may struggle to latch on to one breast over the other because of breast engorgement, a difference in the nipple, or poor latch-on technique. An older baby may reject one breast because it has a low milk supply or flow compared to the other breast. You can end up with a low milk supply in one breast if your baby only nurses from one side each feeding and you sometimes forget to switch to the other breast for the next feeding or you frequently begin nursing on the same breast. This is why it's important to remember to alternate breasts at each feeding.
What can I do if my baby won't alternate?
If your baby is very young (under 3 months) try to gently and persistently encourage him to nurse at the less-preferred breast by always offering the shunned breast first, when he's hungriest. The problem with allowing your baby to nurse on one side only is that he may not be able to get enough from just the one breast, and you may lose your milk supply in the other breast if he's not nursing from it regularly.
If you're unable to get your newborn to nurse from both breasts equally, you'll need to protect your milk production by pumping the shunned breast with a fully automatic pump after each nursing session until you're able to get your baby to latch on to that side. (Keep trying!) You'll probably also need to use the expressed milk to supplement your baby's feedings. Seek out the help of an experienced lactation consultant if you're struggling.
If you've been nursing successfully for at least a few months and your milk is well established, you may choose to abide by your baby's preference. If your child is getting enough and her breast preference poses no real adversity for you, you can go along with it. By this time, maintaining your milk production in the shunned breast would probably not be an issue, but you may want to pump milk from it anyway if you're concerned about looking "lopsided." (Your breast will shrink somewhat once it's no longer being nursed or pumped.) If you do start to appear lopsided, don't worry too much — your breasts will usually become even again after weaning.
source from http://www.babycenter.com
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