Refusing left breast-why?

[joslil]

My 7 months old has just this month begun refusing my left breast.  He will scream, cry and arch his back - sometimes latch on a second or two and sometimes not at all.  Then I can put him on the right side and he is perfectly happy.  Anyone know the cause?  To add more mystery, he will nurse on my left side in the bed in the middle of the night. 

[JacobMarksMummy]

Your left breast probally has a slower let down or doesn't produce quite as much milk as the right one. It is quite common for babies to develop breast preference. With perseverance some babies will eventually accept both breasts but occasionally some mums find that they have to abandon nursing from the disliked breast as they find fighting with their LO just to much to take. The reason he feeds well at night from the left breast is that he is sleepy and hungry and hasn't got the energy or inclination to remember that this is the boobie he doesn't like. I'd keep offering the left breast for at least two weeks after the fussiness developed, he just give up. Please bear in mind if you did, as a last resort, decide to nurse solely from one breast then it may take a while for you to build up your milk supply.

I think katet nurses her LO from one side for quite a while now. I hop you get some more advise 

[daisymelan]

Is it possible to start on the right side and then swithc him over after you achieve letdown?  I haven't had somethign like this happen to me, but it seems that might keep the little guy happy.  I agree with what the last poster has said as well!

Good luck.

[deenz]

Is it perhaps because of the position your ds is in to feed from the left breast... something hurting him?  I presume during the day you're doing the standard cradle hold, so night time in your bed he's in a different position...

Have you tried feeding in the football hold so he feels like he's feeding off the right breast?

[daisymelan]

Those are great suggestions denise.    

I learn more on this site everyday.

[Katet]

as said, yep I have a Right side refuser & I could have written your post at age 7months... I only feed one side now (Liam is 9mo)... For me I think I think the culprit was an ear infection... Liam  will also occasionally feed right side at night, but now I just let him do one side & pump 1x day from the right as I give him ebm from a sippy at 11am

So maybe get his ears checked, but otherwise 1 side is sufficient as Liam is a VERY big boy (bigger than most 15mo I know)

[lilapple]

I had the same thing happen to me months ago.  I did as daisymelan just wrote:  achieve letdown with the preferred breast first and then quickly switch to the other breast.  It worked very well!

[The Vern]

My 9-week old is a lefty refuser as well. Squirms and comes off the left, but has no problems with the right. Even after let down. I've also heard that it's common for babies to develop a preference. I've just kept at it to date, in spite of frustration. I find that I'm not as comfortable holding her when she's on the left, and maybe she senses that.  Let me know how you make out.

[joslil]

Thanks for all the suggestions - we have had a string of ear infections, but we've fixed them and that does not seem to be the reason unless that was the problem initially and it convinced him to quit nursing that side, tried changing position and still squirms like I'm giving him a bottle (which he also will not take), can't switch during feeding either - just decides he'd rather have neither at that point.  Oh well, I just try to give him that first at night to keep supply available.  They all have their own little quirks I guess.

[daisymelan]

Oh, I wish I had some more advice for you.  Hang in there.  We'll be here for support.

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

And boy are you right, they sure do all have their own little quirks.

[Katet]

Thanks for all the suggestions - we have had a string of ear infections, but we've fixed them and that does not seem to be the reason unless that was the problem initially and it convinced him to quit nursing that side, tried changing position and still squirms like I'm giving him a bottle (which he also will not take), can't switch during feeding either - just decides he'd rather have neither at that point.  Oh well, I just try to give him that first at night to keep supply available.  They all have their own little quirks I guess.

I think it probably was the ear infections they tend to remember it hurt to feed that way so they don't want to keep doing it.

Trust me you can feed totally on one side... I have an 11kg (24lb) baby to prove that & he isn't a huge solids eater & still is gaining weight on just feeding one side, except the 120mls (4oz) that I pump from the right side

[Mommy in Moose Jaw]

Nice to know others have experienced the same thing!!!  My left side has always been less productive than my right and dd used to fuss quite a bit on it.  She still sometimes pops on and off in frustration if she is very hungry and the letdown isn't happening as fast as she'd like.  I just kept putting her right back to it if I knew the milk hadn't let down yet.  She is textbook though and I can imagine spirited or grumpy babies would just throw a fit at that.  I don't know if this has actually helped us but I tried to offer the left one first as often as I can so she knows that if she just sticks with it it will let down eventually.  I have on occasion switched her to the right if she is really all over the place and then back to the left and then the milk is ready to go for her then.  She has never outright refused that breast so I hope our good luck holds!