Throughout my entire nursing experience one breast has always produced twice as much as the other. I am now weaning my 7 month old son and the breast that does not produce as much has completely shut down. The other is quite large compared to this, and it makes for a very uncomfortable situation. Has anyone ever had this problem? Will they eventually go back to the same size, and how long will that take? I am now expressing to relieve, not to empty. Lastly, I have noticed that the one that has shut down is now smaller than before I was preganant. Is that normal too? Thanks.

Most of you are laughing right now, but I DO have a serious question if you'll read on...

My right breast has always been a bit larger than my left, though the difference, I think, is visible only to my husband and myself. While I was breastfeeding my first child, however, the problem steadily worsened. After about six months I also noticed a difference in the milk supply. In a typical pumping session (which I did fewer than ten times per week) I would easily get 4+ ounces from the right side and only 2 from the left.

Around this time, I first introduced solid foods to the baby's diet, and though I continued nursing for nearly another year, I often worried that he was not getting enough of his calories from breast milk between 6 and 12 months -- he loved to eat, and showed less and less interest in nursing.

Now, with a newborn, I'm noticing the size difference again. I've only pumped a few times, just to get the baby accustomed to occasional bottles for my future convenience, and sometimes I get equal amounts. But sometimes, as before, the left side yields only half as much milk. I've also noticed that my baby sucks less vigorously on that side during afternoon feedings (nights and mornings seem fine).

Obviously, I'm bothered by the cosmetic issue here, but I'm also concerned that the problem led my first child to wean himself to solid foods too rapdily. Milk production is supposed to be a supply-demand process, I know, but I can't help worrying that my body was getting it wrong! Am I way off-base? This time around I've been starting every feeding on the left (low-producing) side in hopes that my very hungry baby will stimulate better production, but so far I see no improvement. Should I stick with this experiment, or might it cause other problems? It may also be relevant that I took Micronor while breastfeeding the first time. And what about the fact that I'm right-handed? I'm open to all theories and advice!

Thanks
Still hoping the problem's not obvious...

cosmetically, i think i am even. i am right-handed and therefore i carry the children on my left side (thus squishing my left breast) and maybe that inhibited milk production. i finally just chalked it up to being right-breast dominant. right breasted mama

I first noticed the difference pretty early on, and I checked with a lactation consultant to find out if it was normal. She reassured me that it was perfectly normal for one side to be bigger than the other. She said it would be more unusual for them to be perfectly even! So I hope that sets your mind at ease on that point.

As far as milk supply goes, I have kind of given up trying to get my left side to produce as much as my right. I make it a point to nurse on my left side as much as possible, so that I don't get completely noticibly uneven (particularly if I suspect that he's not super hungry, but just wants to suck.) Unfortunately, my son does not seem to fill up on that side the way he does on the right, so I end up nursing on the right more than I might like to. One thing that helps a little is to pump on the left but not the right. This increases the demand for the left side and stimulates the milk production. It doesn't completely solve the problem, but it helps.

I have no idea what will happen once I start to wean. Good luck and don't worry.
AM

Now, approching 20 months, both my breasts are approximately the same size again.

good luck !
Alyson in Oakland