Breastfeeding is such a healthy and natural way to feed your baby. It is easy, and convenient. Breastfeeding does come with a few concerns and one of them is one breast producing more milk when nursing.

There are many women that notice one breast tends to get fuller than the other side. One or the other breast may become so engorged with milk that there is an actual difference in bra cup size for one side only. Breasts produce milk according to “supply and demand”, so if mom or baby has a preference for one side, it may end up with one side producing more milk than the other.

Is It Normal for One Breast Producing More Milk?

Breasts are actually not symmetric at all. In fact, each side of our body is different than the other. The differences are so minimal. Most often we are unable to even tell. Even though you have two breasts, each functions independently on its own as if it were the only breast you had. If you lost a breast, the other would produce all the milk your baby would need. For example, some women have had breast biopsies, surgeries or reductions and this may cause lower milk production or maybe even no milk production in one breast. Based on “supply and demand” theory, the other breast will step up and produce more milk to compensate.

With the “supply and demand” issue, even with normal functioning breasts babies tend to favor one breast. It is also possible that mothers prefer to feed their baby on one side over the other. When the body senses the need for more milk from one side, it produces more milk on that side to keep up with the demand.

How Can I Change the Uneven Production of My Breasts?

For one breast producing more milk, there're things you can do to change the uneven production of breasts. At the start of feeding time when baby is very hungry, begin the feed on the smaller breast. The stronger sucking will help to encourage more milk production in the breast that is producing less. Your baby may protest and cry because there is not as much milk and they have to work a little harder. You can try switching for a few minutes to give them a little faster flow and then go back to the smaller breast.

Another way to do this without upsetting your baby is to pump milk on the smaller side between your baby’s feeding time. This will help stimulate milk production and not be a disruption to your child.

A lactation consultant can help you figure out how to make your breasts produce milk more evenly and assist you with many different issues associated with nursing.

You can watch the video below to get more information about the reasons of one breast producing more milk than the other and how can you change it:

How Can I Boost My Milk Supply of Both Sides?

Once you have spoken to your pediatrician as well as your lactation consultant and they agree that you have low milk supply on one breast, here are a few things you can do:

What Else Can I Do If My Baby Prefers One Side?

When newborn infants are less than six weeks old, you need to work to maintain your milk supply on both sides. Since breast milk is produced according to “supply and demand” milk production, nursing your baby too much on one side can reduce the milk supply on the less favored side.

In order to keep milk flow even on both sides, you can always pump on one side while your baby feeds on the other. Your own let-down reflex will express the excess milk and you can feed the leftover milk to your baby from a bottle to prevent suckling too much on the breast that is overfull.

After a few days of doing the things above, you will notice the less favored side filling better. When this happens, try to gently encourage your baby to nurse on the less favorite breast. In order to keep him or her from becoming cranky with this, allow them to nurse briefly on the favored breast and then switch. Try not to start a switch when they are too hungry or you may have a fussy baby.

When babies are very young, they may only need short feedings and the milk in one breast may be enough for a full feeding. If this is the case, just offer the least favorite breast for the feeding and use the other breast the next feeding. Just make sure you do alternate them at each feeding.

Regardless, even if you have trouble switching breasts, at least always give it a try. It doesn’t really matter as long as your baby is getting plenty to eat at each feeding and there is a steady weight gain.

Will Changing My Position Encourage My Baby to Feed from Both Sides?

A technique called “laid-back” breastfeeding allows your baby to find the breast and feed naturally by using naturally instinctive reflexes. You can just lay back in a reclining position, and lay your baby on his or her tummy and allow them to choose which breast they want. Relying on instincts your baby choose the side he or she is drawn to for that particular feeding.

You can attempt to hold your baby in different positions using the opposite hand to hold baby’s head. If your baby prefers lying on his or her side and nursing on the right breast, try a “football hold” keeping them on that same side under your arm and up to the left breast. This position is helpful for mothers who have C-section deliveries to take pressure off your tummy.

You may have a nipple issue on one side. One nipple may be larger or too small and the texture may be too rough on one side. This can make baby have issues with latching on properly. As your baby gets older, they usually don’t continue to refuse a nipple.

As you and your baby learn to nurse together, you will both get better at it over time. Soon your baby will latch on correctly all by themselves and your breasts will even out with milk production.