Should Breastfeeding Mothers Switch Sides?

If you were once a first-time mother trying to get the hang of breastfeeding in a hospital, you can probably relate to the following scenario.

A woman has tried for over twenty minutes to get her newborn baby to wake up so she can nurse him. She has rubbed his back, feet and head. She has even removed all of his clothes down to his diaper (which she finds cruel, but hey, the nurses insisted) in an effort to get her baby to open his eyes. Finally the little guy can't take any more and lets out a wail. Quickly she practices the moves in which she's been instructed. Holding her breast in one hand and the back of the baby's head in the other, she tries to shove her nipple into the mouth of her screaming child.

Finally, after many whispered prayers, much patience and a little sweat, she gets the little guy to latch on. "I thought this was supposed to be natural," she thinks. After twenty grueling, painful minutes she congratulates herself and places her sleeping bundle beside her in the hospital bassinet. Just then a nurse walks in the door. "How long did you feed him?" the sour-faced woman demands. "Twenty minutes," the mother responds proudly. "On both sides?" The mother feels she has been reduced to the size of a pea under the nurses scrutiny. "Um, no. I just fed him on one side." The nurse shakes her head disapprovingly, "You have to nurse on both sides for fifteen minutes every three hours or your milk won't come in. Do you want him to starve? Wake him up and feed him on the other side." Scornfully, the nurse departs leaving the mother on the brink of tears.

Though a little exaggerated, a scene like this has transpired in one form or another, thousands of times all over the country. Let me dispel a myth: though stimulating both breasts frequently over the first few days after delivery is related positively to bringing in your milk supply, one-sided feeding should be your goal. Breast milk is made up of three major components, the first being the skim milk (my term for it). This milk is released during the first 5-10 minutes of a nursing session.

This is rich in oxytocin and lactose. The second type of milk is the foremilk, released five to eight minutes into the feed. This milk is the consistency of regular milk, and high in protein. The third type of milk is called hind milk. This is incredibly thick and creamy and loaded with fat. This milk, however, is not released until fifteen to eighteen minutes into the feed. A quick deduction of the facts would lead you to the conclusion that two-sided, fifteen minute feedings are not ideal. Instead, a one-sided twenty to thirty minute feed should be your goal.