Preferring one breast to the other

Some babies simply do seem to prefer one breast to the other, and there are many reasons why this might be. One breast may have a slower flow than the other, or the nipple on that breast may be a slightly different shape, making it harder to latch on.

Mastitis can sometimes affect the taste of the milk from the affected breast. Depending on whether you’re left or right handed you may find it easier to latch your baby onto one or other breast and that on will be her favorite. Some newborn babies prefer one breast to another because they’re used to resting on one side while inside the uterus and it feels unnatural to have their heads on the other side.

If your baby does prefer one side over the other it could cause problems if she isn’t feeding efficiently from her least favored side – you could end up with blocked milk ducts or a poor supply on that side. Try holding her differently on the less favored side – she might be more comfortable latching on if you try the in the football hold (with her body under your arm and her head cradled in your hand); or if you feed her on that side lying down. If she still doesn’t feed well from that breast try to get into the habit of expressing fro it in order to fully drain it.

Why not chat to other moms about this, or other topics, by leaving a message on the feeding and food area of our chat forum? Alternately, if you want to meet other moms in your area with similar age babies, visit our people section to find out what’s happening in your area, or join or start one of our groups. If you have any unanswered questions, use our questions page to get tips from other moms or our resident experts for all those pregnancy or baby-related issues.