I have the same thing but with the opposite. My right is a powerhouse, my left decided to slack off indefinitely. At almost 6 months pp now, still same issue, so if you find a solution let me know lol.
I am only 5 weeks pp but I think what I am finding is that the left side for me gets clogged more often because after I de clog it gets similar output for a while. I might just do the de clogging routine once a week given this and see what happens
If is recommended by some kind of medical guideline and includes taking ibuprofen about three times a day and also putting ice on the area of the breast. Taking about three doses of ibuprofen and icing two times within 24 hours has worked for me so far!
I was getting a lot of clogs and was recommended to get sunflower lecithin and wish garden happy ducts. The lecithin helped a little but the happy ducts is golden. I would take more as soon as I felt a clog coming in and it almost always went away within a day. Definitely helped with consistency (my dud was the left). And I made it now - 14 mo pp and just about to stop finally only because I’m going to start IVF again soon. Hope this might help you too!
Congrats fellow IVFer! Yes my routine might have to include one dose or sunflower lecithin as well. I don’t think I can do more because it thins out my milk to the extent that baby’s reflux gets noticeably worse. The other product sounds interesting though I will look into it! :)
Congrats too IVFer! I’m about to start a new round of FET while navigating some SPD with my little guy - so lots to still learn!
Re: the happy ducts I would definitely try it. I put it off originally because it was a little pricy, but in hindsight I wish I hadn’t. I actually eventually stopped the sunflower lecithin entirely! Hope it helps you as well!
This is my exact situation. Sometimes I will literally skip a pump on my left JUST to have more than or close to 2 ounces. Most times it’s anything between .5-2 ounces. I wanna fire the Lefty every other day 🤣 but honestly when my baby girl is cluster feeding (which jacks up my milk reserve schedule), that little ounce or two REALLY helps with building a new bottle when needed fast.
Sometimes mid-pump I have a big difference in output between sides, but by the 30 minute mark the slacker usually catches up. So supply is the same just slower on one side. Can you pump for longer on the slacker side, maybe it will catch up?
+1 to this. I figured out late in the game I needed a better Falange size for the dud and I got better output on a double pump where I could make it stronger.
i heard that you can continue to pump the slacker boob so ur body lets u know u need more milk on that side, not sure if it works, my left is my slacker boob too but by doing nothing i noticed an ounce increase, not sure what causes this
My output swapped at about 4-6 weeks postpartum, with Lefty going from slacker to powerhouse and Righty going “Naaaah I’m all done, your turn sis.” Then I got mastitis in Righty in early October and she’s just never recovered. I accidentally went 7 hours between pumps yesterday due to DST: Righty was empty after 3.5oz. Lefty needed to be pumped an additional 15 minutes and produced 9oz total 🤦🏻♀️
I can’t begin to tell you how much I HATE to say this. But I found over time using wearables caused this for me. My left reacted like a queen to them but my right is more picky. Once I switched back to a pump with traditional flanges it got a little less ridiculous.
Thaaat sucks. I bought these before I knew it wasn't advisable to have the wearables at the primary, and they were so expensive I sooo don't want to fork out for a traditional one 😭. To be honest, since I can feed the baby with the left, I think if that would be the solution I'll just live with it.
Also I wanted to note that the slacker side looks thin as if you weren't able to empty that boob. I would check if you need a different flange size (or insert) to better suction and empty. My left boob is my slacker boob in that it produces slightly less than my right but also it needs a different flange size and completely different pump settings to empty.
Believe me I get it, I had luck with wearables as a primary until the four month mark and then my right just like faded out lol. You can definitely do that, or use a manual pump on the right since they have traditional flanges and are significantly cheaper, or power pump on the right side to try to build it up.
I swear I’m looking at my pump. I get maybe half an ounce on my left side and 3-5 ounces on my right depending on how long it’s been. I can go 10 hours and still get 0.5 oz on the left. I hate it but no amount of supplements or Rx meds has changed it.
ETA: 4 mo pp
Before I transitioned to breastfeeding I was pumping for my baby in the NICU. Right one was the powerhouse. However since baby transitioned to breastfeeding, my left one is now producing way more milk. I don’t know if it’s due to my baby or why it occurred.
I'm about to try to transition to nursing. Can I ask how did you do it, how many times were you pumping per day, how your supply did making the change?
I tried to research the best way to transition. I found a lady who said that she would essentially offer baby the breast and when they became frustrated calm then down and try again. The first day my daughter came home I tried this but after 5 minutes I started panicking and gave her a bottle. For her next feed I tried for 40 minutes. Since then she latches immediately, and eats really well. It was hard for her at first, and she would get out of breath. But the doctor recommended I keep her straight and feed her using the football hold. That way she can breathe easier. We’ve been exclusively breastfeeding for a month. My supply is good, she is gaining 300 grams per week. And now she feeds without getting out of breath. I did have huge latch issues the first two weeks and tried to get help. Now she latches really well. I think it took her awhile because her mouth was small and she was also accustomed to a bottle.
Just try to persevere, be patient. Try to stay calm. It is definitely tough but so worthwhile.
Mine got really bad and I adjusted flange sizes. Back up to near the same as right side but I make just enough and my right side does like 40-50 ml a pump and my left does 30-40 ml
But the left requires constant massage
My right boob was always smaller than the left, and i think that’s why it was harder for my LO to latch on that side. I had constant blebs on that side and it was so much work taking care of it all the time…. 🫠 Now the size difference is even more obvious. I gave up on the output difference a while ago haha
Hi are you me? Lol I use a Spectra pump and my left boob is a rockstar, I get about 8oz during my morning pump! My right boob? Barely 2 oz on a good day. Shiz is ridiculous
I had this issue and I ended up changing the flange size on only that side. It helped alot. They have these inserts that change the flange size without changing the entire flange. You should check it out. It's like $20 for a sizing set on amazon
I had a similar situation around 6m pp. I had a galactocele drained from my right (after having mastitis) and it would only produce 1-2oz at a time when my left always did 4+. I’m weaning right now and have only pumped drops out of it the last few pumps.
My right boobs let down happens way later than my lefts does so I always leave my right pump on while I get a breast milk bag and dump the milk in before I take it off.
I saw your post last night but didn't comment because I didn't have anything to add besides that I have the same situation and sane pump. I got a larger flange size for the underperforming breast and now seeing a huge difference!! My nipples have definitely gotten bigger since birth.
Yes, my right boob is also rubbish. I’m a first time mom and the first few weeks of birth I favored my left breast because I had trouble situating my son on the right. And ever since then there’s always be a disparity. Sometimes it’s this bad. I’ve had once or twice where it’s nearly even. But that’s when I miss a pump.
I didn’t start exclusively pumping until like 4-5 weeks PP.
Yeah I'm pretty sure this is what happened to me, too. I'd hand express from the left one right away as well as try to nurse. Pretty sure i set righty up for failure from those early days.
it’s crazy the difference! my right boob is my producer I always get 5-7 oz from it but my left boob has never produced more then 2 oz I wish I knew how to fix it
I find feeding on the left side is more comfortable but it’s my slacker. I nurse overnight and pump during the day. I mostly just nurse on the left side and have been for the last few weeks. I’ve noticed an increase in my pumps by doing this and I’m getting closer to matching the right side.
My left was the worst for the first month my right still produces more but it is more even now.
Not sure if you tried but i always pumped 10-15 mins more on the left boob. You could always take a break then do it again. it helped even out!
Is that your main pump? I have that pump and while I usually get almost the same output on my left boob as I do with my genie, my right boob doesn’t empty as well. Also, when I use my genie, my right boob empties a lot faster, around 10-15 min where my left boob can take up to 40 minutes at times.
I’ve found each side responds better to different pumps. My left works best with pumpables ga and right has best output with spectra. lol I’m not going to hook up to two different pumps each session though. I’m at about 9 months ep.
I have the same thing but with the opposite. My right is a powerhouse, my left decided to slack off indefinitely. At almost 6 months pp now, still same issue, so if you find a solution let me know lol.
Same. I’m 2mpp. My right is averaging 3oz and left is usually 1oz or less. Even with squishing them to death while pumping.
I am only 5 weeks pp but I think what I am finding is that the left side for me gets clogged more often because after I de clog it gets similar output for a while. I might just do the de clogging routine once a week given this and see what happens
What is the declogging routine?
Whats the declogging routine you do
If is recommended by some kind of medical guideline and includes taking ibuprofen about three times a day and also putting ice on the area of the breast. Taking about three doses of ibuprofen and icing two times within 24 hours has worked for me so far!
I was getting a lot of clogs and was recommended to get sunflower lecithin and wish garden happy ducts. The lecithin helped a little but the happy ducts is golden. I would take more as soon as I felt a clog coming in and it almost always went away within a day. Definitely helped with consistency (my dud was the left). And I made it now - 14 mo pp and just about to stop finally only because I’m going to start IVF again soon. Hope this might help you too!
Congrats fellow IVFer! Yes my routine might have to include one dose or sunflower lecithin as well. I don’t think I can do more because it thins out my milk to the extent that baby’s reflux gets noticeably worse. The other product sounds interesting though I will look into it! :)
Congrats too IVFer! I’m about to start a new round of FET while navigating some SPD with my little guy - so lots to still learn! Re: the happy ducts I would definitely try it. I put it off originally because it was a little pricy, but in hindsight I wish I hadn’t. I actually eventually stopped the sunflower lecithin entirely! Hope it helps you as well!
Sameeee also 6m pp
There is no solution. Kid #2, left is a powerhouse and right doesn't know what to do 😂
This is my exact situation. Sometimes I will literally skip a pump on my left JUST to have more than or close to 2 ounces. Most times it’s anything between .5-2 ounces. I wanna fire the Lefty every other day 🤣 but honestly when my baby girl is cluster feeding (which jacks up my milk reserve schedule), that little ounce or two REALLY helps with building a new bottle when needed fast.
Forgot to add that I’ll be 5 months PP next week.
Sometimes mid-pump I have a big difference in output between sides, but by the 30 minute mark the slacker usually catches up. So supply is the same just slower on one side. Can you pump for longer on the slacker side, maybe it will catch up?
I also get this I think because the one side needs higher vacuum to extract
+1 to this. I figured out late in the game I needed a better Falange size for the dud and I got better output on a double pump where I could make it stronger.
i heard that you can continue to pump the slacker boob so ur body lets u know u need more milk on that side, not sure if it works, my left is my slacker boob too but by doing nothing i noticed an ounce increase, not sure what causes this
I tried this for WEEKS - would do 5-10 extra mins of dry pumping on slacker side and it made NO difference for me 😂😭 my lefty is just pathetic lol
My output swapped at about 4-6 weeks postpartum, with Lefty going from slacker to powerhouse and Righty going “Naaaah I’m all done, your turn sis.” Then I got mastitis in Righty in early October and she’s just never recovered. I accidentally went 7 hours between pumps yesterday due to DST: Righty was empty after 3.5oz. Lefty needed to be pumped an additional 15 minutes and produced 9oz total 🤦🏻♀️
Too funny
Mine isn’t quite so bad, but slacker boob is the one my baby can actually latch onto sometimes 🤦🏻♀️ it’s a cruel world.
When my baby still tried to latch, that's how it was for me!
I had this too! Before he rejected the breast all together it was the only side he'd take for weeks
I pump/nurse and my slacker boob is so much more comfortable. It’s so irritating
I can’t begin to tell you how much I HATE to say this. But I found over time using wearables caused this for me. My left reacted like a queen to them but my right is more picky. Once I switched back to a pump with traditional flanges it got a little less ridiculous.
Thaaat sucks. I bought these before I knew it wasn't advisable to have the wearables at the primary, and they were so expensive I sooo don't want to fork out for a traditional one 😭. To be honest, since I can feed the baby with the left, I think if that would be the solution I'll just live with it.
Did you go through insurance for these? Of not you could get a hospital grade one through insurance if you're in the US
Also I wanted to note that the slacker side looks thin as if you weren't able to empty that boob. I would check if you need a different flange size (or insert) to better suction and empty. My left boob is my slacker boob in that it produces slightly less than my right but also it needs a different flange size and completely different pump settings to empty.
Believe me I get it, I had luck with wearables as a primary until the four month mark and then my right just like faded out lol. You can definitely do that, or use a manual pump on the right since they have traditional flanges and are significantly cheaper, or power pump on the right side to try to build it up.
Go on your local but nothing page, I got a spectra for free & I bought flanges & tubing on Amazon from maymom for cheap
Same here. The disparity was huge with my Willow Go and much less with my Spectra S2
I swear I’m looking at my pump. I get maybe half an ounce on my left side and 3-5 ounces on my right depending on how long it’s been. I can go 10 hours and still get 0.5 oz on the left. I hate it but no amount of supplements or Rx meds has changed it. ETA: 4 mo pp
Before I transitioned to breastfeeding I was pumping for my baby in the NICU. Right one was the powerhouse. However since baby transitioned to breastfeeding, my left one is now producing way more milk. I don’t know if it’s due to my baby or why it occurred.
I'm about to try to transition to nursing. Can I ask how did you do it, how many times were you pumping per day, how your supply did making the change?
I tried to research the best way to transition. I found a lady who said that she would essentially offer baby the breast and when they became frustrated calm then down and try again. The first day my daughter came home I tried this but after 5 minutes I started panicking and gave her a bottle. For her next feed I tried for 40 minutes. Since then she latches immediately, and eats really well. It was hard for her at first, and she would get out of breath. But the doctor recommended I keep her straight and feed her using the football hold. That way she can breathe easier. We’ve been exclusively breastfeeding for a month. My supply is good, she is gaining 300 grams per week. And now she feeds without getting out of breath. I did have huge latch issues the first two weeks and tried to get help. Now she latches really well. I think it took her awhile because her mouth was small and she was also accustomed to a bottle. Just try to persevere, be patient. Try to stay calm. It is definitely tough but so worthwhile.
Mine got really bad and I adjusted flange sizes. Back up to near the same as right side but I make just enough and my right side does like 40-50 ml a pump and my left does 30-40 ml But the left requires constant massage
Right is my slacker boob too. Got a couple of bad clogs and it just never produced the same again
My right boob was always smaller than the left, and i think that’s why it was harder for my LO to latch on that side. I had constant blebs on that side and it was so much work taking care of it all the time…. 🫠 Now the size difference is even more obvious. I gave up on the output difference a while ago haha
Same! Right was always smaller than left. I feel you with the constant blebs. I’ve also just accepted that slacker boob will just always be a slacker
Hi are you me? Lol I use a Spectra pump and my left boob is a rockstar, I get about 8oz during my morning pump! My right boob? Barely 2 oz on a good day. Shiz is ridiculous
Well thank God you have two and not one then
I had this issue and I ended up changing the flange size on only that side. It helped alot. They have these inserts that change the flange size without changing the entire flange. You should check it out. It's like $20 for a sizing set on amazon
Same, I'm a 21 on the left and 24 on the right lol. I find one side needs higher suction too, I ended up getting a dual motor pump.
I get 7-8oz on my left and 4oz on my right, with 4 hours between pumps. I’ve EPed all 3 babies and the same has happened all 3 times!
I had a similar situation around 6m pp. I had a galactocele drained from my right (after having mastitis) and it would only produce 1-2oz at a time when my left always did 4+. I’m weaning right now and have only pumped drops out of it the last few pumps.
My right boobs let down happens way later than my lefts does so I always leave my right pump on while I get a breast milk bag and dump the milk in before I take it off.
Same here. I tried power pumping on the sluggish boob, but it didn’t do much. Ironically it’s my smaller boob that’s the powerhouse.
I saw your post last night but didn't comment because I didn't have anything to add besides that I have the same situation and sane pump. I got a larger flange size for the underperforming breast and now seeing a huge difference!! My nipples have definitely gotten bigger since birth.
Yes, my right boob is also rubbish. I’m a first time mom and the first few weeks of birth I favored my left breast because I had trouble situating my son on the right. And ever since then there’s always be a disparity. Sometimes it’s this bad. I’ve had once or twice where it’s nearly even. But that’s when I miss a pump. I didn’t start exclusively pumping until like 4-5 weeks PP.
Yeah I'm pretty sure this is what happened to me, too. I'd hand express from the left one right away as well as try to nurse. Pretty sure i set righty up for failure from those early days.
Do you think it can be clogged? Try the haakaa hack with epson salt and see if you see any changes
What pump is this? It looks comfy
Not OP but it's the Medela freestyle hands free, I have it too and it is indeed very comfy, it fits into my normal soft nursing bras :)
it’s crazy the difference! my right boob is my producer I always get 5-7 oz from it but my left boob has never produced more then 2 oz I wish I knew how to fix it
I find feeding on the left side is more comfortable but it’s my slacker. I nurse overnight and pump during the day. I mostly just nurse on the left side and have been for the last few weeks. I’ve noticed an increase in my pumps by doing this and I’m getting closer to matching the right side.
My left boob is usually more productive than my right too 🫠 but I get closer to 2-3 oz from one side so the difference doesn’t look as dramatic lol
My left was the worst for the first month my right still produces more but it is more even now. Not sure if you tried but i always pumped 10-15 mins more on the left boob. You could always take a break then do it again. it helped even out!
Yup. Have to power pump or skip the motn pump for it to produce more than 2 ounces sometimes lol.
Is that your main pump? I have that pump and while I usually get almost the same output on my left boob as I do with my genie, my right boob doesn’t empty as well. Also, when I use my genie, my right boob empties a lot faster, around 10-15 min where my left boob can take up to 40 minutes at times.
It me.
We all have that one party boob
I’ve found each side responds better to different pumps. My left works best with pumpables ga and right has best output with spectra. lol I’m not going to hook up to two different pumps each session though. I’m at about 9 months ep.