I’m positively giddy after my first full night’s sleep in nearly six weeks!  Annika, five weeks-old, has been nursing fine, gaining weight easily, having plenty of wet and poopy diapers.  But it seemed she was never quite satisfied when she nursed.  Whenever I would put her to my breast, she would fuss and pull away.  She would take a few gulps, cry and look just plain miserable. 

Yesterday, I went to the La Leche League website and there I stumbled across a wonderful article, “Finish the First Breast First.”  The author described Annika and me perfectly!  She explained that while the foremilk is initially filling, it doesn’t have the staying power of that rich and creamy hindmilk that babies get only after they’ve nursed for several minutes.  I was letting Annika fill up on the foremilk, pulling her off, then putting her on the second breast where she’d fill up on more foremilk and not want to finish it.  Two hours later she’d be hungry again, but not for that foremilk which was what she was going to get when I nursed her again. 

The author had a radical proposal:  let the baby nurse fully on one breast.  Let her get all the milk in that breast, empty it out and end nursing on her own.  Then, and only then, offer her the second breast.  If she’s not interested in it, let it go.

I did that starting around 4:00 p.m. yesterday and the difference was immediate and amazing.  I had a different baby!  I let her nurse as long as she wanted on my right breast, until she fell asleep and off the nipple.  She was so cute, drunk on breast milk!  She didn’t want the second breast and fell sound asleep.  Three hours later we did it again.  Same result - a happy, satisfied baby.  No rooting, no evening fussiness.  She was happy and alert for the rest of the night.  I nursed her at 10:30 p.m., put her to bed all sleepy and full of fat, rich hindmilk, and she slept until 5:30 a.m.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She nursed on both breast for 15 minutes each, then slept for another four hours!  I slept and slept and life is sooooooooo good! 

This from a baby who had been nursing every two hours during the night!  I’m amazed!  In all the nursing books I’ve read, never once has anyone suggested that it’s okay not to nurse from both breasts at a sitting.

Back to List of Stories