BF question - How do you know?

You'd think I would know by now, but I am still confused!

How do you know when bubs has drained a breast?

Jackson and I have had a ton of feeding issues, and I keep persevering. He's now on a reflux med and feedings are now a lot more focused and calm, which I am pleased about.

He's always been a fairly efficient feeder and I have a fast let down. But over the last few days he has been feeding 4 - 5 mins on one side and then wanting the other side. I squeeze the side he is on and no milk comes out. Surely he can't be draining the breast that quickly? Often a few mins later I can squeeze a squirt, but could that be new milk being produced?

I am small breasted, so have never really been able to tell just by feeling my boobs (unless they're really full, like overnight). They don't really feel different after J has fed for 5 mins than they do at the beginning. But surely he should be able to get more out of them?

Is he being lazy and should I persist with that side? After he's had 5 min on both sides, he is done, so is it ok not to force the issue re draining?

I am asking because I am also a bit worried about my supply. I just don't seem to have much milk at the moment, and tonight it took forever to get a letdown, and this was a good couple of hours after our last feed.

The short answer is, you don't know I'm small breasted too and by the time the evening rolls around I need to switch feed - that is, give him one side, switch to the other, switch back etc. If he's having an especially hungry day I'll sometimes jump in the shower with him so I can feed him from one side and keep the water running over the other side, which helps simulate the milk production.

They should feel different after he's fed though - I can only tell by coming in from the side IYGWIM.

I had a bit of a panic when JJ was about 12 weeks old, because I had really fast letdown and it had taken a while for us both to work around that, but my supply naturally settled down around then so my letdown slowed. JJ got all frustrated with me then cos he didn't think it was fast enough any more. Your poor boobs, they just can't win! Anyway because I was stressing out about not having enough milk I was all tense when I was trying to feed and sometimes it would take AGES for my letdown to happen because of that. I looked up good old kellymom and did a bit of visualisation and cueing etc and that helped. Now I'm a lot more relaxed I don't seem to have that problem any more (and if it's taking longer than usual I just go shhhhhh and out it comes!).

Here's the article I found so helpful: link

and the referring article at kellymom is here

Interesting about the letdown "stimulus". When it happened I was trying to feed on the bed upstairs and I wondered if I should go down to the couch and my pillow to see if that would help!

Your milk will be more nutrients and fat, and less watery stuff than when he was born, so I think 5 mins a side is fine. Go ahead and offer him the second side. But then when you do the next feed, start on the 2nd side and then offer the 1st side again. Hopefully that makes sense... it will help keep your milk production even.

Lil miss only ever feeds for 5 mins a side. I feed her off one side per feed so she has 5 mins, then a change/play etc. then I put her back on the same side. Sometimes at her 7pm feed after she's been cluster feeding I have to put her on the other side to top her up before she goes down for the night. I can usually tell if the milk has stopped coz she keeps sucking strongly but not swallowing. If she does that I stick her on the other side and she usually feeds there for a couple of minutes.

It's hard tho coz a lot of times when she does that I can squeeze my nipple and milk squirts out and it looks like there is heaps there yet she is fussing like there isn't any and happily takes the other side. I think she just gets lazy, when the flow slows down she doesn't want to work harder to get it.

Yup< Joel feeds really quickly now, its seems he can't possibly have enough but he is happy and gaining weight (not that i've weighed him for a while, just going on the fact he is in 6-9month body suits now!!)