Hello, Mandy.
The worst case of imbalance I ever worked with was a mom who could pump
6 oz. from one breast and only 1 oz. from the other breast. No trick we
tried made any difference. She *always* started the baby on the 1-oz. side, so
the baby would nurse more vigorously while still hungry and maintain the
amount that breast could make. Mom was worried that if she fed from the 6-oz.
side first, baby wouldn't put much effort into the 1-oz. side, and the supply
would disappear altogether. And we wanted to do whatever we could to keep the
risk of breast cancer lower in *both* breasts, so wanted lactation to happen
in both breasts to the extent possible.
Herbs and prescriptions would not have helped the mother I worked with
because, in her case, she made *enough* milk, just not equally balanced. Had
she taken a galactogogue, there was every possibility that she would then
have had too much milk, at least for a while, on the 6-oz. side until her body
got the message that it wasn't needed and cut back again. We did try some
food galactogogues in the early weeks, but it didn't do anything for the
lower-producing breast. If the mother you are working with has an *overall* low
supply, then galactogogues can help, but the mother may still experience an
imbalance in amount between the two breasts.
One other question: Have you checked to see that mom doesn't need a
different-sized breast flange for the pump on the side that does not produce
well? If the breast flange she is using is either too small or too large, that
would impact her ability to produce enough milk while pumping. I have had
quite a few moms who needed two breast flanges of different sizes. Although
you told mom to switch sides while pumping, if both of her breast flanges are
the same size, and she needs one to be different, you wouldn't have noticed
any difference by switching sides during the pumping.
Dee
Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC, RLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA
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