Should You Switch Breasts While Breastfeeding? - Times Of India

Sign In

TOI

TOI

• home
• parenting
• Parentology
• first year
• getting pregnant
• pregnancy
• toddler and Beyond
• teen
• moments
• ask the expert
• videos

• News
• lifestyle
• parenting
• first-year
• Should you switch breasts while breastfeeding?

TrendingPuri OdishaGolden HourIndian RiverMaharashtrian Breakfast DishesBaby NamesCountries With Most VegetariansDhanushMary KomVisa Free CountriesSocrates QuotePuri OdishaGolden HourIndian RiverMaharashtrian Breakfast DishesBaby NamesCountries With Most VegetariansDhanushMary KomVisa Free CountriesSocrates QuotePuri OdishaGolden HourIndian RiverMaharashtrian Breakfast DishesBaby NamesCountries With Most VegetariansDhanushMary KomVisa Free CountriesSocrates QuoteShould you switch breasts while breastfeeding?TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Jan 19, 2022, 17:56 ISTShareAA+Text Size

• Small
• Medium
• Large

Follow us

1/5

Important points about breastfeeding

Motherhood is different for everyone as different as people are from each other. The road to motherhood is strewn with new experiences and decisions that one has to make at nearly every step.

Breastfeeding is an entirely new experience for a new mother and can be difficult to manage in the beginning. The decision to offer one breast or both breasts at each feeding ends up confusing a lot of women. However, it is just a matter of preference as long as the baby is getting enough milk and the growth of the baby is growing healthily.

Even though you should go for what is easiest and most convenient for you and your child, here are what both the choices entail and what experts have to say.

2/5

​Alternating breasts at each feeding

Building up a healthy supply of milk is just one of the advantages that alternating breasts during feeding offers. In addition to this, a baby sleeps longer and also provides more breast milk at each feeding for a newborn who needs to gain weight.

Also Read: Pregnancy fears: Know which are real and which are not

Alternating breasts can also stop your breasts from becoming too uneven in size. Needless to say, it also helps you feel even on both sides of the chest region in terms of pain and discomfort.

3/5

​Offering only one breast at each feeding

This method of breastfeeding is convenient and might end up becoming the only choice that one has because of a health issue. Sometimes your baby can also develop a preference for one breast in which case, trying to alternate may not help. In case you have no option but to use only one breast to feed the baby, you should know that feeding from just one breast can lead to a reduced supply in the other breast.

In case you have an overabundant supply of milk, you should consider going for this because the baby will have enough supply of milk and its growth will not be affected. Benefits like reduced gassiness, fussiness, and symptoms of colic in your body are other benefits of feeding using just one breast.

4/5

​Professionals’ word

Professionals are of the opinion that it is recommended to alternate breasts in the first few weeks of your baby being born. This helps stimulate the production of breast milk while you’re establishing a healthy supply of milk. Problems such as breast engorgement, plugged milk ducts and mastitis are also kept at bay by this practice. Once the baby develops, after about four to six weeks, you can start using just one breast for feeding the baby or simply use whatever method suits you and your baby well.

Also Read: Birth control does not affect fertility

5/5

What should you do

Once your baby develops properly, learn from what it does. Let them breastfeed from one side for as long as they want and when they stop, remove the baby and burp it, change the diaper and offer the other side. Then let it nurse more if it wants to.

Follow Us On Social Media

Photostories

• 1
• 2
• 3

lifestyle videos

32:03

32:03

27:30

13:05

16:34

04:34

06:37

03:19

04:48

07:18

08:08

06:47

03:20

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

More Videos

Featured In lifestyle

MORE FROM ETIMES

life & styleNipah VirusDhanushBaby NamesNeck PainRavishankar Parenting AdviceLiving and entertainmentETimesTravel DestinationsCricbuzz.comTVLifestyleNewspaper SubscriptionFood NewsTimes PrimeWhats HotServicesCouponDuniaTechGigTimesJobsBollywood NewsTimes MobileGadgetsWork with UsColombiaHot on the WebHindi Movies 2026ZendayaShillong Road TripAmitabh BachchanKhushi MukherjeeAkshaye KhannaPuri OrrisaMichael JacksonDhurandharCountries With Most VegetariansBaby NamesSteamed Breakfast DishesParasakthi CollectionNavya Naveli NandaBigg Boss Marathi Contestants ListGolden Hour In DayMary KomSoumith ChintalaEckhart TollePriya SachdevAvatar: Fire And AshJana Nayagan Movie HearingThe Raja Saab Box Office CollectionKaran JoharGurmeet ChoudharyDhurandhar Movie CollectionAR RahmanMana ShankaraVaraprasad Garu CollectionDhurandhar Movie ReviewSanjay DuttWilliam ShakespeareRiver That Flows BackwardsWorld Largest Beaver DamSnake Plant BenefitsQuote Of The Day By Thomas A EdisonLongest Venomous King CobraApple iPhone 17 ProHotel Room On MoonBirds That Can Regrow FeathersVeg LaphingWorld Most Powerful PassportsTrending TopicsLatest MoviesBollywood MoviesHollywood MoviesTamil Movies 2026Telugu Movies 2026Malayalam Movies 2026Kannada MoviesMarathi MoviesBengali Movies 2026Top Rated Movies 2026Best Hindi MoviesBest English MoviesBest Telugu MoviesBest Tamil MoviesBest Malayalam MoviesBest Kannada MoviesBest Bengali MoviesUpcoming Hindi MoviesBest Movies Of All TimeBest Hindi Movies of All TimeLatest English MoviesLatest Malayalam MoviesEnglish TV NewsTamil TV NewsTelugu TV NewsMalayalam TV NewsKannada TV NewsMovie ReviewsBhojpuri Cinema NewsGujarati Cinema NewsPopular CategoriesViral NewsK Pop NewsWeb Series NewsAnime NewsUpcoming English MoviesUpcoming Tamil MoviesUpcoming Telugu MoviesUpcoming Malayalam MoviesUpcoming Kannada MoviesFashion TipsTravel NewsEntertainment NewsBollywood NewsTollywood NewsKollywood NewsMollywood NewsFood NewsLatest Hindi MoviesLatest Tamil MoviesParenting TipsHome RemediesWeight LossBeauty TipsParenting TipsHindi VideosHindi Video SongsBhojpuri Music VideosLatest Telugu MoviesBhojpuri Music VideoHindi TV NewsLatest NewsBaby names inspired by Indian classical musicHeirloom chic, served hot: Dutch ovens are making a couture comebackHeirloom chic, served hot: Dutch ovens are making a couture comeback'Dhurandhar' box office collection Day 44: Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna starrer sees good growth on Saturday as sequel gears up for March 19 release'Can't wait for the lift': '10-min' branding gone, but delivery gig is still survival of the quickest; only way to earn more, says ridersCharlotte Hornets vs Golden State Warriors injury report: Injured and questionable players, head-to-head records, team stats, and more (January 17, 2026)“Accidentally burn myself”: Hailee Steinfeld opens up about juggling Bills playoff drama and Golden Globes prepMaharashtra civic polls: Eknath Shinde fears BJP; god willing, we’ll have our mayor, says Uddhav ThackerayChloe Kim shares surprising truth about lost toenails as she prepares for a possible third straight Olympic gold medalSagittarius Horoscope Today, January 18, 2026: Comfort prevailsWhat are Zach Hyman's career earnings?: A look into the net worth, salary, investments, and contract breakdown of the Oilers forwardAquarius Horoscope Today, January 18, 2026: Expect unexpected guestsIs Victor Wembanyama playing tonight vs the Minnesota Timberwolves? Latest update on the San Antonio Spurs star's injury report (January 17, 2026)Antonio Brown returns to headlines after sharing inflammatory post about Donald Trump‘We’ll sue your ass off’: Karoline Leavitt caught on camera threatening CBS, sparks outrage onlineMaharashtra civic polls: Eknath Shinde corrals his 29 corporators in hotel; no question of poaching, says CM Devendra FadnavisIs Anthony Edwards playing tonight vs the San Antonio Spurs? Latest update on the Minnesota Timberwolves star's injury report (January 17, 2026)Apple to bring OLED screens to iPad mini, MacBook Pro and iMacCopyright © 2026 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication ServiceFollow us on