Motherhood comes with a lot of unexpected twists. And a recent one made known to the public is focused on breastfeeding. A new mom, identified as Abbie Herbert, has explained how her daughter Poppy [nearly 6months old] loves to breastfeed but is very particular about what side she likes.
It's generally said that breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world - but for Abbie Herbert, it's not so easy.
Telling the tale via TikTok, the mom asked in her caption: “Is this normal? Mom, friends, help me out.” In her clip, Abbie said Poppy particularly enjoys the right breast and expressed concern if her boob would ever deflate. Well, it turned out that what Abbie was experiencing was pretty common, and YES, most breastfed babies do have a favorite boob.
The new mum recently realized the effect of only feeding her daughter on the one boob she so much prefers [the right one].
abbieherbert_ -Via
Having exclusively breastfed on the right, Abbie's left boob is now considerably smaller.
abbieherbert_ -Via
Speaking to BuzzFeed, Abbie stated: “She was getting a full feed on the right and kept moving around while on the left side. She was more comfortable and relaxed while holding her on the right.” As a result of Poppy’s preference, Abbie said it feels like she has a rock on the right side of her chest.It turned out what Abbie was experiencing was pretty common. Here's proof:
abbieherbert_ / tiktok.com
abbieherbert_ / tiktok.com
@abbieherbert_ Is this normal? Mom friends help me out ##mom ##momlife ##relatable ##momsoftiktok ##momtok ##help ##baby ##babiesoftiktok ##surprise ##OneSliceChallenge ##comedy ##parents ##fyp ##4u ##viral ##thisisnotajoke
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod
She continued: “It’s such a weird and uncomfortable feeling. Since Poppy favored the right side and I didn’t pump the left, the milk production seemed to level out on the left side, but now my right side is oversupplying and producing way more milk than the left.” Additionally, Poppy sleeps 12hrs at night, so when Abbie wakes up, she has a large, engorged right breast that’s ready for her daughter to feed on.
The more Abbie breastfeeds on one side, the more milk she naturally produces to keep up with demand.
@abbieherbert_ Going 12 hours without nursing will this ever go back to normal? #momsoftiktok #momlife #mom #babiesoftiktok #babytok #momtok #nursing #surprise #react #reaction #help #fyp #4u #relatable #notajoke To balance her boobs again, Abbie reportedly said she's been pumping from both.
Mostly, Abbie’s right boob now makes double the milk supply since her left one isn’t being stimulated as much to produce more milk. “Since going viral with my breasts, I have tried pumping the left side to level the supply back out, but it’s just staying how it is at this point. I’ve always been a smaller-chested woman and was told once I start breastfeeding, my breasts would get bigger, but I never thought just ONE would.”
@abbieherbert_ Will this go back to normal? #momlife #momsoftiktok #momtok #comedy #itsnotajoke #fyp #4u #surprise #thisisme #help #babiesoftiktok #babymama #babytok Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod
"I have tried pumping the left side to level the supply back out, but it’s just staying how it is at this point!"
According to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics-gynecology and reproductive science at Yale University School of Medicine, the best solution for Abbie’s situation is to continue to pump her left breast to see if she can get the milk production back up. Having achieved this, Mary said she could then feed the milk to Poppy from a bottle if she takes it.
However, it's suggested that Abbie continues to pump her left breast, then feed the milk to Poppy from a bottle.
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