Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Question about lactation

Options
  • 27-01-2010 3:14am
    #1
    Choke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭


    Hi, I start this thread:http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055810783, but it was (correctly) suggested that here would be more appropriate.
    Hi ladies.
    This is a rather odd question, but it's got me wondering, and this seems like the correct forum for it (or rather, someone here will know the answer).

    I was watching Family Guy the other day, episode where Louis tries to ween Stuey (the baby) off breast milk.
    Once she had begun this, she described her breast as 'engorged', and complained that she had gone up several bra sizes since ceasing to breast feed.

    This got me wondering, in an odd way.
    I knew that a woman's breast grew bigger when she was breast feeding, but what I'm wondering is what would happen if you only milked one breast?
    So, only the right one would get milked (I don't know a better word), and not the left.
    Would one become larger than the other, would one dry up, or do they share a common reservoir, and it would even out?

    I'm sorry for the weird question, buts it being bugging me a little.

    EDIT: I swear that this is not a troll, I am genuinely curious.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Grawns
    Registered Users Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭Grawns


    One would stop producing much milk and the other may get bigger. When breastfeeding finishes it should return to same size as other breast. Babies often favour a breast so that one produces more milk and then baby then favours it more. Sudden weaning from breast would lead to engorgement.

    Family Guy is probably not the best forum to get your information. I love the episode where Peter breastfeeds Stuey though :)


  • Options
    #3
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    The one which was not discharge would be come engorged which is very sore, when weaning or if you stop breastfeeding you have to still expresss the milk to stop that from happening and over time the production would lessen and then stop.

    As for trying to keep milk production in one breast only I can't see any good reason for it and it would cause very mixed signals to the body as lactiation happens when the baby suckling sends signals to the body to start lactation and ache and pain if the milk is no expresses or the let down relex carried out on the breast as it would be on the other. Quiet possibly milk production could stop with only half of the singnals being send due to one breast not being stimulated.


  • Options
    #4
    Choke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭Choke


    Thaedydal wrote: »
    As for trying to keep milk production in one breast only I can't see any good reason for it...
    I wasn't looking at it from the POV of a practical step, I was just curious.
    A what if.:)


Advertisement