This Sucks: another sucky symptom of breastfeeding.

My boob is shrinking. And no, I don't mean boobs plural. I mean boob - singular! I think I'm losing the milk in the one.

It took awhile for my milk to come in after Babe was born. Probably because I had a cesarean. After a few days I caved and supplemented Babe with formula because she was losing so much weight. I also started taking Domperidone (a medication that increases lactation) to get my milk flowing and I rented an electronic pump from the hospital.

Eventually my milk came in, Babe was latching well and all was fine.

Until I woke up one morning and only one breast was full of milk - and twice the size of the other. Uh-oh. I thought in my exhausted haze I must have mistakenly nursed only one side all night. I really don't know what happened, maybe that was it. But for all the extra feedings I directed at the small breast it never fully recovered. And as the hours turned to days Babe became less and less interested in nursing on the "runt boob" and finally began refusing it altogether.

So I took up pumping the runt. And drinking a ton of nursing mother tea, which contains Fenugreek (a herb purported to increase lactation). But it was too late. While milk shot from my other breast like water from a hole in a hose, it would only occasionally drip from the runt. I would pump and pump and not even cover the bottom of the bottle. This lack of production combined with the embarrassment of my now lopsidedness (as if a new mother doesn't have enough body issues to contend with) drove me to seek out help from our local health nurses.

I didn't get the answer I was looking for. Instead I was told that it's quite common for a woman to have one breast which produces less milk. Sometimes one will dry up completely.

I thought, SHIT! I'm only a few months in and this tit is quitting on me? This is a team effort guys. How is one breast supposed to tow the line? How am I supposed to walk around town with my extra 20 pounds and uneven breasts? They don't even make bras that come in a B and C cup, do they? Do I buy both sizes and cut them up and sew them back together as a lopsided pair? Then do I try to sell the reverse pair on Craigslist or something? If this is such a common concern of breastfeeding moms maybe I could start a business making and selling two cup size bras.

But I wasn't ready to accept defeat. Haven't I sacrificed enough? I still had half a bottle of the Domperidone so the nurse said I could try taking that again.

It seems to have worked a little. I have more milk in the runt than I did before and they're getting closer in size again. Now Babe will nurse for a couple minutes on the runt before she gets frustrated. I'm trying to always give her the small boob before she gets the big one.

I tell her she needs to eat her raisin before she can have her melon. It's a new rule in our house.