Which Side Did I Breastfeed On Last? 8 Ways to Remember at 3am, and One Side or Both

Can't remember which side you breastfed on last? Start the next feed on the other breast from the one you started on last time. healthdirect advises alternating the breast you start with at each feed. If you only remember the side you finished on, the list below turns that into the right side to start on.

That one rule covers most 3am moments. The hard part is remembering what happened two hours ago on broken sleep. Below are eight ways to keep track, which ones still work after your partner does the resettle, and what Australian guidance says about offering one side or both.

Which side should you start the next feed on?

Start on the other breast from the one you started on last time. healthdirect, in its guidance on preventing mastitis, says to "alternate which breast you start feeding from at each feed". It adds that if your baby only wants one side, you offer the other side the next time you feed.

At 3am, many parents remember the side they finished on, not the side they started on. If that's you, the answer depends on whether your baby took one breast or two.

• Both breasts, ended right: Start on the right, the side you finished on.
• Both breasts, ended left: Start on the left, the side you finished on.
• Left breast only: Start on the right, the side your baby didn't use.
• Right breast only: Start on the left, the side your baby didn't use.
• Can't remember: Start on whichever breast feels fuller.

The common tip "start on the side you finished on" is only half the rule. It holds when your baby fed from both breasts, because the side you finished on is the one your baby didn't start on. After a one-sided feed, the side you finished on is the side your baby just emptied, so you switch.

Either way, you start on the breast that did less work last time.

The last item is a fallback, not guidance from a health authority. The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) suggests waking your baby for a feed when your breasts become full and uncomfortable, especially at night. So the fuller breast is a sensible place to start when your memory has gone.

If you note the side you started on, that is all you need. If you note the side you finished on, also note whether your baby took one breast or both.

8 ways to remember which side you fed on

1. Hair tie on your wrist. Wear a hair elastic on the wrist of the side to start with next. Move it at the end of each feed.
2. Safety pin or ribbon on your bra strap. Clip a small pin or ribbon to the strap of the side to start with next. KidsHealth, a US children's health site, suggests this one.
3. Bracelet or ring swap. The same idea as the hair tie, using a bracelet or ring you already wear.
4. Burp cloth on your shoulder. Leave the burp cloth on the shoulder of the side to start with next. It's visible from across the room.
5. Notebook by the feeding chair. Write the time, the side you finished on and "one" or "both". It keeps the whole day, not just the last feed.
6. Whiteboard or sticky note on the fridge. One line per feed, where anyone walking past can read it.
7. A text to your partner or a note on your phone. The message timestamp records when the feed happened, for free.
8. A shared feeding app. Log the side as you finish, and it's there for whoever does the next feed.

Which methods still work at 3am and after a partner resettles?

The tricks worn on your body fail at the same moment: the handover. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests a partner can bring the baby to you in bed for night feeds, then burp, change and settle the baby afterwards.

By the next feed, you may be asleep and your partner is doing the pick-up. A hair tie on your wrist tells them nothing.

Moving a hair tie takes a free hand for a second, and unclipping a pin needs two hands. A notebook by the chair is hard one-handed, because writing needs a steady surface. A whiteboard or sticky note on the fridge can't be used from the feeding chair, because it's in another room. A text or phone note records the time either way, and the length only if you type it.

Three things stand out from the table:

• A body marker answers one question. It tells you which side, and nothing about when. At 3am "when did bub last feed?" is often the more urgent question.
• The handover is where most tricks fail. Anything worn on you is invisible to your partner, and anything in another room is invisible to you.
• Writing it down beats remembering it. The notebook, the whiteboard and a text all survive a handover, as long as everyone uses the same one.

Start each feed on the other breast from the one you started on last time.

One side or both: do you need to offer both breasts every feed?

No. Offer the second breast, but a newborn feeding from one side is common and normal. The ABA says that in the early months a baby might be satisfied, or fall asleep, after only one breast, then wake soon for the other. Over time most babies start taking both breasts at each feed.

Three pieces of Australian guidance fit together here:

• Let your baby finish the first breast. The Royal Women's Hospital advises letting your baby finish feeding from the first breast before offering the second.
• Offer the other breast, and let your baby decide. healthdirect suggests offering both breasts at a feed. If your baby only wants one side, offer the other side first next time.
• Don't watch the clock. The ABA says feed lengths vary and there's no need to time feeds. Our guide to how long a newborn breastfeed takes covers what's normal at each age.

That last point is where Australian and American advice part ways. KidsHealth, from the US, gives rough minutes per side and suggests switching breasts during each feed. The Australian sources above set no minutes per side. They let your baby finish the first breast, then offer the second.

What else is worth noting besides the side

In the early months, babies feed often: the ABA says 8 to 14 times or more in 24 hours. With that many feeds, a few details are worth jotting down alongside the side:

• The time the feed started. It answers "when did bub last feed?" for whoever is on next.
• One breast or both, if you note the side you finished on. With the finish side, it tells you where to start next time, as the list at the top shows.
• Roughly how long, if you like. You don't need to time feeds, but a rough length helps you spot a pattern, like a run of short evening feeds.
• Wet and dirty nappies. They're the practical check at home that feeding is going well. Our guide to how many wet nappies a day has the counts by age.

If your evenings are a blur of back-to-back feeds, that's often cluster feeding. Our guide to cluster feeding and the witching hour explains what's normal.

Engorgement or a sore side: when to call for help

Full, heavy breasts are normal when your milk comes in. The ABA says this usually happens anywhere from day 2 to 5, and engorgement usually affects both breasts at the same time. Feeding often and waking your baby for a feed when your breasts feel full and uncomfortable, especially at night, both help.

A problem on one side is different. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says to see your doctor if engorgement doesn't settle with self-care, or if:

• your symptoms affect only one breast
• you have a red, tender area or a lump on your breast
• you have a fever or feel generally unwell
• you're concerned your baby isn't attaching well

Engorgement that doesn't settle makes mastitis more likely, healthdirect says. Mastitis often comes with a fever and flu-like symptoms such as shivers, shakes or body aches.

healthdirect says to see your doctor if your breast doesn't start to feel better within 12 to 24 hours, or earlier if you feel unwell. The ABA adds that it's important to keep removing milk from the sore breast.

Tracking it on your phone

A notebook by the chair works well if it stays there and everyone uses it. A phone works when the notebook is in the lounge room and you're feeding in bed, or when two of you share the nights.

In BabyLog, the free breast feed log records the side your baby finished on. Open Feed on the home screen, pick Breast, time the feed or set the start and end afterwards, then tap Left or Right under Last side.

An optional slider splits the minutes between left and right, which records whether your baby took one breast or both. Tap the side each time, because the log starts on Left.

The home screen's Feed tile shows how long ago the last feed started and who logged it. Tap that feed on the Timeline to see the side.

Your partner sees the same feed on their phone within seconds of opening BabyLog, and a running feed timer shows there too. You can start free in the browser on your phone, with no app store needed.

On Pro, the Add Feed screen also shows a last-side reminder, such as "Last fed right, try left". It suits the one-sided feeds of the early weeks. After a both-breasts feed, the list at the top of this guide still applies.

Sharing the nights with a partner? Our guide to sharing baby tracking with your partner covers who logs what. If a shared log would help at the next 3am feed, start logging free.

Common questions