Medically Reviewed April 2023, by Claire Clarke - Head of Surgical Services for The Harley Medical Group
Have you recently had a baby? Congratulations if so! Although becoming a mum is undoubtedly one of the happiest moments of your life, if you have chosen to breast feed then you may be concerned about the impact it will have on your breasts. Boobs come in all shapes and sizes, and if you have large breasts then you may be self-conscious about them sagging as a result of feeding your baby.
During pregnancy the natural breast tissue enlarges as the breasts fill with milk, and as a result the skin of the breasts stretches. After pregnancy and breast feeding your breasts may go back to their pre-pregnancy size, or they may stay the same size instead. However, if your breasts do shrink, in some cases the skin has stretched too far and you can be left with loose, saggy breast skin, deflated-looking breasts and low or downward-pointing nipples as a result.
Experiencing a certain amount of breast asymmetry (also known as uneven breasts, where a woman has one breast that is a different size, position or volume to the other) affects more than half of all women and is very common. When breast feeding, if one of your breasts receives more stimulation than the other (for example if your baby preferred one breast over the other or if you feed on the same breast most of the time), then as a result one breast may grow larger as it produces more milk. To avoid this happening, alternating which breasts you feed from can help.
In addition, if you have lost a significant amount of weight after pregnancy by following a programme of healthy eating or exercise, your breasts can also lose fullness, droop or sag.
It’s normal for your breasts to change during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to hormonal changes, gaining and losing weight and also being left with saggy skin as a result. Your body is still under transformation even after you stop breastfeeding, which is why at Harley Medical Group we advise all of our new mums to wait at least six months before having an initial consultation about breast surgery.
Having breasts that sag may cause you to have self-esteem issues, especially if you have difficulty in doing certain tasks or playing certain sports, clothes not fitting properly and also being self-conscious of any unwanted attention that you may receive. However, it’s really important that you give your body time to adjust and settle after pregnancy and breast feeding before deciding whether breast surgery is the right option for you, and deciding whether to have a general anaesthetic and major aesthetics surgery is also a key consideration that you need to keep in mind.
Are you self-conscious about your breasts as a result of breast feeding? Well you may be interested to know that you don’t have to put up with this unnecessarily, and there are a range of treatment options available that can help to boost your confidence.
A breast enlargement operation involves a breast implant being surgically inserted behind your breast tissue to make it bigger while being under general anaesthesia.
This type of breast surgery involves any loose skin being removed from the breasts and back.
Having breast uplift and enhancement surgery involves both a breast enlargement (in order to replace the lost volume through the insertion of a breast implant) and a breast uplift. As a result, you will have lifted and more youthful looking breasts!
You may have heard that if you have breast implants then it isn’t possible to breast feed. Although breast implants may affect a mother's capacity to produce a full supply of milk, it possible to breastfeed without any problem if someone has had breast implant only.
In addition, breastfeeding does not also damage or ruin breast implants as they will be protected by breast tissue and sometimes the chest muscle (depending on how they were placed), and your baby cannot bite or damage your implants either.
At The Harley Medical Group we understand that for many women their breasts can be a cause of poor body confidence and self-esteem. However, our team of breast specialists are here to help, and you’ll also receive the highest level of care and expertise too!
If you’d like to give your confidence a boost, we are here to help you get the results and look that you want.
If you’d like to learn more about breast surgery, find your nearest clinic and book an appointment today! Please note we are only able to book consultations after you stop breastfeeding for at least 6 months.
