Breasts After Breastfeeding

Its just a fact of life, sorry to say...it happens to most of us...I personally chose to have breast augmentation after having my children.

It's not the breastfeeding that does it, it's being pregnant. (I have friends who didn't breastfeed, and they have the same issue! Plus a lot more baby bottles to wash! LOL) It's all part of being a mom. I keep telling my husband I want a mommy makeover at the plastic surgeon, but he laughs. As if I'm kidding.

On the upside... it's not the nursing... it's the being pregnant and having your milk come in. I've know several women who couldn't nurse (cancer treatment, and one adoptive), and their breasts did the mum-dive as well. The glands change while preggers, and then they blow up twice their size (or more... mine were each bigger than my head and weighed over 30lbs each) in a couple days as milk comes in... and hormones have made all of our joints loose (aka the tendons and ligaments, which also support our breasts). Then when the milk glands go back to "normal" size... they have so much more room inside the stretched out skin and loosened tendons and ligaments. Deeeeeeflate.

Talking with docs who have known a LOT more women that I have, it's pretty universal. Nurse or not... the breasts take a major hit in most women. But the hit comes in the first 9 months + 1 week after birth.

On the upside, bras take care of the extra skin problem. Not a lot can be done about extra belly skin. So if your belly bounced back... put a GIANT grin on your face.

Breastfed Boobies and their post milk state have nothing to do with breastfeeding. Genetics, poor support when young (aka free-boobing it, exercise bras, non-underwire) and pregnancy weight gain and drop is what can damage breasts.

I have nursed for 6 YEARS and counting, and my girls still stand at attention as a small C without a bra when I get out of the shower (though they are always supported). My mom always had me in underwire, from the second I started getting boobs.

My mom is 60, nursed for nearly 10 years and has the best set of knockers I have ever seen. And she is 60!!!!

I have a friend who never breastfed a single day and her boobs are down to her belly button and she is only 35. She never wore decent bras in high school.

I'm not sure, that I agree with others. I've never met someone who breastfed, that was happy with their breasts immediately after breastfeeding stopped. I myself, could not breastfeed for medical reasons. My breasts are the same know and my bottle feeding friends, have said the same thing. That's really beside the point, though! Short of a lift, or enhancement, I'm not sure there's much you can do. Perhaps, investing in a good push-up bra?

It has taken me years since nursing my first child to get back to a point that they look 1/2 normal again. Your body still needs time to get back into shape.

Your story is almost identical to mine. It wasn't until this year, 2 years after stopping nursing that the stretch marks and battle scars of nursing have gotten almost undetectable. I was only able to nurse my second child for 3 months, her brother for a full year, but those first months are really the hardest while your body accommodates your supply, etc.

Luckily, you're young, and your skin has more elastin in it than does most of ours in our 30s. Your ability to rebound will be aided by your age in combination with your genetics and how well you take care of yourself as Kate mentioned.

Go to victorias secret and buy yourself the bra that adds 2 cup sizes. Thats what I did!! I breastfeed my duaghter for 17 months and mine are not where they use to be either. Its just the fact of life. Look at it on a positive note, you gave your son the BEST food and nutrition!!! And he is so happy and healthy bc of those boobs!!!

Check out this website: theshapeofamother.com. There are tons of pictures of all kinds of mother's bodies, and great support from other moms who are struggling with their new body image after giving birth.

I really think it has more to do with pregnancy then breastfeeding. I was 22 when I got pregnant and I was a B cup, then I got up to a large C during pregnancy and breastfeeding ( I only breastfed for 4 weeks) and afterwards was a small A!! My boobs were nothing like they used to be, saggy and deflated is how I would describe them. I am pregnant with my second and they are back to a C, I am scared to see how their gonna look after this one!! I am actually considering getting a boob job in the future but that is something I need at least a few years to think about.

I'm 9 months pregnant now, and my breasts are already starting to sag (they have been for about 3 months now). I'm 19 and had a full B cup before I got pregnant. Now I have a full C cup, but they are most definitely not as "nice" as they were before. All I'm trying to do is focus on my son coming and trying not to worry about it. I hope they don't get worse, but I'm aware that pregnancy unfortunately changes your body forever. I've read that other than drastic procedures like plastic surgery, there are pec exercises that can help bulk the muscle underneath your breasts, but it won't do too much for the extra skin :( Good luck!

Welcome to motherhood.
Trying having 3 or 4 kids and breastfeeding them all.

All i can say is be thankful that they are the same size now, because when you breastfeed and stop sometimes they dont always end up being the same size again.

Really I am truly sorry for this that you are not happy but getting pregnant and having a baby and breastfeeding changes your whole body.

It happens to all mommies.

Try to think of all the good you did for your son.

I just have to add that I think a lot of it is genetics. My boobs were never super perky to begin with - and I faithfully wore underwire bras since the beginning, and tried to do exercises to firm them up all through high school.

It's weird but I came to like my boobs better after having and nursing a baby, because I realized they had this higher purpose. I also just appreciated my body more as a woman having given birth and all.

That said, three kids, many years of nursing and a decade and a half later and there is just about no hope for my "girls" aside from surgery. Growing and shrinking that many time just leaves loose skin... not much can do to tighten it up at my age either. There are times when I daydream about a surgical "lift" but I don't really have the spare cash to spend on something like that, so I am back to having to accept my body and continue to try and find properly fitting bras (no small task) that make me look better. I am small framed and never had much problem with stretch marks or anything else, got my pre-preg weight back quick so I can't complain too much!

That said, you are young and smaller breasted so there may still be hope for you! Keep on working out those pectorals! Good luck!

As what was already posted... breastfeeding had nothing to do with the sagging breasts. The major hormone overhaul your body does to prepare and sustain a pregnancy is the culprit.

My 'goal' is to have a breast enhancement (lift and enlargement) once I'm done having all my babies and breastfeeding - so I don't ruin my perfectly working milk ducts.

Just L. them as they are! They may change in time, but there's nothing you can do to make them change. You could get padded bras or cutlets or something to give yourself a little lift.

I nursed my son for nearly three years and was thrilled to be told " they'd shrink" as I am, ahem, rather large. Wasn't so thrilled about the sagging. What's noticably helped was going to be correctly fitted for a bra. I went to Just Like A Woman over on Macadam and had the best experience, being fitted for a brassiere properly for the first time ever in my life. The quality of bras there is good and I found that I paid considerably less there than I would have at a department store, which doesn't have the range of sizes or variety. I found that wearing a correctly fitting bra has restored some of my elasticity and has acted a little "lift". I know some of this is genetic (loss of elasticity and tone in skin) but the mirror doesn't lie--after a couple months, even with the bra off, "the Ladies" are looking better than they were before the fitting. A good bra is a must!

I was so happy to be a B cup after baby time was up. I had never been so small.

I did yoga and everything went back into place after I'd done it for 6 months every day for an hour. But, the B cup has never changed except to become firmer. Still have stretch marks.

It's the most beautiful mark of a mommy! lol. I'm proud that my boobs look like this from providing my child with the best start (both of them), and after our 3rd (and last child), I told my hubby that I am soooooo getting a boob job! It's my reward for being a good mommy. :) For the moment, I take them as they are and wear the bra that makes them look the best at a size A-.

You've already gotten good responses, it's not from the breastfeeding, but maybe from the pregnancy in general(how much weight you gained etc..) and how well they have been supported with a good bra. I also breast fed for a couple of years, mine look the same, of course I am small breasted too, an A cup. I would think the only thing that could help would be breast augmentation, but that is surgery, so think very carefully and do lots of research first if you are contemplating it. Or simply embrace your body the way it is, we all have our imperfections,but that's what makes us unique! Good luck!

I was a large C pre-pregnancy and grew into a D or so during...only breastfed my first for a week...and my breast sagged a little after I lost the weight. Same size increase with the second and only breastfed for two months....more sagging afterward, and then with my third...only breastfed in the hospital and I was left with C-cup skin with AA-cup tissue. Having said all that, I agree with some of the other posts...it's not breastfeeding it's age and # of pregnancies and size of breasts.

I wish I could help...a major insecurity of women everywhere might be solved! My best suggestion would be to exercise (weight bearing, too) to firm up the muscles underneath. Unfortunately, I'm not a believer in creams and such for this problem (or, maybe I just don't have the $ to experiment)...If it makes you feel any better, I've NEVER had perky breasts; they've always been large and not perky. On that note, I think it's awesome you decided to breast feed your baby boy...every baby deserves such a devoted M..