help! I have a 5yr old son whom I breastfed for about the first 10 months. My breasts went back to normal after that. I also have a 1 1/2yr old girl whom I also breastfed for the first 10 months, but my breasts have since shrunk/shriveled from a full C to barely a B! I don't understand how that happened (my gyno wasn't very helpful in giving an explanation) and I'm wondering if my breasts will ever return to what they were before and if there is anything I can do to help them along (non-surgical). Thanks for any encouraging advice you can give!
Thank you to everyone for your responses! It's comforting to know that I am not alone and this is not abnormal. I guess I will stick to doing push-ups, suck it up and buy new bras and learn to accept my new (smaller) breasts. :o)
M.,
Sorry to tell you the exact same thing has happened to me. My first child my breast bounced back right away my second child not so much. I went from a full C to a B and it has been three years and they have not come back. I breast fed both my children for exactly 12mths.
I have two children, both breast-fed (now 13 and 15), and went down a cup size with each one. I saw an article once with a diagram showing how breastfeeding does in fact lead to smaller breasts in the end--something about how when the milk ducts fill up, they push aside and break down the fat cells (?) in the breasts, and when the child is weaned, those cells can't regain their former size.
Interestingly, I recently went back on birth control pills after many years, and my breasts are now noticeably fuller than they were...
I don't think it has anything to do with breastfeeding. I didn't and it happened to me as well. Unfortunately having babies does some nasty things to our bodies. My cousin went down to an A cup. I know many women this happened to. Have you lost weight recently? For me when I diet unfortunately my breasts are the first to shrink. Thank god for miracle bras. Wish I could be more encouraging but I think it is pretty common.
My sympathies (I am also breastfeeding and have had to give away all of my pre-pregnancy bras and will have to buy smaller ones). However, I am also 15 pounds less than when I got pregnant. I also want to agree with an earlier response that this is NOT the result of breastfeeding. Pregnancy and related weight gain causes the breasts to become larger, stretching the skin, etc. I am not sure the actual mechanics of this. If you do gain some weight (and just have patience with time) your breasts might fill out a bit with some added fat. There are also some exercises that build up the muscles under your breasts and can help give them a bit of a lift (push-ups, planks, chest-presses, etc.). Otherwise, just wear good, supportive bras with some lift and shape. I'm sorry if that is not encouraging, but you are not alone!!
M., you could contact your local La Leche and see what they have to say. They typically know way more about this issue than any doctor.
I don't think it's necessarily a breastfeeding thing, I think it's more of a pregnancy thing. I was a size D when I got pregnant the very first time, now I am nursing my third (he's 20 months old now) and I'm a C. I suspect pregnancy affects the breasts more than breastfeeding as far as size goes.
In any case, you've done a fantastic thing for your babies!! Good for you!!
Sorry to say Nothing you can do,
Its totally normal.
You could try a good push up bra.
M
Hey There,
I have a very similar story... I have two kids ages 3 and 1/2 and 17 mos... I breastfed both until about 8 mos. My breasts went back to my normal size after my first child, but are almost non existant now!! I also wiegh less than I have since high school (without trying) and eat normally (if not more than most people). I have had blood tests to rule out thyroid problems and other illness and all have come back normal. My doctor just said that my breasts shrunk because of the wieght loss, but they can't explain the weight loss other than it probably has to do with hormones.... anyway, sorry I can't help, but just know you are not alone!!
Yup. That's the cold, hard reality of bf'ing multiple children. I will say that mine have goten a little larger again, as more time has gone by since I weaned. So yours may plump back up eventually, although they will never be what they were...
I am sad to say that this is just what happens when your breastfeed and it doesn't change back. :( I went down a full cup size as well, with the sag and shrivel LOL.
I agree that it is more likely pregnancy than breastfeeding that affects your breast size and shape. I used to be a C cup, went up to an F at one point right after giving birth, then went down to a D. Stetching and sagging mean I have to wear a cup size larger now. Everybody's body reacts differently to pregnancy, but you have to expect some changes.
welome to mommy hood! I lost a full cup with each child and they never returned back. non surgical soltuion- had to buy all new bras and get lots of padding or put those little inserts to help lift them. I heard this happens but never realized it REALLY happens.
I had the same thing happen to me after I weaned my second child ( after the first I went from breastfeeding to pregnant, so there way to tell how my breast changed). My friend a midwife explained that the fatty tissue in my breasts has decreased. Your breasts will get bigger eventually, but you may not go back to the same size you were before. Look at the positive side - you decreased your chances of breast cancer a lot by breastfeeding two kids for that long.
I lost a full cup size after i weaned my son. but I also lost about 12 pounds more than my pre-pregnancy weight after I weaned. If you weigh less now than you did before you had kids, that might be it.
It happened to me as well.
I went form a C to a B.
Breastfeeding helps you loose weight, but pregnacy shrinks breasts.
Also, don't listen to celebrities.
They just get implants and a breast lifts when this happens.
Regular women use push up bras and join a gym.
Weight training has helped keep my breast perky.
Push ups, pull ups etc.
Your breast have already shrunk, they don't have to
be droppy as well.
Thank God, I don't have that.
I'd rather have small firm breast than large droppy ones.
Just MOH.
my husband and i make fun of what we call my boob sac's...I used to be an overfilled D after nursing 5 boys I could tuck them in my belt(not really)...I'm now a small C and always a pushup bra!! :)
I'm sorry I can't tell you anything encouraging. I have not heard of a case that they go back to what they used to be, even slightly. Either live with the fact, or run to the surgeon :) Good luck. Those are the payoffs for having kids and b-feeding them.
Yeah, no woman gets off scott free (or whatever that means!), and no one has a choice aside from surgery. Exercise is great, but won't change much b/c boobs are fatty tissue which just continue to soften as we age. Even the little boobies will head south eventually.
Sucks, huh? Us ladies really get the short end of the stick in the aging department, don't we? Guess those are our war wounds for being able to give the gift of life. I try to look at it that way and try not to look at myself too much!! ;)
Girl I've been there and it's sad. Before I had my first child I was a C cup. During my pregnancy, I went up to a 36EE. WOW! I was happy to lose that after birth but there went down ever more. After my second child they went down even more. Like you! Since I've been on BC they went back to my C cup but once I stop taking BC they went back down. I don't know what to do. I refuse to get implants because I like to stay real as possible. So if you find a cure let me know. Thanks!
I think the only way to get boobs back is to get implants. The same happened to me and i try to think of it as a good thing. We gave our baby's amazing nutrients and maybe one day it will help them ward of Cancer. I also try to laugh at it. I'm 28 and have boobs like that have shrivled up and can fit in some A cups. I was a D when I had milk in. It's life I think. But can't wait to see if anyone else has a way to fix this so I could have perky ones again. Sorry but you may just have to deal with it. But much worth. Vanity or Health
My daughter is almost 5 now, but I've been all over the place with bra sizes. I'd always been a full/dense 34 D before she was born...We did nursing for 15 mo. during which a 38 C non-underwire felt better...then when that was over I loved my little B boobies. They weren't droopy, just not full, and I loved fitting into clothes better! Now I am back up to filling out a 34 D, espessially when I am PMSing. My husband has loved exploring the changes over the years. Just take it as it comes, and make sure you get Mammograms if your Dr. says its time or if you notice changes that you're not comfortable with. You know your Boobs best!!
