What Happens After Breastfeeding??

Updated on March 22, 2010
J.H. asks from Ada, OK
12 answers

Im just wondering if any other breastfeeding mamas feel deflated after breastfeeding for a long time? Ive exclusively BF'd my daughter for 10 months and counting and i was a good C cup now im making a little less milk and i feel like a deflated B. and my left boob is like a full cup size bigger! Also i think my boobies look loose, well another way to put it would be opposite of perky for sure! So is this normal and what happens when she quits BF'ing, will they stay this way or be back to the way they were?

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

Unfortunately, it's what we're left with! I know it's not pretty, but I just consider mine a badge of honor for breastfeeding my twins for 15 months.

2 moms found this helpful

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Good for you for BF! It will take a little time for your body and hormones to get back, but yes thats normal. its not fair but its normal. I found that wearing a sports bra that holds the girls up FEELS better in the mean time. Just consider your self part of a club,the.... I breastfed my baby, cause I am a awesome mom club! (not everyone gets into the club!).

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K.C.

answers from Barnstable on

Each person is different - I have breastfed for FIVE years and counting (2 kids, 10 years apart and one is still going strong) and my girls are still nice and perky, even without a bra. What makes them look droopy is genetics and poor support when women are young. My Mom always had me in the sturdy underwire support and I never went without a good bra.

My Mom, who is a DD, nursed my brother and I for a total of NINE years, She started out as a D and is now a DD. She is 60 and has a FABULOUS rack but she spend the $$ for the really good Lady Grace bras, especially Maidenform. http://www.maidenform.com/catalog/category.jsp?categoryId=1

I would hydrate your tatas well - get a very good cream (I like the Burt's Bees line). Wear a bra, even when you sleep. The skin CAN bounce back (remember, your pregnant belly does!). People think that our breasts get fuller while nursing due to milk, but it is about 40% milk, 60% blood and tissue).

There have even been some studies done on breastfeeding and breast sagging and it was found that genetics has the greastest impact - basically, even if you didn't nurse, at some point when you are older, they would deflate and sag. Breastfeeding only accelerates what your genes already have designed for you, but you can slow the process:

Cream, avoiding sun exposure and drinking plenty of water and having a really good bra (no underwire though while nursing) can help save the gals. Avoiding rollercoaster weight gain and loss is VERY important as well.

Breastfeeding isn't a death sentence for perky boobies.

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L.H.

answers from Shreveport on

Unfortunately, nursing is very h*** o* the "girls" and they will never be the same again. This subject comes up alot at our Mom's Night Out meetings because we've all gone through it. Say Hello to the "empty socks" as we call them! A few of the moms have gone to see the plastic surgeon to have the problem fixed, but it's costly. It seems that's the only way to reverse the damage. Sorry!
Oh, and you are not alone on the different sizes, either! I didn't nurse my oldest and took those "dry you up" pills and have had that particular problem since. The doc says plastic surgery is the only fix on that as well. Not ready to go that route myself, though. Sorry!

1 mom found this helpful
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G.T.

answers from San Francisco on

I felt the same after I stopped breastfeeding my son (15 months). My breasts were smaller than before my pregnancy and looked loose and empty.
It was very depressing. I looked on the web and other moms had the same question. Some answers were that it just take s time to go back to normal. Some were that it would stay like that, smaller and loose.
I personally stayed "empty" and small until I got pregnant again. I breastfed my daughter also but this time, my breasts are OK. They came back like before I had children (they look smaller because I am a little bigger still)

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I certainly did feel deflated during the weaning stage as well as in the nursing process, right after a feeding ended until my breast were full and ready to feed again. I also had a deflated feel after weaning that took awhile to lessen but did not fully go away. Or I should clarify, it felt like that but in truth, I know it was that my breast did return to normal pre-pregnancy size but droopy. The decrease in perkiness was not due to nursing it was due to pregnancy and age. Your breast will return to the best shape in a few months, of course expect them to be less perky as they have aged 19months and grew due to pregnancy. As the medical professionals say, "your breast will not loose perkiness because you breastfeed, they will because you were pregnant." Again, they will improve over time close to before but not all the way. I have taken the change twice and loved every minute!
Hope to have helped.
-MB

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P.P.

answers from Raleigh on

It will take some time but your body will bounce back. It would help if you went on a multi-vitamin but ask ask your doctor first in case there are any other problems or special additions in vitamins he/she wishes you to take.

I breast fed and had the same problem. I went up nearly 2 cup sizes then dropped about a cup and a half in one side then a cup in the other but within a couple of months everything went back to better than it was before. I actually have more breast than I did prior to getting pregnant both the first and the second time (10 years apart). I didn't have voluminous breasts before I got pregnant but for some reason, afterward, I lost a lot of the baby weight then lost my boobs but after I got back in the gym, back on a regular vitamin, and working out again, I found that I went up a cup size from pre-pregnancy size and never lost it. I looked so much better in tops and after buying new and better shaped corsets, bustiers, and bras (I buy a lot from Frederick's of Hollywood only I don't live in Virginia anymore so I have to order online & have for a number of years) I have a nice breast shape with excellent cleavage allowing me to pull off some of the nicest low-cut tops that even my 23yo can't pull off. Of course, I wouldn't leave the house in a bra that didn't have a padded underwire but that's just me. It gives me the best lift especially now because I'm much older.

It may not mean much to you but there 's an old friend who I have known since my teen years (and yes, I had a crush on him for many years but there's a major age difference plus both of us are married); however, each time he sees me or we cross paths in town, he always has to give me a hug and tell me how great I look. It does a lot for my self-esteem since I don't always get those kind of compliments from my husband. It makes me feel 20 years younger esp considering this man makes me feel as sensual and beautiful as I was even during my teen, young adult, and even older adult years. It's easy for me to read people so I know he's not just giving me BS I want to hear. He honestly thinks I'm as beautiful today as I was 25-28 years ago.

Your body will change in time but remember that it's important to take care of yourself and get rest, workout, eat right, and don't overdo it trying to be supermom with a newborn or a toddler at home. You have to be willing to take care of yourself too. Line the bathroom with candles, soft music, and a nice bubble bath. I'd recommend getting a sitter, best friend, or a grandparent to watch the baby for you or you won't have that ME time that you desperately need.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Topeka on

Honey, say goodbye to those perky breasts that you had before breastfeeding!!! Think of a balloon, if you inflated it and then took a lot of the air out, it would not go back to the shape it had originally been now would it? Our bodies changes as we go through changes in our lives and pregnancy and breastfeeding are one of the HUGE changes that we put our bodies through!! Now I am not telling you that you are going to have saggy breasts that or going to horrify you but I am telling you that you will not return to the wonderful perky,upright ones that you had before your baby!!! But don't be too upset, think of the wonderful start you have given your little girl, the healthy nutrition that you have provided her, the antibodies, and the hours and hours of bonding that you have had with her as you cuddled her close to your heart!!!
Think of your new breasts as a badge of motherhood!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.D.

answers from Dothan on

Im sorry to say but the boobies go flat after BF but not too much. They will never look the same but they will even out once the BM is done producing. I miss my perky young ta-ta's but meh they fed 2 kids and hubby still lieks them so I guess Im good lol

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M.P.

answers from Texarkana on

When you quit breastfeeding her, they will be closer to the same size, just probably not exactly. Most women don't have the exact same size feet or breasts. And, I'm sorry to say, they will never be perky again. They will sag not only from breastfeeding, but also from being pregnant (they grow when you are pregnant.) This is from the skin stretching.

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Hope everything is going ok with you!

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T.B.

answers from Lafayette on

Sorry for the bad news but I only breastfed for 5 days and they got so big before they dried up that I have stretch marks and looser boobies too. I don't think my boobies will ever be the same as they were before pregnancy. You may be different but this is just my experience.

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M.J.

answers from Birmingham on

Unfortunately they will probably never be perky again!! Not fair after being pregnant, birthing a baby, and nursing they deflate!! Mine were totally deflated after having 2 pregnancies and breastfeeding 2 babies - they were awful! I now have beautiful silicone breast implants which seem to be the only way to fix the deflation! Anyway they were worth every penny and I am so happy just to look normal again!

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