The unusual ways your boobs change post-breastfeeding

“Let’s face it, we sacrifice a lot for our children — including our perky pre-pregnancy breasts...”

The unusual ways your boobs change post-breastfeeding

Your body underwent a series of drastic changes during pregnancy. Whether you'd care to admit it or not, however, your body is far from changing after pregnancy!

In fact, during and after the breastfeeding stage of your baby's development, you'll notice another series of changes from your body. Care to guess where?

That's right: your breasts.

The good news is that you're not alone, and if you have any questions or concerns about the changes or what to expect, the following list will surely help to assuage your concerns.

"Let’s face it, we sacrifice a lot for our children — including our perky pre-pregnancy breasts,” says Dr. Barbieri.

With a little help from Christina Ahn, MD (associate professor of Plastic surgery at NYU School of Medicine), Anna Barbieri MD (ob-gyn and professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City), and other experts in the field, we'll be looking over the various changes your breasts will endure during and after breastfeeding!

"Bottom out"

(Source: Momtastic)

Breasts look flatter and "bottom out" with the loss of the upper pole fullness, says Dr. Ahn.

Darker areolas

(Source: Momtastic)

The dark circle around your nipples (known as the areolas) may appear darker due to pigment changes during pregnancy. The good news, asDr. Barbieri says, is that they will usually return to "normal"...eventually.

Fuller breasts

(Source: Momtastic)

Freda Rosenfeld, a board certified lactation consultant in New York City, claims, "Breasts may stay larger and fuller after breastfeeding, but not because you breastfed."

"Bigger breasts are a result of weight gain," she adds.

Larger nipples

(Source: Momtastic)

After breastfeeding your infant, you may notice taht your nipples are larger, or stick out further than they used to.

"The nipple is elastic so it can grow during breastfeeding and then stay that way," says Rosenfeld.

Lopsided breasts

(Source: Momtastic)

After extensive feeding, your dominant breast (breast on the side of your dominant hand) may appear larger than the other.

"Each breast has the ability to produce and store milk independent of breast size and it is not uncommon for asymmetry to exist when nursing has ceased," explains Dr. Ahn.

Sagging breasts

(Source: Momtastic)

You may have noticed that after breastfeeding, your breasts are a little less..."perky" than they used to be.

Experts claim there are number of reasons for this, including: the elasticity of your skin, your BMI, and the size of your pre-pregnancy boobs.

Stretched areolas

(Source: Momtastic)

This change is pretty self explanatory. Pretty much this means that the areolas appear to be stretched and the nipple now points in a downward position.

Wrinkled breasts

(Source: Momtastic)

Experts say that this noticeable change occurs from the loosening of the skin after breastfeeding. This is typically a result of weight loss while in the nursing stage.

Au naturale solutions

(Source: Momtastic)

If you're displeased with your breasts' current situation, you might want to look into some quick, all natural fixes. For example, as Dr. Barbieri suggests, ""Supportive bras, exercises to strengthen pectoral and back muscles, and firming lotions can help,"

Surgical fixes

(Source: Momtastic)

If you're looking for other alternatives, you may also consider surgical options. According to Dr. Ahn, " scarring can be minimal to moderate and usually considered a fair trade for improvement gained."

Her suggestions:

Mastopexy (breast lift): Doctors will reduce sagging by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape the breast.

Breast Reduction: Just as it sounds, doctors can perform this procedure to reduce breast volume and minimize sagging.

Mommy Makeover: This procedure combines a mastopexy with abdominoplasty, which removes excess abdominal tissue.

Autologous Fat Grafting: A procedure to increase breast volume by gathering fat from other areas of the body via liposuction.

[H/T] Momtastic

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Written by

Santiago Santa Cruz

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