Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in a woman’s body. These changes are especially noticeable in a woman’s breasts, where the changing hormonal environment of pregnancy has a profound impact. During pregnancy, breast size increases in response to these hormonal changes.
A variety of studies have shown that breast feeding doesn’t actually increase breast size but instead stimulates breast milk production which prevents the breasts from returning to their new baseline. The sooner patients stop breast feeding, the sooner these changes take place. This new baseline may include smaller breasts and associated breast sag.
Breast feeding has significant advantages for the newborn child and helps the developing relationship between the mother and child. For these reasons, it’s not unreasonable for women to breastfeed. The changes that occur following pregnancy are usually related to the pregnancy, not the act of breast feeding. Most of the changes that have occurred following pregnancy would have occurred without breast feeding and are related to the pregnancy itself.
It’s not unusual for women to be concerned about the appearance of their breasts following surgery. When this situation arises multiple treatment options are available to address these concerns. For this reason, it’s important to continue to consult with your plastic surgeon. For more information about breast procedures please contact the office today 402-390-0100.