If you’re concerned that breastfeeding would make your breast sag, you can take a breath out because studies show that breastfeeding does not cause your breasts to sag.
It’s ok to be nervous about all the changes and even more normal to be concerned about what your body will look like after pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Our modern culture is obsessed with seeing women “bounce back” to their pre-pregnant selves after pregnancy, but is this a reality? I guess NO!!
Body and breast changes are part of pregnancy and breastfeeding, and our bodies take time to rebound. A typical fear that pregnant women have is that if they do breastfeed, they will be left with undesirable, unwelcomed and permanent breast changes.
Source: Howcast
What Does Cause Breasts to Sag?
Research shows that is more likely to be your pregnancy that’s responsible for saggy breast, rather than breastfeeding, and there is a connection between the number of times a woman has been pregnant and how saggy her breasts were.
They also found that a history of smoking contributed to sagginess, which they attributed to the negative effect that smoking has on elastin, a protein in the skin, which keeps it looking youthful and helps support the breast skin.
What Other Factors Drives Breasts to Sag?
Genetics – Skin elasticity and stretch marks are normally a matter of genetics and skin type; if you’re inclined to stretch marks, there’s not much you can do to prevent them, but the good news is they will vanish and become much less apparent over time
Ageing -the loss of skin elasticity due to ageing is the most common cause of saggy breasts
Gravity – Gravitational pull takes its toll, particularly on women with larger breasts. You may find it helpful to wear a comfortable and well-fitted bra during pregnancy to support your breasts as they grow.
Menopause -a drop in the hormone estrogen, which occurs normally during menopause may be associated with a decline in tissue collagen.
Breast Changes During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your breasts undergo a multitude of changes. “Breast growth in pregnancy may be rapid during the early weeks, or the size may increase gradually,”
Every woman is different. Your breasts might not grow much until briefly before or even after the birth.
But if you’re wondering how much breasts grow during pregnancy in total, by the time your milk comes in they’re likely to be almost one and half times bigger than before you became pregnant!”
Breast size is determined by how much fatty tissue there is. Making milk creates denser tissue in your breasts
What Can I Do to Help Prevent My Breasts from Sagging?
So, is there anything that you can do to contain your breasts from sagging during the pregnancy and breastfeeding periods? Perhaps!
Wean gradually – when you are ready to plan to wean, leave time to do it gradually. The more slowly you wean, the more you will help the fat tissue to redeposit inside breasts. That will help them regain their pre-pregnancy looks more quickly.
Avoid Rapid Weight loss – Breastfeeding can help women lose their pregnancy weight but be careful to do it slowly. If you find that the kilograms are just falling off, your skin won’t be able to keep up. Try to lose weight gradually so that your skin has time to change too.
Practice good posture – You can strengthen the muscles that hold the breasts up and work on your posture. Have you noticed that while you are breastfeeding, you tend to slouch? When we hold ourselves up with good back posture, our breasts follow along and don’t sag as much.
Maintain a healthy weight – Eat a well-balanced diet, get a little exercise and try not to gain or lose weight too quickly.
Drink plenty of water – keep your skin healthy and hydrated to try to preserve its elasticity.
Don’t smoke – try to quit smoking. The health benefits of quitting smoking are endless. Smoking is not healthy for you, your baby or your breasts.
Exercise – by exercising your pectoral and back muscles, you will build the strength required to hold your breasts up, making them appear more toned
There is Hope!
