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Original poster

Vain (sorry) question to women who have breastfed

134 replies

thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:18

Im just wondering what to expect breast wise post weaning. I have been ebf for 8 weeks. Feeling sad at thinking how my boobs will look at the end of this, though appreciate the amazing thing my body has done for my baby. Will my breasts resemble what they look like once the LO has emptied them of milk after a long feeding session? Or even more empty? They look quite empty and a bit saggy after a big feed. I was a 32a/30b pre pregnancy and a 32c now for reference. It's been so nice actually having boobs for once and I'll feel sad to say goodbye to them! Just wondering what to expect really. Thank you!

OP posts:
Minierme · 10/04/2023 00:20

Mine were deflated for about a year post weaning and then back to normal.

Temporaryname158 · 10/04/2023 00:21

Mine also returned to normal after a couple of months.

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 10/04/2023 00:21

I worried and worried about this.

Happy to report mine stayed fuller and perky! After bf 3 children close together...

Not sure how common it is but defo my experience.

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Families
Mammyloveswine · 10/04/2023 00:21

My boobs are still pert and full after 36 months of breastfeeding 2 babies!

MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly · 10/04/2023 00:22

Mine don't look as "empty" as when just emptied of milk but definitely not as pert as they were before I had my DS.

I've read that this is actually more of a side effect of pregnancy rather than bf specifically. My boobs swelled up massively during pregnancy and I'm not convinced that would have returned to pre-pregnancy pertness in any case!

Schmutter · 10/04/2023 00:23

I breastfed each of mine for a year. My boobs certainly felt a bit empty in the first few weeks after I stopped, but they got their fullness back and have never drooped. 😊

CuteCillian · 10/04/2023 00:23

Another here who bf 3DC for a year each. Certainly haven't experienced any deflation or drooping.

Original poster
thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:25

This is reassuring! I'm just worried that they will look more empty and small post weaning than they do when baby has emptied the breast after a long feed. I always hated my small boobs (pretty much flat and now they are actually nice!) but on reflection they looked better than my "emptied" breasts. I would just like to manage my expectations.

OP posts:
Original poster
thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:26

So do they look empty and then fill back up to pre pregnancy size? Or a different size all together?! Its been a whirlwind experience for my once completely flat chest haha

OP posts:
Original poster
thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:27

Schmutter · 10/04/2023 00:23

I breastfed each of mine for a year. My boobs certainly felt a bit empty in the first few weeks after I stopped, but they got their fullness back and have never drooped. 😊

That's great! So they didn't end up looking like your breasts when emptied of milk?

OP posts:
DramaAlpaca · 10/04/2023 00:28

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 10/04/2023 00:21

I worried and worried about this.

Happy to report mine stayed fuller and perky! After bf 3 children close together...

Not sure how common it is but defo my experience.

Same here

pantjog · 10/04/2023 00:29

About 9 years of breastfeeding here and no issues.

ChickenMacaroni · 10/04/2023 00:30

Have breastfed for about 9.5 years in total. Boobs are totally fine. Some slight almost... puckering-ness?... to the skin as they have gone down a cup size from their biggest. Definitely not noticeable in clothes or swimwear.

Xrays · 10/04/2023 00:30

Not sure if this will help but I bottle fed both of mine and after my first (now 20) my boobs were perky and sprung back but after my second (now 11) they were totally droopy like spaniels ears. I think my older age (32 when I had my second, 22 my first) had a lot to do with it and I put on a lot of excess weight with my second. I am not too sure breastfeeding has much to do with it all. Pregnancy itself does a lot of the damage to boobs!

Mummynew08 · 10/04/2023 00:31

I fed for 2y7m and I'm only one month on from stopping, so I still get the occasional full feeling in them, like I'm still producing trace amounts maybe.

I think they look fine, not too droopy, although still a bit bigger than pre pregnancy -however my ribcage (like the underwire bit of the bra) got permanently bigger during pregnancy I believe. I just swelled up into a spherical shape like violet beauregarde when I was pregnant. So I don't think I'll ever be able to wear my old bras again, even when the breasts themselves go back to the original size.

However, one thing I wish someone had told me, was that my nipples went back to their original colour about 6m post partum. I, like, grieved for my (in my opinion) perfect old nipples because they went so dark during pregnancy and I thought that was it forever. So I totally get you about feeling vain about them. But thank goodness they're back to their old colour, whew eh

TheVanguardSix · 10/04/2023 00:34

Breastfed all 3 of mine. Boobs are sadly loyal to the AA they always were before kids. So… they went back to normal size with a bit o’sag though not too badly. Never quite as firm and perky as before DCs but nowadays that’s mostly down to menopause. I still leak milk when I have mammograms though… at 51. So weird. 😳

TheChosenTwo · 10/04/2023 00:35

Mine are absolutely atrocious and I can’t relate to any of these other posters reporting theirs returned to their full perky pre breastfeeding days. Mine are like shrivelled empty socks dangling when unsupported by a bra!
of course I can’t tell whether or not it was breastfeeding that did that or whether genetics meant that’s what would always happen.
However they are pretty sad looking things these days and I hate them 😂 I also hated breastfeeding with an absolute passion and only did it with my 3 because everyone harked on at me about how good it was for the baby and for bonding etc etc. given my time over again I’d have gone to bottles a lot earlier (and I didn’t even feed for years!).

Mummynew08 · 10/04/2023 00:36

Ps I'm small too, for comparison I was like a 30D/32C pre pregnancy. The increase is mostly all in the ribcage size for me now, and my MIL told me she had the same and her ribcage got permanently bigger.

I know exactly what you mean about the emptied look. Fwiw I stopped getting daily size fluctuations after about 6-9m (once dd started drinking water and eating food etc)

OlympiaLove · 10/04/2023 00:38

I’m breastfeeding my 5th. I’ve consistently been pregnant or breastfeeding since I had my eldest in 2014 and wondered what my boobs will look like when I eventually stop feeding/having children. I’ve enjoyed this thread!

Newname221 · 10/04/2023 00:39

thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:26

So do they look empty and then fill back up to pre pregnancy size? Or a different size all together?! Its been a whirlwind experience for my once completely flat chest haha

I didn’t breastfeed so take this with a pinch of salt, but my boobs changed massively after I had my daughter. I was a 32A pre pregnancy and went to a 34DD by the time my daughter was born, they quite quickly settled around a 34D. I only put on 25lbs when pregnant; by my 6 week check I was only 5lbs over pre pregnancy and tbh I never lost that last 5lbs.
My boobs didn’t change at all in my second pregnancy; I gained 15lbs and lost it all by my 6 week check. Same size boobs.
mine are still pert too. It’s my ass that looks deflated and saggy.

Barleysugar86 · 10/04/2023 00:40

I was similarly small and pert before kids. After my second they are small and permanently droopy. I could now hold a pencil under there, there was never any droop to try that with before.
It is was it is but I am sad about it.

Yabadabadoooooooooooooo · 10/04/2023 00:40

I bf 3 children for nearly 3 years in total. I can't notice any difference at all.

mycatsanutter · 10/04/2023 00:40

I have breastfed 4 kids and mine are quite perky and full , if that's the right phrase 🤷‍♀️

IHateLegDay · 10/04/2023 00:41

Brest fed 2 children (one straight after the other) for a total of 3 years and mine are back to normal.

Original poster
thatsgood · 10/04/2023 00:43

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 10/04/2023 00:21

I worried and worried about this.

Happy to report mine stayed fuller and perky! After bf 3 children close together...

Not sure how common it is but defo my experience.

So when you weaned nothing really changed from their breastfeeding size? A girl can dream...! It doesn't help that my DP very clearly prefers my (slightly) larger size (not that he's said this or would be anything other than reassuring regardless)

OP posts: