To ask you all about post baby boobs?

[Camsie30]

I I have two children both of whom I breastfed, I stopped about 6 weeks ago when my son was 7 months old. I've never has big boobs, around a 32C, and of course they were much bigger during pregnancy and breastfeeding. But now they are so small, there's really nothing there at all. I'm honestly thinking about having breast enlargement, mostly because clothes look so much better with a shape and I have a big bum so am now totally out of proportion. I'm coming up to 42, am I being silly? I just feel like I've got the chest of a teenager!!

You know, I've found something my mum told me when I was breastfeeding to be absolutely true: it takes 1-2 years after you stop breastfeeding for the breasts to regain their shape again. It may sound silly, but I was a 34 b before kids, went up to a 38 c when breastfeeding and then down to a 32 a for a while when I stopped breastfeeding. They looked sort of out of shape and empty too and I considered getting surgery. But it's been a few years now and even though I'm still small cheated as always (now a 32 b) they look quite lovely again I think, as if they've found their shape and the only difference to before is that they're a bit more squishy and not as firm as before breastfeeding.
I breastfed two children for 2 and 1,5 years.

Based on my own experience I’d say yanbu to consider it but it’s too soon to tell. Mine took a year to regain any sort of shape and in that time I’ve mostly made peace with them being flat and saggy 🤣

They did improve though, the 6-12 months post bf DC2 was the worst they ever looked. I don’t know what happens biologically in that time but there was definitely a transition between lactating and not lactating.

Mine are different after BF'ing, less pert maybe but I'm the same as I was pre-children also a 32C. I agree its funny going back to what I was before after having bigger BF'ing size for ages! Definately not bring silly, it's your body, doesn't matter what age you are if you want to enhance it in any way then go for it. Just make sure you're doing it for you, not some ideal of what you should look like and know the risks.

People will come on (like pp, who has said some lovely reassuring things) to say post baby boobs will take some time to recover and settle. Certainly I agree, make no decisions re breast enlargement just yet, as it seems to be the experience of many that boobs do make a slow post baby recovery and all may not be lost.

However, I stopped breastfeeding DC2 approx 2 years ago and my once lovely boobs are shrunken fried eggs. I was pretty devastated at first and I’m still not happy, and it has affected our sex life as I’m self conscious, but I have got used to them, and as long as I create my old shape through padded bras/swim wear, I feel ok. I do think about having a breast enlargement so don’t think you’re silly at all to wonder about that.

I'm in the 32B/ 30C family of bra sizes, small anyway! When I was BFing I went up to 34F and gradually worked down to normal as feeds reduced over time. Shrinking back after umpteen months of something was quite demoralising, plus they were more flacid than before.

Be patient, time helps firm them slightly and you get more used to them.
It would be nice if mine balanced out the mum tum better, but it is worth being my natural size when running around or going bra-less.

I fed DD for two years, and went from a 28D to a 28G at their biggest. I stopped feeding pretty abruptly (cutting down feeds didn't work) and they looked quite sad and empty and I was shocked at how much they shrunk, but a year on they look great. Not what they once were admittedly but they are still relatively pert and got fullness back, I'm a 28DD/E now

It is still early days for you, so while I don't think you're being silly for considering breast enlargement if that will make you feel happier about your body, I would definitely recommend giving it a bit of time before you get any surgery done.

I was a 28f pre-baby, went up to 30h during first pregnancy and then down to 30c. Currently at a 30d, so my body has continued to change. I stopped bfing 2.5 years ago and I've noticed my boobs getting bigger in the last 6 months.

I felt really down about it to begin with but over time I've begun to love my body again as it is - although I would love it if my boobs magically went up a couple of sizes on their own!

Thank you so much everyone, I really appreciate your sharing your experiences and you're all right, it's still early days. I'll wait and see what happens and maybe treat myself to a good old wonderbra!! Xx

My boobs went really flat after I had my DD. I bought boosting bras from Ann summers, 2/3 sizes up and they look fab! I’m pear shaped too so definitely feel like I look more ‘even’ now.

Oh mine are fucked.

I was 34 DD. No idea what I am now but if I was to guess I would say 32 B. I’m flat AND have stretch marks. They also feel very flappy and flaccid.

You do whatever you want to make yourself happy. I personally don’t give a fig about mine. They served a purpose and did a good job and now they’ve retired. I’ll gift them pretty bras and padding.

Maybe I’ll care when I’m no longer completely exhausted

I booked a breast enlargement 4 years ago. I have small, saggy lifeless boobs from breastfeeding.

Then I realised how much I actually don't give a shit and learned to love myself the way I am. I actually thing clothes are easier to buy when you have small boobs!

YWNBU to have an enlargement if it makes you happy but I would wait a while to make sure you are sure. I cancelled mine 3 weeks before I was due to have the surgery and I'm glad I did.

Mine were always small and still are. I'm a AA. Though when nursing I went up to a D with DC1, C cup with DCs 2 and 3. OP, I too was 42 when I stopped nursing DC3. Because I've had big gaps (8 years between DC1 and 2, then 4 years between 2 and 3), I've seen my atrophied turkey necks for boobs return to their small, but more pert selves over time. I knew it would take a good couple of years for them to bounce back after DC3. Though I was worried, being in my 40s. They're not brilliant, but they're not too shabby either. I mean, at 47 and having nursed 3 kids, I'm not expecting to have amazing boobs, but they are definitely better now than say when I was 43/44. They look fairly decent, all things considered.
Saying that, if I had the money, I'd get them tweaked. I wouldn't want them bigger, just better (my nipples are a bit of a mess).
They're definitely not saggy and 'empty' now (they really were like rubber turkey necks after all 3 kids). That depleted look does get better over time and they'll get softer and rounder again.

It must be so individual. I am pushing 55, have 4 DC (breastfed, not that I'm sure it matters) and apart from when preggo/feeding, I've always been exactly where I started: floppy & 34D.

I really didn’t like having bigger boobs when bfding so now I’ve stopped I’m happy to be smaller again

Wait a bit. Mine are still (nearly two years after I finished breastfeeding) larger (and a bit floppier) than they were but are in better shape than they were.

Mine never went back. I had great boobs before kids / breastfeeding.
After my 2nd DC I had an uplift and implants. I don’t regret it for second. They look really natural (I didn’t want round, artificial looking style). No one would know, they just look like my pre-baby boobs

@TheVanguardSix yes! It's the emptiness of them that I'm really unhappy with. I've never had great cleavage but there's just nothing

Mine bounced back after about a year.

You should do whatever makes you happy. I’ve always had small boobs - except when I was pregnant - so I’m used to mine. I can imagine if they’ve drastically changed from what they used to look like that must be very frustrating. But I wouldn’t change my little boobs - good bras can make them look great too!

I only breastfed for 11 days and expressed for 8 weeks but mine are sad! Now have a 16 month old and they're so empty at the top of the breast (they're like oranges in socks!). I was a 32d, went up to 36 E now just about a 34Dd but only with a balcony bra that I can scoop everything into the skin is very crepe papery too.

I have bigger boobs than you but BF for years and years (3DC and the last one had a CMPA). I'm 3 years post BFing and I can't see any difference to my boobs pre children (almost 13 years ago ).

Are you wearing the correct sized bra? That can make a big difference to how you feel about them, have a look on some of the bra intervention threads to make sure you are measuring yourself correctly. Also

You're not alone! I stopped breastfeeding a couple of months ago and mine look nothing like they used to. Lots of excess skin, I was actually able to fold my boob in half the other day. I would like to have another child and will assess the damage after that, but I don't see how they can possibly go back to their original shape without surgery. I try to think about the bigger picture and I'm so grateful I was able to breastfeed, but it gets me down when I think what they were like before!

Omg, this has been upsetting me for months, gone from 30b to 32d to basically a nipple. My skin is absolutely awful, hair has weird short strands where is growing back,I love my boys so much but I'm just wreaked.

I'm still breastfeeding my youngest DC (he's my third) and if I'm honest, I don't like them being bigger as they are at present. I've always been fairly small chested and I hadn't really thought about it but I must prefer it that way because currently I just feel like they get in the way (they aren't huge, btw, but about a 32D/DD and quite veiny, which I know is common whilst bfding.) They seemed to return to normal size-wise fairly quickly with my other two children so I'm hopeful that will be the case this time.

My thinking is that, as my boobs have never been amazing (pretty small and not very full-looking) even before DC's I don't miss what I never had. I appreciate though, OP, that if you've previously had nice boobs it would be much more prevalent and I don't blame you for considering an enlargement. I'd just echo what others have said and be aware of all the risks. Also, my mum had hers enlarged many years ago and now that they have naturally increased in size with age as well, she doesn't like them being as big as they are and they have sagged a bit.

Seconding everyone saying to wait, but also... I'd really recommend having a look at the noogleberry system as a natural alternative to breast implants. It's vacuum therapy, you have a hand pump and a cup which you put over your boob and do it twice a day and along with massage it promotes boob growth. It's pretty amazing actually, I did it years ago and it really helped my boobs. I have thought about doing it again now I'm post feeding, but a bit busy at the moment. Not bad for as I remember about 40 or 50 quid for the whole kit?