Are big boobs a problem?

[japhrimel]

I've read a few times that people have attributed some breastfeeding issues to having big boobs and I was wondering about this. I was a C cup pre-pregnancy but am now FF or G and I'm only 24 weeks so I think I'll be mahoosive up top when my milk comes in!

What kind of issue does having big boobs cause? Does everyone with big boobs have issues or not? What can you do to avoid the issues?

I realise I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I really really want to be able to breastfeed and feel that learning about all the potential issues now means I'm more likely to both spot them and know how to deal with them in the difficult early days.

Oh and if anyone knows of any places other than Bravissimo that do nursing bras of G-J cup, do let me know!

The biggest problem is being able to see the nipple / baby's mouth to check the latch! A breastfeeding pillow and some good support from the post-natal team at the beginning should help this.

FWIW I'm a G cup and never really had much trouble. But I was a nagger in the ward

Speak to your midwife about your concerns as well.

I got some G cup nursing bras from Mothercare and La Senze, by the way.

GGs here, never had a problem.

It is best to let the boob go to where it wants to naturally and then put the baby there rather than always go for the cradle hold which always results in me phaffing with pillows, holding the breast of DS's nose etc.

Oh okay. So is the issue more sag than actual size? My boobs aren't sagging much (yet!) as they were quite perky pre-pregnancy.

A breastfeeding pillow is on my list of must-buys and I'm planning on printing out the numbers of our local breastfeeding counsellors and sticking them to the fridge (planning a homebirth)!

I'm thinking that as I'm a borderline G cup (one boob is bigger) now, I'll probably be a J or something huge like that when the milk comes in...does how much my boobs grow in pregnancy have any relation to how much bigger they'll get with milk?

Same as Morloth, GG now but at my biggest was a JJ and never had an issue

Thanks Ladies! I may strike this off the list of things to be concerned about.

I've always been large, and perinatally was huge!

It took a few weeks to settle with bfing the first time - but it never occurred to me that size was a factor; latch was the issue. No probs at all with subsequent baby, as I was more confident and she was more co-operative.

I had Bravado bras for the early weeks, and I think I got later ones fitted at a John Lewis.

Good luck, and think about finding a good bf counsellor too.

I never had any problems either, was an F pre and post-pregnancy, went up to a GG during pregnancy and for a couple of months afterwards. The only problem I had was finding a decent nursing bra but I have a very small back, 30/32, so I had to go to Bravissimo.

Hmm, well whilst I'm glad you're feeling confident and other women with larger breasts have had good experiences, I would suggest checking these tips out too.

Thanks for the article dizietsma