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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Will breasts regain any life after finishing bf?!

20 replies

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 27/12/2013 22:18

I know that breast sagginess is apparently caused by pregnancy and not bf, but my breasts didnt change size at all during pregnancy, and i also never experienced any rush of my milk coming in or engorgement after the birth, so im pretty sure i would have escaped with my breasts in tact had i not started bf.

But anyway, i am 11 months into bf now, and dont really have any plan of when i am going to stop, but it probably wont be any time soon. However, the state of my breasts is really getting me down...the are empty, saggy, miles apart, and wrinkly from stretching/shrinking constantly. I had small breasts before but they were quite full and perky looking back (which i sadly didnt appreciate at the time). Will they regain any of their fullness once i stop breast feeding? I cant even bear for my dp to look at or touch them at the moment.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 27/12/2013 22:24

IME yes. Mine didn't go back completely to how they were, but they did improve significantly after stopping. It did take a few months.

Wearing decent bras helped in the meantime.

Original poster

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 27/12/2013 22:25

Sorry, didnt ask my question very well...but does anyone have any experience they wouldnt mind sharing on whether their breasts gained any amount of their pre-baby shape once theyd finished bf? Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 27/12/2013 22:26

Sorry x-post.....that is a big comfort, thank you!

OP posts:

Mamabear12 · 28/12/2013 07:31

My friend said several months later they improved. I have no idea because I breastfeed until 2 months pregnant w second one and still breastfeeding. My breasts were ruined though from pregnancy. Went from a c to an e :(

msmiggins · 28/12/2013 07:52

I don't think mine have recovered from the whole pregnancy thing. Not sure if breastfeeding was the cause or not, but my breasts are not as they once were.
My boobs are large and certainly not pert, but tbh I don't really care.
I keep as fit as I can at the gym, I wear good bras, my OH doesn't mind in the bedroom dept and I still have my sexual confidence.
So my thinking is who else is there to care?
Unless you like to sunbathe topless a lot ( which I gave up years ago) then does it really matter?

wonderstuff · 28/12/2013 07:56

Mine regained a bit of shape nearly a year after stopping bf, I had been pg or bf for about 5 years continuously before that though. I've dropped 2 cup sizes from DD to C, and I'm a 28" back so I basically can't find a decent bra any more.

Janek · 28/12/2013 08:12

My breasts are fine, having fed dd1 for two years and dd2 for 17 months - they were saggy/weird/sad for a while after stopping, but they have definitely perked up in the meantime. Make sure you're wearing the right bra size though - i went from a 34c in marks and spencer to a 30dd in john lewis/bravissimo and i can now run for a bus without holding my chest which i never could previously!

My breasts are a different shape from before, but basically fine, so fear not, there is hope!

dobedobedo · 28/12/2013 08:16

Yes, your boobs will become fuller again. I breastfed for over 2 years and mine did.

sebsmummy1 · 28/12/2013 08:17

I stopped breast feeding two months ago. They have definitely lost some tone, they are less full and rounded than they were. But nothing extreme, no spaniel ears.

I would try and focus on what a beautiful thing you are doing for your child first of all. For me that was always the key thing, it never crossed my mind to not bf because it might alter my breast shape.

However with all of that in mind I have read that the important thing is to wean very slowly so there is no big adjustment in milk flow and to expect positive changes up your boobs for a year afterwards.

byanothername · 28/12/2013 09:54

A year ago, I stopped BF after three years. I stopped v gradually & after a few months, breasts (34B/34A) looked just the same as before I started - actually they even looked better - a bit fuller and nicer, more shapely, certainly as pert!!! But this might also be because of carrying an extra stone in weight which plumped them up.
Am now pregnant again, and huge, and wonder if this second pregnancy might have more of a negative effect...But will prob BF again for another 3 years anyway....

Original poster

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 28/12/2013 13:34

Thanks for all of your replies - it is good to hear that most of you report that you regained some fullness.

msmiggins i see your point, definately no topless sunbathing going on here but i don't have the sexual confidence you talk of, and that's not to say my partner has any problem with how i look, he is very complimentary...but confidence comes from how you feel in yourself, and i cant even look at myself

I of course put what i wanted to give my baby in terms of health benefits way ahead of my own vanity about my body, otherwise i wouldnt have gone on this long or plan to continue longer, but i would still like to think that i can regain a bit of my confidence and a hopefully a bit of perkiness once i stop!

OP posts:

Janek · 28/12/2013 14:25

Perkiness will return, fear not!

squidkid · 28/12/2013 18:25

I'm still bf at 15 months and they look the same as pre-preg now and I wear the same bras. Don't know what will happen when I stop though!!

Original poster

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 28/12/2013 22:18

This is good news, thank you! Would love to regain even a little bit of firmness/fullness!

OP posts:

blueshoes · 28/12/2013 22:45

I bf-ed a total of 4.5 years with dd and ds who are now 10 and 7. My breasts which were small to begin with are even smaller but they are still perky, which is probably a function of the fact that gravity does not trouble them.

My nipples are longer and softer though and not as erect as pre-preg.

I am back to my pre-preg weight.

TossedSaladsAndScrambledEggs · 28/12/2013 22:48

My boobs are exactly the same! Also fairly small in the boob department which helps.

SauceForTheGander · 28/12/2013 22:53

I'm on DC3 and bf 13 months so far. My breasts look awful ATM. I'm not sure if that's due to night feeds lying down or my age (40). I didn't droop so much with my previous 2 DCs.

Hoping they'll improve when I stop.

IfAtFirstUDontSucceed · 28/12/2013 22:53

I'm glad you posted this OP as I'm quite similar to you.

I have been BF DS for almost 9 months now and loved the fact that my 34b boobs grew to a 34d. However they have shrunk again since he's been eating solids and have a deflated wrinkled look to them, especially when I look down when he's feeding (more so when he grabs a hand full of what looks like just loose skin).
They now have a blamange look to them rather than jelly!

Original poster

SomewhereOnlyWeKnow · 29/12/2013 20:09

Thanks everyone for sharing...definately some positive stories here!

IfAtFirst i'm glad someone else can identify and vice versa - and love your description of the skin grabbing as i feel exactly as you describe! Sounds like there is hope for us though!

OP posts:

Teds77 · 29/12/2013 20:24

Stopped breastfeeding my DTs a month ago after 16 months and can already feel a difference in firmness and perkiness. I don't think they'll ever be what they once were but I do think they will improve. The belly that was stretched to carry 13lb of wriggly babies is a different matter!

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