BOOBS. What happened to yours during and after pregnancy?

[Umlauf]

I'm 17 weeks and have gone from a nice, ample but manageable 28G to a pair of beach balls 30H already. I know they are going to, in all likelihood, go up even more towards the end and during breast feeding which I'm planning to try for at least the first 6 months if I can.

I'm only 5ft4 and I look so bloody ridiculous. None of my clothes fit, and the bump isn't a problem. I have always HATED my boobs anyway and this is just torture.

Please someone tell me lovely stories about how yours got smaller after feeding? I've come to terms with sagginess, but I can't handle the sheer size of them and am looking at reductions if I need to as a last resort. Selfishly also wondering whether breast feeding isn't the way for me to go if ill be this miserable about them, so positive breast feeding stories would be lovely too.

ps If anyone dares tell me to enjoy having big boobs while they are here I will smash my ipad to pieces and curse you to gargantuan mammaries forever!!!!

[BabsAndTheRu]

BabyH same as you hate under wired bras, never wore them as found them a lacking support and it never effected my milk supply. BF all three until 10 months. Went from a 36E to 38G and now stayed at 36G. Not easy wen your only 5ft2 but have always had a large bust.

[Teatimecakes]

34d before
38f in early bf days
6 months into feeding DS and I'm now a 34f

My back size dropped really fast once my bump went down. Already feel a bit sagger than before tbh - not looking forward to the post bf look at all :(

[butterflyexperience]

Grrr to all the entitled men who think gropping is ok!!!

When I was a student I'd wear short skirts which some pratts thought it be ok to touch me

I got into a couple if slapping matches because I refused to accept...

[rrreow]

It must be so hard to find clothes! I'm usually a small C, and at 32w I'm now a DD which is by no means huge, but tops are starting to get really tight around my boobs. Like you, the bump is no problem. I find that with this pg (2nd) my boobs are much bigger in pregnancy than they were last time (I was a D when I got measured last time once my milk had come in, but the bras I got then are too small now!).

Once your milk supplies settles your boobs should settle too. I found that in the first few weeks after birth my boobs were huge, hard & melon like (apart from just after a feed when it felt like they'd 'deflated' lol). Then after a few weeks the milk supply settled and my boobs got a lot softer and no longer like they were strained.

[Giggle78]

Hello,

PG 1 - I went from 28E to 32HH. I hated having such big boobs. I am 5ft and so it looked stupid. But they went back to normal completely and I didn't notice them look saggy or anything. They were nice. BUT I did exercise daily and really worked hard to lose all the weight.

Anyway the interesting thing happened in my second pregancy when in a month of finding out I was pregnant I went up FOUR bra sizes. I am now sitting here at 7 months and am already 32H. I still have two months to go - how big will they get!!!! Any way I am confident they will go back down. I know its easy for me to say but try not to worry about them.

[OrangeFootedScrubfowl]

Mine were B, went to C when pregnant, then back to B while breastfeeding, and to A afterwards.

[OrangeFootedScrubfowl]

But I did get slimmer too during breastfeeding (10/12 to a 6/8) so that's maybe why they shrunk.

[Umlauf]

something once yes I fully intent to try, and as its my first I have no idea how ill feel about it after. I'm really put off by the idea of being nothing more than a dairy cow and my insecurities just exacerbate this I think! I'm almost expecting to fail at breastfeeding which makes me feel like a failure long before the baby's even here!

giggle that's such a good story. I hope togod that happens to me. I plan to work hard to lose the weight and join a gym as soon as I feel able, and even try and exercise at home. I have never been one for exercise but I hate feeling uncomfortable about my appearance and so if I can actually change it I think I ought to try! How long did it take before they were back to normal?

Looked up breast reductions in my area, ?5500 so probably a no then!

Those whose boobs didn't go back to normal, did the rest of your body/weight go back to what it was before and just not your boobs? I guess I'm wondering if its connected to the rest of the weight loss.

[Mayanbob]

Hi- sorry to hijack here, but ladies with the massively large boobies, where did you go to get measured. I'm usually an m & s girl, and I just think i might kill either myself or the shop assistant if I don't fit into any of their sizes. I'm clocking in at 34 G now, but they aren't getting any smaller (23 weeks)

Where do I go??

[SorrelForbes]

Mayanbob Have you got a Bravissimo near you? Failing that, a John Lewis or Debenhams?

Avoid M&S, they'll measure you incorrectly anyway! Have you visited the Better Bra Campaign blog? Lots of good info on their about measuring and fitting. Alternatively, come on over to the Bra Intervention thread.

[sheeplikessleep]

Mine went from B pre-pregnancy.
C in pregnancy.
Stayed C / B whilst breastfeeding.
Went to A after stopped breastfeeding (18 months).

[Neiffer]

I went back to pre pregnancy weight but boobs didnt. However they've never been affected much by weight loss or gain, I went to 7 stone after having E. coli (I'm 5ft 2) and still had 30g boobs. I looked bloody silly!
I can totally empathise with the insecurities around b feeding, I wasn't bothered about feeding but was totally embarrassed by how huge and matronly my boobs were (and are) which made me more conscious than i would have been had my boobs been a lot smaller. It's a lot harder to feed discreetly as well and my boobs just looked horrendous in a nursing bra, they were near my knees. (Ish..). Sigh, and I'm doing it all again soon! I fed for about 8 mths ij total x

[Mayanbob]

sorrel Thanks for advice- will get reading. And have a look at the thread. Thank you.

[SomethingOnce]

Umlauf, please don't expect to fail.

Some women have insurmountable difficulties with BF, and some simply don't wish to, but if it were that difficult for every woman we all wouldn't be here now

Try not to worry about it too much ahead of time. See how it goes and if you need/want help then, there's loads available.

Another thing I thought of is that, as a new mother (after the initial self-consciousness had passed) I felt either pleasantly invisible to, or actually looked after, by other people.

(With the notable exception of one bloke who even my DM noticed checking out the udders )

[Neiffer]

Sorry op, I've not meant to be so negative all the way through, hate my boobs! They did however perform their job beautifully when it came to feeding dc1. Just see how you get on, you don't need to commit either way ever really, you could mix feed, ebf, formula, whatever. Give it a try and see how you go. Best of luck x

[YummyMummy17]

I'm a 34D ATM my last preg I went to 34F!! So expecting similar this time

[Mixxy]

I went from a 32B cup to a busty 34B. Returned promptly to an A cup, but not without a massive stretch mark! Really world? A cups with stretch marks? Bleurg.