Breastfeeding after breast reduction/uplift surgery

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I’m 16 weeks pregnant with my first baby. 11 years ago when I was 23 years old I had a breast reduction/uplift via the ‘anchor’ procedure. There were no complications and I regained full sensation in my nipples within a couple of years. One of the early signs that I was pregnant was that my breasts became very sore and heavy, and my nipples were extremely sensitive.

The improvement in my mental health and self-confidence since my breast reduction/uplift is priceless, though I was advised by the surgeon that the procedure could prevent me from breastfeeding later down the line.

Having read articles about breastfeeding after breast reduction/uplift surgery, there are mixed outcomes - and of course I won’t know for sure until the time comes whether I’ll be able to breastfeed or not - but I was wondering if anyone has had the same ‘anchor’ procedure and would mind sharing their experience of breastfeeding?

Thanks so much in advance x

Hi op, I have had the same operation as you, mine was about 8 years ago. Like you I have full feeling in my nipples too.

I am also 16 weeks pregnant with my second child but I'm afraid my first was stillborn last year so I have no experience of breastfeeding, I was given tablets to suppress my milk and stop it coming in.

But what I wanted to post and say is that I did talk to my midwives last year quite a bit about this and they were all quite positive about being able to breast feed after a reduction, they said I might need more help with stimulation but they basically said they were hopeful.

As it happened after my daughter was born I did have a little bit of milk come in which I was in a weird way pleased about because it gave me hope for the future. Ultimately you won't know until the baby is here but speak to your midwife about it. I also started doing nipple and breast stimulation last time from 37 weeks which may or may not have worked.

I'm sorry, I have no idea about breastfeeding after your procedure. However, I'm breastfeeding my son for 11 months and counting and it's not easy for anyone. If you want him to have the health benefits of breast milk and you're not able to nurse then there's a Facebook group called Human Milk 4 Human Babies where mothers donate/request breastmilk. I have a number of tips on how I managed to gain and sustain my supply but, as I know nothing about your procedure, I won't bore you with them but feel free to message me if needed (even if it's out of the blue when baby arrives).
I'm also considering a breast reduction/uplift once I'm done breastfeeding so perhaps we could exchange expertise?

@Shefliesonherownwings I am sorry to hear of your stillbirth - I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. I was wondering whether to mention my concerns about being able to breastfeed to my midwife... I’ll definitely take your advice to speak to her about it. Thank you again x

@BumpBundle I hadn’t heard of that group, so I will definitely look into it. I’d be happy to share my experience of breast surgery - feel free to get in touch. Thank you for your reply x

@Shefliesonherownwings