I was reading another post last night about the effect of breastfeeding on the breasts and some women said that it made their breast a little "saggy" or "deflated". So, do you think that the same thing could happen if I was just pumping the milk, or does pumping gives the breast the same effect and makes them saggy like breastfeeding?
I breastfed my daughter for a few months, and my breast after that looked really "deflated" now they are back to normal but I am pregnant and wondering if they would get the same way after breastfeeding #2 and if just pumping would make them stay the way they are right now, which would be great.
I agree with Shane. I am 47, a DDD cup and I have had O. child. I wouldn't say my breasts got "saggy" OR "deflated" from pregnancy.
A good bra(s) is worth it's weight in gold.
Even night-time bras are a good thing.
I have to chime in and agree that it's not the breastfeeding or pumping that is causing "sagginess"...it's pregnancy. I had a baby at a really young age, and did not breastfeed (he was breastfed by his adoptive mom). They did "deflate" a little, but nothing a good bra can't fix. Now I have a 1 year old who was breastfed/pumped for, and my boobs look pretty much the same as they did when I was 16. (I'm 21 now) Just my experience! : )
I recently took a lactation course in which a study was mentioned. It found that if you suffer from severe engorgement or have a lot of weight gain, that can contribute to sagging but otherwise breastfeeding itself is not the cause of sagging. I don't imagine exclusive pumping versus breastfeeding would make any difference, the same lactation process is happening either way. I also think age and genetics have more to do with it than anything else. I was an older first time mom and gravity was taking it's effect before pregnancy or breastfeeding entered the picture. :)
Oh geez! What would be the difference between pumping and breastfeeding? Really, its the same thing. If your breasts expand during pregnancy, and then go down quite a bit, they might sag. It doesnt have anything to do with breastfeeding.
If you read that post - you would have heard MORE Moms stating it was the pregnancy - not the breastfeeding that caused the sagging. The pregnancy hormones cause your breasts to swell and engorge... regardless if you breastfeed or not.
When you breastfeed for over a year, your breasts gradually are able to return back to their normal shape. I breastfed FOUR years and my bra size, shape, and elasticity is exactly the same as pre-pregnancy and breastfeeding. <------- This is the best advice, nurse for at least one year and by 2 years you are back to your old breasts, unless you are significantly older this pregnancy.
Most sagging breasts come with age anyways and multiple pregnancies.
It's not the sucking that cause them to become a little deflated. It's the fact that they get larger while pregnant and while they are full of milk and then the become smaller once your milk is gone and you stop breastfeeding. So pumping or breastfeeding it's the same thing. I have breast fed 2 babies and my boobs looked the same after the first baby as they did the second. So if your boobs were a little saggy after baby #1 they'll most likely go back to looking like that after baby #2 whether you pump, breastfed, or bottle feed.
As others have said, it's not the breastfeeding that does it. I have a friend who has three children. She exclusively formula fed, never nursing any baby once. Her boobs are shriveled and saggy.
it's not bfeeding that makes them saggy, it's getting pregnant. The pregnancy hormones do it.
No, the milk production is what it make the breast enlarge and after breastfeeding will look deflated, it doesn't matter unless you don't breasted at all, mine took almost a year to get almost to the original look!!
I think your baby health is more important than how we look .
No, it won't make a difference. And for the record, it's not really the breastfeeding that makes breasts sag, it's pregnancy itself. There's really no way to avoid sag - if you're going to have kids, then it's just one of those bodily changes we need to accept (or save up for a little surgical lift). And like the belly, it gets worse with each pregnancy.
In my experience, it wasn't the breast feeding - it was pregnancy. When I was pregnant, not only did my belly and thighs get stretch marks, but my breasts did, too. I was a C cup and grew to a DD. Although I dropped pregnancy weight after birth, the boobs stayed larger, but deflated.
I'll never be able to wear a C cup again unless I have breast reduction surgery.
Sweetie, the pump can do more nipple damage than the baby can! I know! I BF for 18 months with #1 and worked full time for all but the first 6 weeks... and did the same with #2!
Things just don't go back to normal after childbearing. =(
Enjoy your breastfeeding experience and know that you're not alone. After 2 kids and 18 and 16 months of breastfeeding, since about 4 years ago, mine have re-inflated. I'm a runner and triathlete, so there's no reason this should happen, and they're smaller than before, and a little more separated in the middle, but I'm good with it!
I'm pretty sure that pumping and nursing would have very similar effects on the skin and sagginess.
It seems the pregnancy effected my body more than any nursing did, and I nursed 2 babies both over a year each.
I think once your milk dries up, whether baby was at the breast or exclusively pumping, your boobs will go back to that deflated look. My boobs were awsome looking while pregnant, but after the milk dried up, that was it - saggy boobs.
I would hate to trade out my baby for a pump, so maybe I am biased, but I really think the changes are worth it. And I haven't gotten so saggy (I nursed #1 for 2.5 years, #3 is going on 13 months now).
A sleep bra is really your best defense.
Well, I can share with you my experience but do keep in mind that there could have been a number of other factors that played a role.
With my first child I did exclusive pumping 8 times a day for 20+ minutes each session for a grand total of 4 months. After, my breasts were these sad little empty pancake boobs with nipples that hung their heads in shame toward the floor.
With my second child, I did not nurse or pump. During the pregnancy I went up a cup size and the breasts plumped back up nicely. After the pregnancy, the cup size went back to normal (from a D to a C) but they stayed nice, round, firm, and perky this time.
I have no scientific evidence to back this up - but I do have better boobs this time around to show for it :)
I really really don't think that that is going to make the difference. Not to mention pumping and feeding is the hardest job you could ever sign up for. If you managed to feed one without a noticeable difference, then you can do it again.
It's better for your child to have mommy's breasts, and I can't see why pumping is any easier on breasts anyway. I think that's probably a myth.
Breastfeed your child, and save up for a boob job.
I don't want to get into a breastfeeding debate.
Let's face it. We have children and it takes a toll on our bodies one way or the other. We gain weight, we get stretch marks, we get booby issues.
Not all of us have the same things to deal with, some of us more than others.
I just want to say that I nursed both of my kids and I found the secret to keeping my breasts "in shape" was always wearing a good support bra.
I am small breasted and my boobs were HUGE after my kids were born. I didn't know what the heck I would end up with, but, I wore good bras. I never considered not nursing my kids. That was my personal choice. I figured my boobs would be different afterwards. It's all part of it.
But...let me say that I am shy of 50 years old now and I do not have saggy breasts. Like I said, I am small breasted, but I can go with no bra if I want and you can't tell. It's all because I wore good, supportive bras.
They make wonderful bras that have little flaps to let down for nursing and I wore one every day. I wasn't thinking about the future at the time, I was not used to having such big boobs and they helped with the discomfort.
Pumping or sucking....I don't know that it makes a difference. I wouldn't be afraid over sagging boobs though. It will happen or it won't. Just make sure you have good support.
Best wishes.
Sorry, think they are going to be "deflated" regardless. A friend of mine is unable to nurse because of medications she has to take, and she said her boobs still got very saggy even though she never breastfed or pumped after either of her sons were born.
I don't think it matters either way. Your body will change from the pregnancy more than the breasfeeding/pumping in my thinking. Have you asked your Doctor?
I don't see why it would make a difference as it is basically the same action that is happening to the breast. That is great that your breast went back to normal after breast feeding. I wish I could say the same. I wouldn't change it if I had it to do over but do miss my old breasts for sure.
I have read several places that pregnancy is what changes your breasts, not nursing. I say nurse, nurse, nurse! So much simpler than pumping! Good luck! :)
