Breastfeeding is a wonderful bonding experience for a mother and child. Nourishing your baby from the best source is such a fulfilling achievement. But despite the motivations to breastfeed, many women are still anxious to nurse because of what it can do to their figure. And that’s why many of them ask how breastfeeding changes your breasts.
A woman’s breasts go through so many changes throughout their life. This is primarily due to hormone fluctuations experienced during their menstrual cycles, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause. In pregnancy, breast changes like tender nipples, fuller breasts, darker and larger areolas, and appearance of stretch marks are common.
Meanwhile, breastfeeding can be quite tough on a woman’s breasts. You may notice your breast becoming uneven, engorged, lumps might start to show up, or your nipples get sore and cracked. These pains are all too familiar for every breastfeeding mom. However, good breastfeeding practices, proper latching, and the use of breastfeeding relief products can address these problems and help you through a successful breastfeeding journey.
Take an in-depth look at every change your breast goes through from pregnancy to weaning in this article!
In A Nutshell…
- Hormonal fluctuations cause your breast size and shape to change. This usually happens during your monthly cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopausal stages.
- Generally, during pregnancy, your breast feels fuller, nipples become tender, areolas are darker and larger with a few bumps, and itchy stretch marks might appear.
- While breastfeeding, your breast might become asymmetrical, engorged, with a few benign lumps. Your nipples can also become sore and cracked with darker and bumpier areolas. Your normal breast size and shape will start to come back once weaning is introduced.
- Be on the lookout for some abnormalities like retracted nipples, nipple pointing in a different direction, visible veins on one side of the breast, dimples, or distortions in the breast. Get examined by your doctor to know if there are underlying health problems.
Story Time
I must admit that, before kids and pregnancy, I did wonder how my breasts would change. Especially because I had breast augmentation when I was 21. It was a hefty investment, and I didn’t want my breast to change after I had kids. But the reality is that no matter what type of breast you have, firm or saggy, life in general changes the appearance of your breast.
I feel that your whole body changes with time, and of course after kids. I mean, imagine all that it takes to make a human being! Now, imagine making more than one. I think it’s learning to look at our breasts and bodies and embrace the amazing job they do in nurturing and taking care of our babies!
How Pregnancy Changes Your Breasts
The female breast is made of several fatty and connective tissues. Throughout a woman’s life, the size and shape of her boobs may change depending on the levels of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Monthly periods, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopausal stages usually cause these hormones to fluctuate.
Expecting a bundle of joy soon? Here are the breast changes to anticipate in the first, second, and third trimesters.
Breast Changes In The First Trimester
- Breast and nipples feel tender. Your breast can change as early as a few weeks into your pregnancy. Actually, it’s one of the few first signs of being pregnant. The sudden rise of hormones can change the breast structure, leaving you with sensitive and tender breasts and nipples. This can be felt three to four weeks after gestation.
- Regular bras become tighter. Every pregnant woman experiences a different rate of breast growth. Some have it rapidly in the early weeks, while some may feel gradually increases throughout the first trimester. By the 12th week, you may notice that your everyday bras are feeling tighter than usual. It may be wise to start purchasing maternity bras that are seamless and breathable to give you the best comfort.
Breast Changes In The Second Trimester
- NIpples and areolas are larger and darker. At around the 15th week of your pregnancy, milk-producing cells become more active. By 5 months, your body may already start lactating. In preparation for breastfeeding, your nipples and areolae will become larger and darker.
- The areola starts to have noticeable bumps. These are called Montgomery’s Tubercles. They are glands that produce a moisturizing oil, preventing any soreness and infections during breastfeeding. Some experts even believe that the oil from your areolas smells quite similar to the amniotic fluid, which helps establish breastfeeding right after birth.
- Your boobs may feel itchy and develop stretch marks. With the build-up of milk and fatty tissues, you might experience a sudden change in breast size. The stretching of your skin might leave your boobs with itchy stretch marks. Not all pregnant women are predisposed to having stretch marks. Some are lucky and may not even have them at all. But don’t fret, after pregnancy, they will most likely fade and become less apparent.
Breast Changes In The Third Trimester
- Your breasts might feel fuller and sore again. A few weeks before your due date, you might start feeling your breast becoming bigger and tender again. In certain instances, some women might even need breast supports in the form of sleeping bras. Wearing a comfortable bra while sleeping can help ease breast pain and ligament damage.
- Colostrum might start leaking. The third trimester is when your boobs are pretty much ready to pump out milk. Around this time, you might notice a yellowish liquid leaking through. This is the powerful colostrum that contains antibodies needed by your baby after birth. Some women do hand expressions and store the milk for when the baby arrives. But if you feel uncomfortable with the pregnancy leak, try using nursing pads that will prevent the liquid from seeping through your bras and shirts.
How Breastfeeding Changes Your Breasts
Breastfeeding can be quite rough on a woman’s breasts. The first six months of exclusively breastfeeding can be really demanding on your nipples, which is why you’d observe several changes through this time. Although it’s normal to find a few differences, be wary of the signs as they may indicate underlying health problems
Breastfeeding Changes Your Breasts
Breasts Asymmetry or Uneven Breasts
Slightly uneven breasts are completely normal for breastfeeding women. One breast being a little fuller than the other might just imply your baby’s breastfeeding patterns. The boob that you want to start the next feeding on will be larger than the other side which your baby last fed on.
It can also mean that your baby has a favorite boob! Breast preference results in uneven breasts as one boob will have more milk output than the other.
Breast Engorgement
Engorgement is a typical breastfeeding problem. It happens because there’s too much fluid like breast milk, blood, and lymph inside the breasts. Engorged breasts can hurt and makes breastfeeding and latching difficult for your baby.
The best way to relieve breast engorgement is by pumping out your breast milk. Breastfeed on demand, pump and collect your breast milk, or use breast shells and milk catchers to prevent this from happening.
Breast Lumps
Your boobs while breastfeeding can feel a little lumpy, especially when they’re full of breast milk. It might feel unnatural and concerning, but most lumps felt while breastfeeding is not a cause of alarm.
Here are the general classes of breast lumps felt during breastfeeding:
- Fibroadenoma. This is a tumor in the breast tissue that isn’t considered cancerous. You may feel a solid, elastic, rubbery, or firm mass, but it should be painless.
- Benign Breast Disease. Some women may feel swelling, tenderness, breast pain, or general lumpiness around your breast during their breastfeeding days. More often than not, they are benign and not harmful.
However, if you’re feeling a solid, hard, dense mass that’s irregular and difficult to move around, it might be something more serious. Seek the advice of your doctors and health providers.
Darker and Bumpier Areolas
The areola is the pigmented circle of skin surrounding the nipples. Darker, larger, and bumpier areolas are very common for breastfeeding women. These bumps are called Montgomery’s Tubercules, which only become noticeable when a woman lactates.
Cracked or Sore Nipples
One expected side effect of breastfeeding is that your nipple may become sore and cracked. The most common cause is due to poor latching. You can improve on this by trying out different breastfeeding positions or consulting with a lactation expert. In addition, there are nipple balms available that will soothe and heal your sore nipples.
Breast Changes After Weaning
Once your baby is weaning off breast milk and starting their first solids, your breasts will gradually go back to its original size and shape. However, the amount of time for this to happen will vary for every woman. Some can expect their breast revert back after a few weeks, while some may take months before they see their usual breast size.
Breast Abnormalities: When To Get Your Breast Check
There might be some breast abnormalities that need to be checked up and examined by the doctor. Early detection is key to prevent any potential breast issues. Here are a few signs to look out for:
- Retracting nipple. This happens when a nipple turns inward instead of outward. Commonly, it may seem like just an inverted nipple, which happens to a lot of breastfeeding moms. However, this can also be a sign of malignant breast cancer.
- Nipple points in different directions. Another sign of breast cancer is a weirdly pointed nipple.
- Several visible vein patterns on the breasts. Breastfeeding moms may have apparent veins showing on their breasts, especially when they’re filled with breast milk. In breast cancer, these veins will protrude only one side. This may be a sign of tumor development.
- Dimple in the breast. A shallow dimple in the breast may be a sign of skin retraction. This can be caused by inflammation due to breast cancer.
- Distortion or decreased movement in the breast. Any unevenness, asymmetry or decreased movement may be a sign of fibrosis due to invasive breast cancer.
The Bottomline…
Breast changes are fairly normal in a woman’s lifetime. This can be especially noticeable during life stages that cause hormonal fluctuations, like pregnancy and breastfeeding. The most common changes are fuller and uneven breasts, tender nipples, or darker and larger areolas.
If you are experiencing breastfeeding pains, this article will give you the top 5 causes and the best remedies to solve them.
