Will breastfeeding cause sagging breasts? What should I do if breastfeeding causes sagging breasts?

Will breastfeeding cause sagging breasts? What should I do if breastfeeding causes sagging breasts? These two questions are what many mothers who want to breastfeed after giving birth think. Breast milk is the best food for babies. Let me tell you whether breastfeeding can prevent sagging breasts. Please see the detailed introduction below.

Will breastfeeding cause sagging breasts?

Worrying about body shape deformation after breastfeeding is actually worrying about sagging breasts. Many women may not know that breasts will continue to develop during pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding. If breasts are not properly cared for after they become larger, they are very likely to become loose. Therefore, pregnant women should pay attention to breast care from the beginning of pregnancy and use wide band and wire bras to support the breasts. Some women do not wear bras during breastfeeding for convenience, resulting in sagging breasts, and they think it is caused by breastfeeding. Massage regularly to promote blood circulation and increase the elasticity of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The slower the breasts retract, the less obvious the degree of sagging will be. You can also do more chest expansion exercises to promote the development and strength of the chest muscles and enhance the support for the breasts.

Theoretically, breastfeeding can make the mammary lobules secrete enough, which can protect and repair the mammary glands and make them develop further. This is why many women find that their breasts are getting fuller after giving birth. In addition, another great benefit of breastfeeding is that it reduces the risk of women suffering from other diseases such as breast cancer.

Breastfeeding posture also has a certain impact on the change of breast shape. There are two postures that are more popular: one is the sitting cross hug style. The mother sits and holds the baby sideways in her arms, with the mother and baby's abdomen touching each other. She supports the baby's head with one hand or forearm, keeping the baby's ears, shoulders and hips in a straight line and about 30 degrees tilted; the mother holds up the breast with the other hand (do not pull), so that the baby's mouth and nipple are on the same level to suck milk. The second is the side-lying waist and hip support style. This posture is suitable for resting and feeding at night: the mother lies on her side with a pillow under her head. The baby lies sideways and faces the mother's front, with the mother and baby's abdomen touching each other. Keep the baby's mouth and the mother's nipple on the same plane. In order to ensure that the mother and baby are closely attached, a small pillow can be used to pad the baby's back.

Regardless of the breastfeeding posture, the principle is that the baby's mouth and nipple are at the same level, allowing the baby to stick to the breast without pulling the breast towards the baby. The mother should keep her back and waist straight and should not bend over or lie down to feed.

Why do women's breasts sag after giving birth?

1. It is a normal physiological phenomenon

After the breastfeeding period, women's breasts will generally become smaller and sag. This is because when feeding the baby, the skin on the surface of the breast is stretched and expanded, and the elasticity of the breast's suspension support structure is reduced. At the same time, the glands atrophy after the breastfeeding period, and the breasts will become smaller and sag to a certain extent.

2. It’s related to age

As women age, their breasts may sag. This sagging is due to the decline in the body's endocrine function caused by aging. The skin, supporting tissues, fat and glands begin to degenerate and atrophy, so the breasts appear to sag like hollow cysts.

3. Excessive obesity leads to sagging

This phenomenon is mainly caused by the rapid weight loss of the body and the reduction of fat in the breasts. Generally speaking, paying attention to supplementing vitamins and nutrients and promoting breast development can relieve sagging breasts. Some mothers gain too much weight during pregnancy and their breasts become too large. After the lactation period ends, they will also show obvious sagging breasts.

4. Wrong breastfeeding method

The cause of sagging breasts is not breastfeeding. On the contrary, breastfeeding can promote the secretion of oxytocin in the mother, and oxytocin can enhance the elasticity of the breast suspensory ligaments. Not paying attention to breast care during breastfeeding is the culprit for sagging breasts. For example, not wearing a bra for the convenience of breastfeeding, habitually letting the baby eat from one breast, and the child playing with the nipple after feeding, not paying attention to breast care, etc.

What to do if your breasts sag while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding does not affect breast sagging

Li Guangrui, director of the Department of Dermatology at Wangjing Hospital, said that there is not much relationship between breastfeeding and breast deformation. Whether the breasts sag or not is mainly related to the number of pregnancies, personal physique, age, etc. If the nursing mother chooses to wear a suitable bra, the breasts will basically return to their original shape after weaning. Only when breastfeeding stops, improper or careless breast care will cause breast sagging, so breastfeeding itself does not affect breast sagging.

Wearing the right underwear is important

Many people think that it doesn't matter if the bra is too big or too small because it can't be seen by others. In fact, a bra that is too small will affect the development of the breasts, and wearing a bra that is too large for a long time may cause sagging breasts.

Since the size of the breasts changes greatly during pregnancy, bras are very important as external support for the breasts. Around two months into pregnancy, hormones promote the development of the breasts and increase the size of the breasts. Once expectant mothers feel that their original bras are too tight, they should consider changing to new bras.

During the lactation period, do not let the breasts become too swollen with milk. Empty the breasts in time and massage the breasts with your hands every day to enhance their elasticity and toughness.

In addition, sagging breasts after childbirth are also closely related to overnutrition. Obstetricians generally recommend that weight gain during pregnancy be controlled at around 25 catties, but most pregnant women exceed the standard. Weight gain will inevitably cause breast expansion, and the ligaments of the breasts cannot bear the excessive weight of breast tissue, which will also cause sagging breasts. In addition, it is not recommended to diet and lose weight in order to quickly regain your figure after childbirth, as this will cause the breasts to lose a lot of fat and become shriveled.

Breast exercises are essential

In fact, as long as you stick to these three exercises, you can stay away from sagging breasts.

1. Breast Shrinkage Recovery Style 1. Lie flat on the ground, put your arms in front of your face and support your chin.

2. Bend your knees and bring your feet as close to the back of your body as possible. Stretch your arms backwards and try to touch your feet. Keep your legs together.

3. Inhale, lift your head, use your abdominal muscles as support, tilt your head back, pull your chest up, and use your hands to pull your legs closer to your waist. Exhale and relax, return to the original position, and repeat 3 times.

2. Chest sagging blocking style 1. Kneel on the ground, press your buttocks and thighs on your calves, and relax your hands naturally and place them on your thighs.

2. Slowly raise your hands behind you, stretch your arms backwards, try to reach your heels, and touch your heels with your palms.

3. Cross your hands and raise your arms behind your back as high as possible above your head. Press your upper body toward the ground so that your chest touches your knees.

3. Chest expansion and contraction 1. Move your arms to your chest and put your palms together.

2. Inhale, press your palms together tightly, and spread your elbows horizontally.

3. Maintain the posture in step 2, exhale and try to straighten your upper body, so that your chest feels pulled, as if the front and back of your upper body and chest are stretched, hold for 10 seconds and then relax your body. Repeat 5 times, the effect of pulling your chest is very obvious.