Worries abound that breast implants don’t jibe with breast-feeding. After taking advantage of breast augmentation, Cleveland mothers and women across the United States tend to worry about caring for their newborns in the most natural way a mother can. But recent research shows that breast augmentation is totally compatible with nursing a child.
One major fear is that breast implants change the sensitivity of the nipple, thus affecting the amount of breast milk you can produce. Mothers-to-be may also be concerned that their augmented breasts will exaggerate breast engorgement, which may intensify the pains, fevers, and chills that usually accompany breastfeeding. These fears have been dispelled by research, which contends that most breast augmentation surgeries do not involve incisions that affect the nipple’s ability to produce milk. Since surgical incisions are often made beneath the breast’s fold or near the armpit, they do not affect the sensitivity of the areola. This means milk production proceeds naturally, just as it would for a mother without implants.
The other anxiety is that breastfeeding will cause breasts to sag, thereby nullifying all the stresses and costs of breast augmentation surgery. Doctors have determined that this, too, is an irrational worry. A study of over 100 mothers with implants found that breastfeeding did not affect the appearance of their breasts. Breasts are naturally affected by pregnancy – during gestation, breast tissue is engorged with hormones, causing the breasts to expand. After childbirth, the hormones jump ship, causing a slight sagging of the bust line. This is the natural course of pregnancy, rather than a byproduct of breastfeeding with implants. The recent study, conducted by doctors from the medical schools at Yale University and the University of Puerto Rico, found that women with implants who breastfed for 6 months after childbirth had bust-lines comparable to those who did not breastfeed.
When it comes to breast augmentation, Cleveland patients should be careful not to let hearsay rule their minds: it’s possible to look your best while living the life you imagine.
