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breast size and milk production
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Anonymous
| Newly pregnant mom here. I was talking with a friend of mine recently about breast feeding which I'm hoping I'll have success with. My friend had a breast reduction years ago and she told me that when she spoke with her doctor about the effect that the surgery might have on her milk production if she chose to nurse in the future, he said that she would likely have difficulty breast feeding but that women with large breasts often have poor milk production--something about the stretching from the weight of the breasts I think. Anybody ever heard of this? I've wanted to get a breast reduction for years (32DD pre-pregnancy) but have put it off in the hopes of avoiding nursing issues. Hoping it's just a myth... |
Anonymous
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Oh, if it were only so. I have a small pair and I could never get the kind of production (2 8 oz bottles in 15 minutes) that my more endowed friends could. That is totally false in my experience. Bigger boobs generally mean better production - don't worry about it!
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Anonymous
| But... breast reduction can definitely result in lower production! Mine definitely did. |
Anonymous
| 34DD pre-baby and poor producer here. I had to take Motilium to increase my supply, and even so, I pumped for 25-35 mins and only got 3 oz out of each breast tops. Yeah, big container, less milk. Ironic, isn't it? I also had wanted a reduction all my life. After I'm done with this pregnancy (my 2nd) I'll do it as soon as practicable. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| I was an A cup before pregnancy (a small, small A cup) and went up to a (small, small) B cup during pregnancy, and I have a VERY low supply. |
Anonymous
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Milk production causes bigger boobs.
Bigger boobs don't cause milk production. |
Anonymous
| Based on the research (and these posts, too, it seems!) there's no absolutely no correlation. I was a 34 A/maybe B before and I had an oversupply like you wouldn't believe. |
Anonymous
| Another A before, B while nursing, with TONS of supply here, so I think the issue is not size but the effect of breast reduction surgery. |
Anonymous
| A before, B/C during pregnancy and nursing and I NURSED TWINS. Many things can affect milk supply -- delivery complications, poor latch, reduction/augmentation -- but I don't think size has much to do with it. |
Anonymous
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There are two components to supply: storage capacity and "refresh rate." And neither has anything to do with cup size. You can feed your baby successfully no matter how big your rack is or isn't.
Some women can feed/pump a huge amount at once (those amazing 16 oz./session pumpers), others hold a smaller amount in reserve, but can "fill up" again much faster and be ready for another session sooner. So some nursing mom/baby couples feed fast and frequently, others have an "all-you-can-eat buffet" dynamic. Breast reduction, on the other hand, can definitely have an impact on milk production if the ducts are severed during the surgery. But if stretching/weight were a factor in cutting off supply, every single nursing/pumping mom who's ever been engorged would subsequently have supply issues... Visit http://kellymom.com/ for some great, evidence-based info on breastfeeding in general, and http://www.bfar.org/ for info on reduction surgeries and their impact on nursing. |
Anonymous
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Breast size DOES NOT affect milk supply. Study after study has proved this. There are other reasons why there might be supply issues, but breast size simply is not one of them. Not nursing frequently enough, poor latch, introducing pacifiers and bottles and formula, breast reductions, lack of support and breastfeeding information -- all of these things can influence how much milk a mom makes. Not her breast size.
Also, just because you don't get a lot when you pump, does not mean that you have a poor supply. It could be one indicator, but that in itself does not mean there is anything wrong! |
Anonymous
Exactly. I'm a DD pre-pregnancy and a size or two bigger now postpartum. I have an extremely low supply (1.5 oz total, tops). From what I've heard several nurses say, size does not matter when it comes to milk supply. |
Anonymous
| 36D before pregnancy, 36G while nursing for 1 year (I almost hit the floor when I got measured!), now back down to 36D. Never had any issues w/ supply. I wasn't super abundant, would get usually 3-4 oz per breast for my first pumping, then 2-3 for the next two. I also always made sure I pumped at 10pm to make up for any days my supply was lower/keep production up. I had friends with "average" breast size who had trouble w/ supply and others who gushed over. Like the PPs said, I don't think they are related. |
Anonymous
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Check out the breastfeeding center - they will probably be a very good resource for you.
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Anonymous
| I had a friend who nursed after breast reduction surgery. She nursed ok. She pumped as well and had plenty of milk. You never know, whether you had surgery or not. |