Breastfeeding with A cup

[Anonymous]

I’ve always been flat chested (A cup) and my breasts have not grown at all even though I am 19 weeks in. Nipples have darkened and enlarged but zero breast growth. Anyone been through this? Were you able to breastfeed successfully with very small breasts (A cup and below)? My breasts are normal shaped (teardrop shape, not tubular) but I am nervous about insufficient glandular tissue

[Anonymous]

It's still early. With my first pregnancy, I still fit into my bras until sometime between 6-7 months. One day I was at work and all it felt like my bra was strangling me. I couldn't get through the rest of the day and used my break to go to Target and get some new bras. I have B cups normally so not sure about small breasts, but I don't think that matters.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. Not a problem at all. Size a who became a size c overnight after giving birth.

[Anonymous]

Having smaller breasts shouldn't impact your ability to breastfeed. In fact, having larger breasts can make breastfeeding more difficult (this was my experience, harder to latch, harder to find good positions, etc), so I would not worry. Yes it can happen, but it's not likely. Some people don't notice as much of a change over pregnancy, again this is not necessarily an indication that something is wrong. I think the only impact is it's possible that you may breastfeed more often because your breasts might not be able to store quite as much milk at one time, but again this is so dependent on your child, their needs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Size doesn't correlate to milk production. Don't sorry about it.

I'm a B cup and produced just fine.

[Anonymous]

What? This can’t be a real question.

[Anonymous]

I breast fed no problem with A size breasts. It didn't all all affect production but may have affected storage -- I leaked through the most heavy duty pads I could find every hour or two, for the whole first year.

[Anonymous]

My cousin has A cups and nursed two boys just fine.

I also have 2 friends who were A cups and became C cups while nursing. Both had breast augmentation later because they loved their nursing C cups.

As long as the baby latches on you'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

I'm a barely A cup who had no problems at all. And my breast size didn't change much during or after pregnancy. The definitely got fuller and the density changed, but I didn't notice much of a change in size. The amount of milk I produced was also normal as far as I could tell. I went back to work at 3 months and pumped similar amounts to my friends and my babies always had enough to drink at day care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Size doesn't correlate to milk production.

+1 OP please cross this off your list of worries.

[Anonymous]

Yes, no issue at all.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I am worried also particularly because my mom said she was not able to Bf at all. Just zero milk production. She is also very flatchested.
Wondering if there is a genetic link there.

[Anonymous]

Don’t worry about this. Size is irrelevant for your breastfeeding success. Luck, genetics, baby latch, etc. play a far larger role.

[Anonymous]

Oh I just saw your second post. Insufficient milk supply is common and I believe impacts about 15 percent of women. It’s good to know this about your family history. This means you should be monitoring baby for weight gain and may wish to supplement with formula at the hospital after birth until your milk comes in (ie you nurse and give colostrum, then too baby off with formula if they still show hunger signs). If it turns out you don’t produce enough milk like your mom, formula is a great choice to feed your baby. Fed is best! Just be extra careful to make sure baby doesn’t get dehydrated and see a good lactation consultant and make sure they know your family history. I do think genetics plays a large role in this.

[Anonymous]

I'm a B cup, boobs never really got much bigger (minus engorgement post birth), and I had a massive oversupply and forceful letdown. The fact that your mom had a hard time might predict some of your experience, so I would just be prepared to meet with a lactation consultant early on.