Breastfeeding/Breasts Aesthetics

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Expert: - 12/20/2004


Question
I am 29 weeks pregnant and this is going to sound very selfishs but, before I got pregnant I had very firm, perky, natural 36D breasts, How breasfeeding is going to change them? Everybody tells me that I shoudn't breasfeed if I want to keep their shape, What is true and what is not?

Answer
Dear Fedra,

First, congratulations on your pregnancy! And on your firm, perky breasts!

Here's the story about breasts, excerpted from my book (see below):

"Some women notice little or no change in their breasts, even after bearing and nursing several children; others develop a definite droop after only one. Most women do find that their breasts become less firm and less erect after childbirth, but these changes are caused by pregnancy, not lactation. How much your breasts change will be determined by your genes, how old you are, and by the amount of weight you gain during pregnancy. Many nursing mothers feel that wearing a good, well-fitting nursing bra, even during the night, not only makes them more comfortable, but helps to maintain breast shape.
  Your breasts will be larger during lactation, but if you're like most women, your breasts will return to their former size after you wean your baby. Some women feel their breasts are smaller after nursing, some feel they are larger, but most find no change at all. In any case, the die is cast by the time your first child is born; the change occurs as a result of pregnancy, and whether you nurse this child or not will have no permanent effect on the size and shape of your breasts. One small-breasted woman told us with a grin, "My figure never looked so good as when I was nursing -- I felt as if I were wearing a WonderBra!" And fuller-bosomed women can also feel and look good during this time, with the help of a supportive bra and flattering clothing."

Good luck -- with your baby, your breastfeeding, and your bosom!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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