One More Way Your Breasts Change During Pregnancy

Wow. The last 6 weeks have been fairly busy!

But I am back sharing this article with you, “5 Ways Your Breasts Change After Pregnancy,” by Nancy Phillips. This article is found in the 6/21/22 issue of Today’s Parent.

More than once I am asking a doula client how nursing is going, and sometimes more specifically, how her breasts are faring. Sometimes it can feel like our nursing breasts become their own entity; that they exist outside of ourselves. But we do own them and steward them. And for breastfeeding mamas, they offer so much more than just nourishment to the newest member of the family.

So knowing about them can help you adjust in the weeks ahead.

Here’s another significant way your breasts change after you’ve delivered your little one.

Next blog, I will try to include the last two ways Nancy explains breast changes.

3. Your breasts after your milk comes in

(Aforementioned Patricia) D'Angelo went to shop for a nursing bra soon after (baby) Chloe was born. She remembers saying to the sales clerk, "I didn't know that bra size existed!" Patricia's breasts had already increased several sizes during her pregnancy, and within a few days after Chloe's birth her breasts became larger again. She was experiencing fullness in her breasts that was only relieved by frequent breastfeeding. Many women find their breasts change dramatically during the first few postpartum days as they begin to produce milk for the baby. Fjeld emphasizes that nursing frequently is important (at least eight to 12 times in a 24-hour period). The baby needs to frequent feeds to get the calories and nutrients he needs, and it will help you stay more comfortable. Besides, plenty of practice will help your baby learn!

"Mother Nature forgot most mothers don't have twins," says (Canadian Lactation Consultant Maureen) Fjeld. "The hormone levels are so high in that early postpartum period that most mothers make way more milk than they actually need for their babies." In addition to breastfeeding often, make sure the baby is well-latched, with the nipple and much of the areola in his mouth, so that the baby is able to get enough of the milk from the breasts to prevent overfullness. If your breasts become overfull and uncomfortable, try applying heat. Hot baths or showers, or even a heating pad or hot-water bottle applied over a T-shirt, can help the ducts open. If the breasts are so full that the nipples are flattening out, try gently expressing a small amount of milk after applying heat. Expressing before a feeding can relieve the pressure on the nipple and areola so the baby can latch.”