What Really Causes Saggy Breasts After Pregnancy

It is a very well-researched and documented fact that your breasts do NOT get saggy because of breastfeeding! This is another myth.

It is definitely true that pregnancy and breastfeeding cause changes in the breasts. It’s just part of the deal. There might even be some time when it seems like a change for the better! Our culture has a tendency to uplift the lifted breast. It has almost become an expectation that they will be round and firm and stay perched high up on our chests forever. We have special bras and shapewear to make this possible when they don’t actually do this on their own.

The truth is that they don’t usually do this on their own! Breasts come in so many different shapes and sizes from the beginning. As time wears on and our bodies change due to so many different factors, our breasts change too. I think that’s OK! We can adjust our expectations and choose to love these bodies not in spite of the changes, but maybe even because of those changes. Because that means we’ve been living and working and nurturing using these bodies, and they deserve respect and praise.

What are Saggy Breasts?

A lot of people complain about breast changes they experience after weaning from breastfeeding. They might describe them as saggy, smaller, deflated, flat. They might not fit into a bra like they used to. You might notice a sort of horizontal fold across the top of your cleavage when you try to wear a push up bra. It might make sense to think that this look is due to the loss of milk since they might resemble empty sacks.

The Real Reasons Breasts Sag

Sagging breasts are real, BUT there is an abundance of research now that shows it’s not because of breastfeeding.

• Pregnancy is the main culprit. People who have given birth can have breast sagging whether they breastfeed or not. Pregnancy causes big changes in the breasts. They tend to grow, and the hormones of pregnancy cause some significant anatomical changes in preparation for breastfeeding.
• Gravity is another big culprit. Larger breasts are heavier and might start to hang more. This hanging creates some extra strain and stretching on the tissues that keep them up.
• Drastic variation in size has a big impact too. A few days after birth, people also may experience milk engorgement. This is when the larger milk supply comes in and breasts will probably feel full and larger. This is likely to happen whether you breastfeed or not. That will reduce as the milk supply regulates. At that point if you continue to breastfeed, your breasts will likely stay fuller and larger until you decide to wean. If you do not continue to breastfeed, the engorgement will also reduce, but then the breasts will reduce to a more “normal” size. All of this stretching and shrinking caused by the weight gain and loss can be hard on the breast tissue.

How to Prevent or Reduce Breast Sagging After Pregnancy

There might not be anything you can do to guarantee that your breasts will return to their pre-pregnancy state, but there may be some things you can do to reduce damage.

• The main thing is to wear supportive garments during pregnancy and after. That might even mean wearing a sleep bra, especially if you have a larger bust. If your larger, heavier breasts are not allowed to hang, there won’t be so much stretching of the connective tissues that give your breasts their shape.
• Minimize extreme weight gain and loss. Moderate weight gain in pregnancy and a gradual loss of weight after will have less impact on your breasts. Any kind of extreme weight loss and gain can have a similar effect.
• Breastfeed on demand. When you feed your baby often, your breasts are less likely to get engorged and stretched. That keeps some of the strain off of your connective tissues.
• Staying well-hydrated and well-nourished can help with your skin quality and health and ability to stretch and bounce back. So eat well, drink plenty of water, and moisturize.
• Exercise. Strengthening the muscles of the chest can improve the appearance of your breasts. It may not be able to prevent or fix any damage, but those muscles can help support the breasts and may provide some lift and perkiness.
• Try to maintain good posture. You’ll be improving your appearance and also potentially your breast health by making sure to use your smaller core and postural muscles. When you also use good posture during breastfeeding, you can reduce the likelihood of too much pulling on the breast tissue.
• And finally, slow weaning may help. Instead of cutting off breastfeeding quickly, take plenty of time to slowly reduce the number of times you breastfeed and for how long. You can decide how to do that in a way that works best for your family, but slow weaning means a more gradual reduction in milk supply. When you can slowly reduce your milk supply, your breast size is going to change more slowly and create less stress on the breast tissue. Some people can wean so gradually that they don’t even notice any breast changes and feel that their breasts end up looking the same as they did before they became pregnant.

The Bottom Line

Breasts will eventually lose elasticity and shape. Aging and gravity will do it even if pregnancy does not. Some people expect this and have no problem with that outcome! You don’t necessarily need to do anything about it. And there are great bras out there that can help lift and shape your breasts when you do feel you need a boost. Others might like the idea of continuing to have a particular shaped breast as long as possible. That’s very OK too, just know that you don’t have to avoid breastfeeding to do it.

References

The effect of breastfeeding on breast aesthetics – PubMed

Breast ptosis: causes and cure – PubMed

Breastfeeding and perceived changes in the appearance of the breasts: a retrospective study – PubMed

What you can do to prevent breast sagging post pregnancy – CK Birla Hospital

Breastfeeding Study Dispels Sagging Myth

How Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Affect Breast Sagging

Breastfeeding Questions: Will Breastfeeding Give Me Saggy Boobs?