Do women with large breasts have an increased milk supply?
One of the most beautiful creations of God is women. We come in every shape and size, and we are proud of how we look. I mean, why shouldn’t we!
Just like our body, our breasts too come in different sizes and shapes. Some of us have big breasts while others may have small, oval, round, balanced or unbalanced, full, or saggy breasts. Also, no matter what shape or size your breasts are, they are normal, especially with breastfeeding.
Most moms, especially first-time mothers, wonder about whether the shape or size of their breasts will influence their capacity to breastfeed. However, a woman can breastfeed effectively without worrying about their breast shape or size. Below, we will explain to you how your breast shape and size do not affect the supply or capacity of breast milk.
Breastfeeding: Does Breast Size Matter?
The amount of fatty tissue in your breasts can affect the shape and size of your breasts. While some women have fewer fatty tissues, it could mean that their breasts size is small or normal. Whereas, some of us have bigger breasts because the amount of fatty tissue in our body is more than normal. You need to understand that fatty tissue in our breasts doesn't make milk. It's the glandular tissue found in the breasts, which handles delivery prolactins, which then makes breast milk.
Small Breasted Women
Small-breasted women regularly stress about the small size and how it affects their capacity to make sufficient milk for their babies. However, your breast size won’t affect your ability to make milk as long as you do not suffer from hypoplastic breasts.
However, if you are small-breasted, you might need to breastfeed frequently because your breasts won’t be able to hold a modest amount of breast milk, which is essential for your baby. You can either increase feeding frequency or express and store the milk.
Big-Breasted Women
Breastfeeding with big breasts may lead to some difficulties at the start, yet you should not have any issues while breastfeeding your baby. Find an agreeable position and latching techniques which are suitable for you and your baby. With correct help, even with big breasts, you can have a tension-free breastfeeding experience.
Breastfeeding and Changes in Breast Size and Shape
Women with different breast sizes and shapes can breastfeed with ease. You might face some normal concerns that could meddle with breastfeeding.
Areola shape and size: Most women have different shapes and sizes of nipples. However, you shouldn’t pay any attention to the shape and size of your areola as it does not affect your ability to breastfeed as long as your nipples are not flat, inverted, or big. If this is the case, then you might experience some difficulty in getting your baby to latch to your nipples.
Engorged breasts: Some moms may experience breast engorgement for a certain time after delivery. Breast engorgement can happen in case you have missed some feeding sessions or if your baby isn't eating as much as they are required to. Engorged breasts can become swollen, hard, and painful because you cannot express the milk. They can be difficult to latch on to. You need to express some milk before allowing your baby to latch on to your nipple.
Hypoplastic Breasts: Hypoplastic breasts occur in women with underdeveloped glandular breast tissue. As these milk ducts are not developed properly, your body cannot create breast milk sufficiently.
Changes in Breasts After Breastfeeding
Our breasts change as we grow and especially when we are pregnant, breastfeeding, or begin weaning. For some of us, these progressions are negligible, while others may experience these changes more visibly.
After delivery, as and when your milk supply begins, you might encounter some growth in your breast size, which may reduce in two to seven days, particularly in case you're breastfeeding along with formula milk. Sometimes, if you're solely breastfeeding, your breasts are probably going to get bigger to hold the milk that is needed for your baby. Distinct changes that you might see include:
- Areola might become bigger and darker.
- Breasts might feel heavier.
- Changes in shapes and size of your breasts.
Conclusion:
Regarding breastfeeding, the size or state of your breasts should not restrict you. While there might be a couple of issues that you may face because of your size, however, you can tend to these issues either with medical assistance or talking to an elder at home.
In case you are worried about the size or state of your breasts, or if you had a breast medical procedure, you need to reach out to your PCP. Together, you can figure out what is best for you and your baby.