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Boobs from Pregnancy to Postpartum and Beyond

Breasts. Boobs. Jugs. Your chest. The ladies. Whatever you call them, you’ve lived with them since your teen years and it’s been pretty status quo up until now. Sure, they fluctuate around your monthly — getting slightly larger or more sensitive. But buckle up, because makin’ babies makes them a whole lot different.

Breast changes are one of the first signs of pregnancy. All kinds of hormones start tap dancing around, with estrogen and progesterone taking the lead. Achy, sensitive, tingling: check, check, check.

It’s because those hormones are causing your milk ducts to branch out and lobules — which house alveoli, your little milk production factories — to flourish. Prolactin, meanwhile, is like the maestro, going into overdrive to set the tempo and establish milk production (your prolactin levels will be up to 20 times higher than normal by your due date). By around six months, the breasts are fully capable of producing milk.

Contrary to what many of us assume, your milk doesn’t rush in the minute your baby is born. Rather, you’ll have a small amount of colostrum, which is what the term “liquid gold” refers to. It’s thick, yellow, and an incredible salve for your little one, bolstering their immune system for life. It’s not until day three (usually) that your breasts balloon with milk.

It is wild and can be overwhelming — especially for first time birth parents. You may think WTLF as your breasts become taut and your areola develops a darker outer ring (bulls-eye, baby!). Deep breaths. Your milk will settle down in another day or two, and by two weeks postpartum, if you choose to breastfeed, your production will normalize, and you’ll get into a groove.

You may notice tiny raised bumps cropping up on your areola. Or you could have had them all along and they’ve become more pronounced. Those are Montgomery tubercles, and they’re cool — they are there to lubricate the breast and keep germs away. Don’t fuss with ’em! Your veins may also be more visible, due to increased blood volume.

Breast size has nothing to do with your ability to make milk or breastfeed. I will say, however, that nipple shape — particularly flat, inverted, or very prominent — can impact latch.

If you have any concerns or questions breastfeeding, or if baby isn’t gaining weight within two weeks of their birth (for a full-term baby), reach out to a lactation counselor or an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. In my opinion, it is the best money you will ever spend.

I wish it was standard postpartum care to have this support — as it is in many other countries — because like I tell my clients: None of this is innate. It is all learned.

Nipples toughen up quickly when breastfeeding, but they still require all the TLC possible. Advice is as plentiful as postpartum stretch marks, so I’ll keep this simple:

• Give your breasts time to air-dry after breastfeeding. Moisture is the enemy!
• Do not use soap on your nipples in the shower. It can strip them of natural lubricating oils and dry them out too much.
• Avoid tight-fitting bras. They can create nipple soreness or chafing and possibly plugged ducts.
• When using breast shields (helpful for those with overactive letdown), make sure to change them regularly. It bears repeating: Moisture is the enemy!

If you experience any soreness from breastfeeding (or pumping), gently rub a dab of olive oil on each nipple. Allow to air-dry. You’ll be amazed at how helpful it can be — and you don’t run the risk of an allergic reaction, like some people can have with lanolin-based creams.

When to call your healthcare provider

The following could be signs of thrush:

• shooting pains in your breast
• itchy, flaky, blistered or cracked nipples
• persistent nipple pain

These could be signs of mastitis:

• flu-like symptoms
• fever
• nausea or vomiting
• a hard lump, red patches, or yellow discharge (after mature milk has set in)

Beyond physical changes, there’s another one we need to address: Your breasts shifting from sexual to functional. It can be weird, frustrating, and/or intense for you and your partner. (Survivors of sexual trauma or abuse have unique needs, and I encourage you to seek professional support in advance.)

Like your pregnant belly, your breasts take on a life of their own when breastfeeding. You become focused on milk supply, latch, nipple care, and feeding schedules. It is decidedly unsexy and all-consuming, and 100 percent worthy of a heart-to-heart with your partner.

And don’t worry, you’ll reach a again sexual phase soon, but give yourself time.

Two words: Sag-gy. Sorry, friend. It’s true. Technically, pregnancy is to blame, and breastfeeding compounds it. Growing larger, becoming dense with milk ducts — these changes do a number on the connective and fatty tissues, leaving them looser and thinner, which can affect breast shape and texture.

Exactly how it will change your breasts is based on your genetics, age, body composition, and previous pregnancies.

I know some postpartum parents whose breasts stayed larger or snapped back to pre-baby size, some who lost a cup size, and others who felt they were just swaying in the breeze, like two worn-out tennis balls dangling in a pair of socks.

Take heart. That’s why underwire bras were invented.

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Mandy Major is a mama, journalist, certified postpartum doula PCD(DONA), and the founder of Motherbaby Network, an online community for fourth trimester support. Follow her @motherbabynetwork.

“If the boobs are scary, stretched, then I might vomit”: 10 men about breastfeeding in public

Dmitry, 45 years old (Russia)

Our son is eight, he was born in the USA, but we live with our family in Russia. I still remember with trepidation how my wife fed - I repeatedly watched this process and felt ... goodness, I guess? It's incredibly beautiful!

Given the intimacy of the process, as a husband and father, I didn't really want anyone else to watch this.

With all this, I am well aware that feeding is also a concretely important thing that a child needs, if you like, for survival. So I reminded myself that it's just food and it's very convenient - and I can tolerate it. Conditionally: if a man wants to eat, he will take and sharpen a hamburger. The same with a man who is 2, 3, 8 months old - what's the difference?!

Kent, 47 years old (Australia)

Here in Australia you can not only breastfeed, but also sunbathe topless and walk the streets as you please. What's wrong with that? I can go to the supermarket in shorts and barefoot, why can't my friend do the same, only with a baby in her arms?

This is very convenient, actually (well, I think so).

The kid got hungry - he took it and ate it. Nothing needs to be heated. And how will others react to this ... Well, I don’t know what they are, they haven’t seen a woman’s breast? There isn't really much to see there. Does the sight of a child with a banana or a cookie revolt anyone? Wonderful. So let him suck his breast when he wants to.

Ivan, 24 years old (Russia)

I think that breastfeeding in public places is, first of all, not very hygienic. Just think - a woman walked around somewhere for half a day, in a bra, dust, sweat. And if she did not take a shower with gel or soap and gave the baby a breast, then the baby gets milk mixed with bacteria. And if a woman went to the toilet to wash her breasts, then she can feed the child there, and not do it all in public.

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Jan, 49 (Poland)

I work as a resuscitator and every day I see people in varying degrees of nakedness. Therefore, it is quite difficult for me to be embarrassed by the sight of a woman who is breastfeeding.

I think that public feeding should be the norm - let the woman choose whether she likes it or not (some people want to hide themselves, like hiding children's faces behind emoticons on social networks). And if someone doesn’t like it, well, let them not watch it, it’s not difficult, after all.

Nikita, 33 years old (Russia)

To be honest, I hate it when a strange woman on the street or in a cafe takes out her breasts and considers it normal. I can't stand it when this catches my eye, I think it's indecent.

Why should I look at the breasts of other women, especially often, sorry, not the most elastic and beautiful.

And in general that the process of feeding deprives the breast of sexuality. How can you want what someone eats? If there is no other way out, you can hide behind a diaper!

Marcello, 63 (Italy)

I am not a young man, I have seen different attitudes towards a woman who breastfeeds. In my native Italy, this was never a problem, but in Slovakia, where my wife and I lived for a very long time, it was somehow not welcomed to do this openly, for show.

But listen, this is some kind of nonsense!

I am a believer - and when I come to church, I see a picture of the Madonna who is breastfeeding.

It would never occur to anyone to condemn her - and any mother who has chosen to breastfeed is worthy of admiration and admiration. Please leave moms alone. Let them decide what suits them best.

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Maxim, 56 years old (Russia)

Breastfeeding in public does not cause me any emotions at all - well, a woman feeds and feeds. The main thing is that this nursing mother should not run into me for some far-fetched reason: for example, it will seem to her that I am “staring” or judging her if I suddenly look in her direction by chance.

Michal, 54 years old (Poland)

Personally, I have no problem feeding my baby in public. But now I live in a Muslim country, so here I still have to take my wife aside, cover her with a scarf or T-shirt, if she wants to breastfeed her daughter.

There is always a need to comply with the laws of society, whether we like it or not. It would be nice, of course, once and for all to resolve the issue of free will and choice (including the one that concerns the ability to breastfeed openly) at the international, planetary level. But I'm afraid this is not possible in the next 200 years.

Evgeniy, 46 years old (Russia)

I am fine if a woman turns away and hides behind. For example, I have seen many times abroad how mothers breastfeed their children in various public places, but there no one does it for show, so it looks quite natural.

But when some kind of “twist” starts defiantly exposing her chest, provoking unnecessary talk - they say, look, I have the right to feed wherever I want - it is very annoying. And if she also has some terrible, stretched boobs, and all this happens in front of everyone in a cafe, then I might vomit.

George, 29 years old (Russia)

Breastfeeding mother is wonderful. Causes such a positive mixed interest: it is curious to look, but it is indecent to peep. True, I think if I had observed this often, then some vivid emotions would not have arisen. But in general, let them feed where they want, I don’t see a problem in this.

Negativity comes from men who are at the level of 5-12 years in their sexual development

According to child psychologist Katerina Demina, breastfeeding in public can really evoke vivid emotions in those around you. “I think what triggers people the most is the intimacy of the process and its similarity to a sexual act – the same fusion, connection, plus sounds, flowing milk.

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May 30 19:51

If sex is a problem for a person, if he has not reached a certain level of sexual maturity (unfortunately, such people are in the majority), this process will cause bodily excitement. There is another point - at the animal level, the baby is a competitor for female attention. So the most striking negative comes from men who are at the level of 5-12 years in their sexual development.

Five years is an annoyance towards a potential competitor who takes away love and attention, at 12 years is a source of unnecessary and inappropriate excitement. Men who are psychologically and sexually mature are not touched by this, ”the psychologist explained.

Katerina Demina said that in a patriarchal society as a whole it is customary to lay responsibility for male arousal on women, almost from high school: girls should not wear short skirts, tight-fitting clothes, so as not to “provoke”, “not cause unnecessary thoughts ".

If we talk about negative statements like “exposed her saggy breasts” and “it is unpleasant to look at”, then they also have patriarchal roots, the psychologist explained.

“Such statements are a way of dictating how a woman should look if the opinion of a man is important to her, if she wants to please him. If she “allows herself” not to be beautiful, toned, with firm breasts and smooth skin, she thereby denies male significance,” the expert said.

According to Katerina Demina, women's desire to feed demonstratively and without hiding is a kind of protest, a struggle to defend the right to one's body and sexuality. In this case, public feeding turns into a kind of act of disobedience and may speak of some kind of psychological trauma suffered in the past.

My chest. Wherever I want, I'll get it there!

Komsomolskaya Pravda

ColumnistsMom and baby: HealthMom and baby: Breastfeeding

Aleksandra MAYANTSEVA

August 22, 2011 17:40

Is it possible to feed a baby in public places? [let's discuss!]

The world is divided into "black and white", into "us" and "them".

And the world of babies is not protected from this.

Local wars break out in every sandbox, mothers "caesar" argue with fans of "natural childbirth", proving that "my baby is also normal", apologists for feeding from jars to the point of hoarseness quarrel with "breastfeeding sectarians", claiming that "here this jar contains all the most necessary trace elements, and you and your boobs won’t feed a child like that, even if you stretch them to the navel. ”

And breastfeeding fans, falling into a temporary prolactin delirium, suddenly unite against a well-known underwear manufacturer for the simple reason that on the clasp of a nursing bra they depicted .... pacifier. Like, acting on the subconscious, they set up young mothers to refuse breastfeeding.

True, I’m not lying: in a children’s clinic, a young and very adequate-looking woman naturally grabbed my sleeve and asked me to sign the appeal of young mothers to the president so that he would issue a special decree prohibiting the use of the image of a bottle and pacifier on diapers, baby clothes and lingerie.

- You understand, this is a worldwide conspiracy! Looking around, she whispered in my ear. - To put our children on synthetic food and spoil their health from birth!

And there is another camp, ideologically childless, the so-called "child-free".

Radical comrades from this community believe that "kicking a woman with a stroller in the face" is an act of a real gentleman. And they can also scoff at the video for a week, where two teenagers, a second before the closing of the tram tracks, push their mother with a bag out into the street.

They are very amused by the reaction - scared to death - of a young woman. Children for such comrades, uniting in networks, "maggots" and "larvae" - that's what they call them.

But these are, of course, extremes. Most representatives of "child-free", in the same form as this movement originated in the West, live according to the principle "I'm on my planet, you're on yours."

But sometimes meteorites fly from this planet of children to the planet of childless adults. And there is an explosion.

For example, one more Internet fight broke out in the open spaces of LiveJournal. The reason is that the girl was riding the subway and saw a young woman breastfeeding a one-year-old baby, who, according to a childless expert, didn’t seem to want to eat.

The girl cursed about this in her LiveJournal and away we go….

We invite you to become a referee of that Internet duel!

And it all started with this replica of the user kobrets:

“Women in the subway with bare breasts become the topic of the day. Today, two ladies with children came in. The kids are already a year old. One to her girl once and a boob in her mouth. And the baby did not suck, just kept in his mouth. Blah-yo-yo. Well, why? Metro, closeness, men around. Of course, I respect people who do not suffer from complexes, but without fanaticism, by God!

She was answered. And they answered very differently: (I keep the author's vocabulary, syntax and grammar)

ula_alu

If you do not feed and did not feed, then it is unlikely that you will be able to determine by eye whether the child is suckling or not. If there was a car for nursing mothers, there would not be such "bles". If a child asks for breasts in the subway, I won’t think about the emotions of leftist aunts and men, they will survive. If you ripen to cook your own, you yourself will understand the topic, but for now you are not in the subject. in unsanitary conditions, it is better to suck on the breast than on the fingers.

A mother may have a lot of reasons to act this way, but they may not be very clear to you.

You threw out an emotion, that's good too. However, there is nothing so egregious in feeding a child. I feed a four-year-old, for you, this is probably the ultimate "I'm in shock."

According to Rosstat statistics, 40% of the able-bodied population in Russia wish to have children. And then one, MAXIMUM two, if "prosperous" i.e. allow income. With such an attitude to motherhood as yours, we will soon die out. And we will enjoy the same gypsies who do not care about your civilization

Young mothers of Tver staged a flash mob in the city: publicly fed babies in the city center God ... Somehow you need to respect other people, in addition to your own child, and not go through life with a banner "I am a MOTHER" and I can do anything.

I will now take out my breast just as I would give it to my husband. No, but what, he also loves my breasts. Delov something!

For me, feeding is from the category of intimate processes, that's what I want to convey. And we still live in society, no matter how ... But our breasts are not a subject for public viewing, it seems. So right?

Give it to a child or a peasant. Let's respect each other, and raise children, that's what I'm talking about.

kobrets

I imagine how the whole car got up and covered the breastfeeding mother with their backs. The feeling that girls who were embarrassed by everything and everything before the flight, after giving birth, start to get rid of the complexes through the child.

Like, I'm a mother, which means I can show my breasts to other men.. To be honest, one thing doesn't fit with the other. For me personally, this process is intimate and personal, it will be really uncomfortable to shake your chest in public.

And there, everyone dances as they want, that's for sure. And I don’t really understand what is the connection between the attitude towards motherhood and the attitude towards bare breasts in the subway? Let them give birth and feed even in the toilet, no one is against it, it’s just that everyone has their own troubles.

marienero

I can only speak for myself, for myself, and I will say: for me, the natural desire of my baby to eat is higher, supposedly, the unwillingness of others to watch this process, after all, everyone has the opportunity not to watch my child eat.

A child and a man are somewhat different from each other. So, if a man is hungry, and you are suddenly on the subway with him, you can explain to him that you will now rise to the surface and go to eat somewhere. You cannot explain this to a baby screaming from hunger. The most reasonable thing is to immediately give him food and not let him turn around and stun those around him, for whom a naked female breast is horror and a nightmare.

Let's respect each other, I strongly support this thesis.

Do you think that a “well-bred child” is a kid who doesn’t interfere with anyone, stands quietly, doesn’t make a sound, is all neat and tidy, and when asked to shut up and freeze, he dutifully remains silent and doesn’t move? This is not a child, this is a neurotic.

olyesya

A mother who feeds her child is ill-bred, and other people who greedily devour the breast intended for the child are educated? Maybe the educated will just turn away and not "stare at boobs" and talk nonsense about the impossibility of feeding in public?

traitres

If you have a child screaming from hunger in the subway, then I dare to assume that he was poorly fed before leaving. My man is able to last 3-4 hours without a boob in his mouth if he is fed normally. I guess it's not that hard to calculate the travel time so as not to give the child a boob on the subway.

People of the old school think that it's not normal: breastfeeding such a big baby and even on the street

fe1ine

Let someone come out with snot, but this is exhibitionism from the same series as underwear from under a skirt or jeans.

Each metro station has a medical staff, there is a medical room where you can safely wash your hands and feed your child; breasts, by the way, should also be washed before feeding, but it seems that such mothers do not care.

pacis

Are you disgusted by the fact that the child ate on the transport? And if he ate a banana or a chocolate bar, would you have Bleu too?

al_proxima

This is a category of women who, apart from the child, do not see anything around. He cries - everything, the end of the world. He fell - a tragedy. And such greenhouse children grow up, who are fed from the nipple until the very school. Yeah, look - I'm a mother! And boobs in the subway I can, yes.

lizbet_at_home

They don't feed from a pacifier at all. And children who receive maximum attention and care in the first years of life grow up balanced and independent. And those who were built from infancy (the child was a year old, if you read the post), usually turn into neurasthenics.

le_gen_da

Ha-ha-ha! I traveled all over Europe with a child near naked boobs, and there were two reactions - they looked and smiled or smiled and, tactfully, did not look, but whatever. Sovereign mentality!

ms_jannie

For you, as I understand it, for the sake of a tan, it’s not bleu, but for the sake of a child - bleu? Moreover, there are more men on the beach than in the carriage.

pfyfxrf

This was not the case under Stalin! And the fact that they shake their naked boobs in the subway is still flowers, soon they will change diapers there, and even demand that others help. She is the mother, the belly of the earth, and the child is the navel. Degradation is in full swing, back to Africa, to the trees.

anna_bolein

Since I am a breastfeeding mother, I can only say that there are both right and wrong. I myself consider the issue of feeding a child intimate, it was comfortable for me to feed myself when there were no strangers nearby. Therefore, I tried to retire, But when the child is very hungry and very small, and it would be necessary to feed and force majeure, I would probably feed in public. There was simply no case .. I usually calculated everything.

zvizda

You are great! Once again they convinced the general public of the inadequacy of the guards sectarians. And they cast another shadow on the completely natural, normal, worthy and laudable process of breastfeeding and prolonged breastfeeding.

From the Editor:

This is how the discussion turned out. Of course, we have a radical attitude towards breastfeeding. There are those who believe that feeding at the age of five is a completely normal process.

But there are even more of those who whistle in surprise when they learn that at five months the baby is still “at the boob”. As a rule, such a reaction occurs among the childless, who, no matter how ridiculous, believe that they are the best in the children's issue. And it is these comrades who most often resent the loudest when they see that a woman is breastfeeding a baby in places where there may be unwitting witnesses to this process.

It seems to them that it is enough to say “be patient for half an hour, we will come to McDonald's soon” and the child will turn from hungry and dissatisfied into a smiling Cupid. But at the same time, these same people rush headlong to the gas station, as soon as the arrow on the speedometer of the car falls beyond the “half a tank left” mark.

One of our “colleagues” in the sandbox told that once at the Institute of Pediatrics she was almost driven to hysterics by a group of black-haired mothers who surrounded her with a baby and clamored: “Woman, shame on you, there are children here! So go and feed at home, in the dark, but don’t show us your shame here! The absurdity of the situation was that she was breastfeeding her two-month-old premature baby girl in a room specially designed for feeding and swaddling babies. And the boys of these black-haired women ran specially into the crack for a friend peeping. The boys were already 14 years old and their mustaches were breaking through with might and main. But it was easier for their mothers to run into a girl with a baby in a flock than to explain to their foreheads that it was not good to peep.

What I mean is that at least cover yourself with a veil, and there will always be witnesses who will be happy to peep.

And what should new mothers do? What do you, dear readers, think about this?

And this is how young mothers of Tver opposed the townsfolk, proving that they have the right to feed when they want, where they want and as much as they want: "Young mothers of Tver shocked the townspeople with their behavior"

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