Let’s talk about the stigma associated with breastfeeding that first-time mothers go through. Our society believes that nursing babies cause the mothers’ breasts to lose form; hence it is thought that breastfeeding causes breast sagging. It is due to this reason that some new mothers are reluctant to breastfeed their infants and instead choose to give them formula milk. It sounds overwhelming to bring a child into the world, nurture it, and provide for it completely for a year or two. Although breastfeeding may sound challenging, it is a blessing in making a beautiful mother-child bond.
What is Breast Sagging
Breast sagging or breast ptosis is a common and harmless condition seen in elderly women or women who endured multiple pregnancies. Like other areas of your body, the breasts also alter throughout time. It may lose its shape and deflate to its own, and you might find these changes undesirable, but mommies, you will be surprised to know how normal it really is. Your nipple may tip downward, your breasts may appear to lie lower on your chest, and your top breast may not be as full as it once was. The breast is made up of fats, ligaments, and ducts of mammary glands. As your breasts expand during pregnancy or when you gain weight, the ligaments stretch and lose their structural integrity, causing the breast to sag.
Why do People Think that Breastfeeding Causes Breast Sagging
Many women may experience changes in their breast size and form after giving birth. Women strongly adhere to the belief that nursing their infants is the only cause of their breasts sagging or deflating. When you are pregnant, your body goes through physical changes that make your breasts enlarge. After giving birth, for some women, the breasts size begins to diminish within a few weeks or months. Because of this, the two terms have been linked for a very long time, which indicates that even if you decide not to nurse your child, you might still experience breast sagging.
Why Breast Sag after Childbirth
While your body prepares you for pregnancy and starts releasing those majestic pregnancy hormones, progesterone and estrogen. With breast enlargement being the first symptom, they manifest in many areas of your body. Due to increased milk production and the growth of milk ducts in the mammary glands, these hormones cause your breasts to become fuller during pregnancy. Your breasts will droop and deflate as a result of the hormones wearing off after you wean off the baby and undo the alterations they have caused. Since you are all aware that breastfeeding is not the real cause, let’s move on to the first and most prevalent cause of saggy breasts: ageing. As we grow older, our skin becomes less elastic, causing our breasts to droop and lose their fullness.
So, mommies’ saggy breast has many causes, but breastfeeding isn’t one; let’s look into real reasons why you experience breast sagging after your child’s birth. The ligaments that support a woman’s breasts expand as she gets pregnant because her breasts grow larger. Even if a woman does not continue to breastfeed after giving birth, the ligaments’ stretching may be a factor in her breasts drooping.
The simple passage of time is the most frequent cause of sagging breasts. No matter who you are or what you’re wearing, gravity and time will make your skin brittle and less elastic. Nonetheless, young women might also have sagging breasts. In addition to the passage of time, several more factors could cause sagging. When your breasts gain weight to support your growing baby during many pregnancies, the ligaments that hold them strain and droop. Skin becomes less resilient and flexible as a result of smoking.
Over time, larger, heavier breasts are more likely to sag. Severe weight reduction can significantly change breast size and form. Skin and breast tissue expand and droop as a result of being overweight. Skin elasticity is impacted by hormonal changes brought on by menopause. Many diseases, including breast cancer and Tuberculosis, can decrease breast tissue and support.
Don’t worry! You can still work on it
Mommies suffering from breast sagging are perfectly natural. Several factors, including genetics, nutrition, and lifestyle, can bring it on. You may lessen the signs of sagging by improving the elasticity and resilience of your skin by taking better overall care of your body.
The breast doesn’t have muscle like other parts of your body. Hence the shape, once changed, can be regained, but you can improve its position by doing chest exercises ad working attentively on your posture.
Doctors suggest that you should lose your pregnancy glamour gradually, and sudden weight reduction may cause the breast to sag quickly. It can change the shape of your breasts ad shrink the skin surrounding them.
Another important point that doctors highlight is moisturizing your chest area properly, maintaining your skin hydrated and firm, moisturizing your skin every day, and paying special attention to the chest area. Exfoliating the skin aids in making skim tissues more resilient and adding elasticity.
