Breast-Feeding After Breast Surgery


Defined Tag: Breast Feeding After Breast Surgery.

Health issues such as breast-feeding after breast surgery, is a major concern that is stopping most women who wish to go for a cosmetic surgery. The risks to breast-feeding associated with cosmetic breast surgery vary widely from procedure to procedure. However, with every procedure there is at least some degree of risk that you might not be able to breast-feed after the surgery. So if breast-feeding is extremely important to you as an individual, you should put off your surgery until after your children are weaned. Additionally, breast-feeding is very likely to change the shape of your breasts, so if you are planning to become pregnant in the near future and you would prefer to nurse your child, it might be a waste of your time and money to have your surgery now. 

On the other hand, if you are young, unmarried, thinking of having kids ten years down the road, would prefer nursing but would not be overly upset by having to bottle-feed, the breast-feeding issue should not be a big concern for you.

If you’re interested in having a lift or reduction, your doctor can give you an accurate idea of the risk entailed with your particular procedure. However, you should be aware that some procedures such as free-nipple procedure (where the nipple is removed completely from the underlying tissue), involve cutting the ducts and remove the option of using a breast pump. The only remaining option would be bottle-feeding, using formula.

One simple and common cosmetic procedure that many women seek is to correct “innie” nipples. In these women, instead of protruding in the natural manner, their nipples pucker inward. This is caused by shorter than normal milk ducts and the surgical solution to the problem is to simply cut the ducts. If you are considering having children, you should be advised that this procedure rules out any chance of breast-feeding.

The larger concern has to do with the loss of nipple sensation, which could potentially be caused by any type of cosmetic breast surgery. Loss of nipple sensation effectively prevents you from nursing at the breast because you will be unaware of what would otherwise be painful behavior from the infant. Normally of there is any pain, the mother temporarily pulls the child away from the nipple. Without sensation, the baby could damage the nipple or areola. This, in turn, could cause a localized infection called mastitis. Most doctors agree that the risk of mastitis is too great to persevere with breast-feeding if you have any loss of nipple sensation.

The good news is that there is no reason that you can’t use a breast pump to obtain natural breast milk for your baby. Even with on nipple sensation at all, you can save yourself the risk of mastitis and still give your baby the full benefits and nutrients of your breast milk by using a milk pump. However, if your reasons for wanting to breast-feed have more to do with the intimate feelings of bonding with your child in this special way, the loss of nipple sensation will be a much bigger issue.

If you feel that breast-feeding after breast surgery still remains a major concern for you and your family, you should discuss the issue thoroughly with your loved ones. In addition, you can also seek advice from those who have been through the experience or consult your cosmetic surgeon on the possible complications. In this way, you will be able to make an informed decision and anticipate the likely impacts of breast-feeding after your breast surgery.