Posted on September 28, 2016
“I just want let you know that I have had no problem breastfeeding. I am grateful that nothing was damaged during my breast lift surgery. Nice job to you!! We had a beautiful girl . I was worried about breastfeeding but it is going great. I have a ton of milk supply on both breasts. I just wanted to let you know.” J
Above is a letter I got from one of my breast lift patients. I share it because I have had many patients email or call to tell me they were able to breastfeed. But will you be able to breastfeed if you do a lift or reduction?
My general advice is if you are on the cusp on babymaking, wait to do a lift or reduction.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding cause major changes to the breast: change in size, droopiness, and skin. There is always risk of sensory change to the nipple and changes in your ability to make milk and breastfeed when you do any surgery on the breast. There have been studies showing any type of breast surgery (biopsy, augmentation, lift) can cause change in the amount of milk production. (The studies are in my blogs). So if breast feeding is important (which I wholeheartedly support), waiting is a great idea.
What if you are 18 and your breasts are too big and you are way off from having babies? Or if you don’t know if you want to have children? Should you do a breast reduction?
There are different techniques for reduction. The two most common are the vertical breast lift (the short scar one which I love) and the inferior pedicle. When I do a breast reduction I use the vertical technique where the nipple stays attached to the underlying breast tissue, what we call a “pedicle.” This breast tissue NEVER detaches from the nipple, so the ducts are still connected and can produce milk which can come out of the nipple. There is breast tissue though which is cut in order to move the breast. These ducts are no longer connected to the nipple; essentially they are like “dead end” streets. When you have a breast reduction, you tend to have a fair amount of breast tissue. The amount left behind frequently is sufficient to make milk.
There are BUTs to your ability to breastfeed:
- Some women are just not able to breastfeed. Period. No surgeries or known reasons.
- Surgery is known to decrease milk production.
- If breastfeeding is a *must* and super important, wait to do surgery til after babymaking.
- If you have a reduction with a free nipple graft, in that surgery the nipple is actually detached from the breast. You would not be able to breastfeed. (I have not used this technique.)