It would be extra challenging to breastfeed: When I was 17 and consulting with my plastic surgeon before this procedure, it honestly never even crossed my mind to ask about the difficulty of breastfeeding after having a breast reduction—I was just so anxious to have it done. But I wish I had had that conversation because I just had my second child in August, and I wanted nothing more than to breastfeed and have that connection with her, and it was one of the biggest struggles of my life. With my older son, I didn’t even attempt to breastfeed because after finding out I had had a breast reduction, I was told (by some very unsupportive doctors) to not even try. I knew better the second time around, but after making the effort quite literally my full-time job and still having problems, I gave up after one month.
Breastfeeding can be difficult for any new mom—it’s one of those brutal truths new moms should be aware of. But it doesn’t have to be impossible. After discussions with an online BFAR (breastfeeding after reduction) Facebook group, I found that procedures have changed a bit since I had mine in 2013, and if you speak up when meeting with your surgeon, you’ll likely have better luck with breastfeeding. “Current breast reduction techniques preserve a significant amount of the milk-producing ducts to the nipple, thus most women are able to breastfeed after breast reduction surgery,” says Ryan Neinstein, MD, of NYC Surgical Associates. It’s also true, he adds, that reduction or no reduction, some 18 percent of woman in the general population are unable to breastfeed due to immature development of the duct or milk producing system.
Read more in Reader’s Digest
