Sagging of breast is one of the biggest concerns for pregnant moms. Have a quick look at the causes behind sagging breasts after delivery and some tips for preventing it.There have been several instances when mothers intended to bottle feed their children for the fear of sagging breasts. While it is true that all women are not same, breastfeeding after pregnancy can indeed result in some undesirable changes in your body.
The good news is that there are some definite ways you can try before and in course of nursing to lessen impacts such as a sagging breast. In fact it is quite possible to nurse several children and yet not see the change in your bosom. According to some doctors, sagging of breasts may often be due to
diet followed by most of the mothers during pregnancy and while feeding.
The mother's breasts usually do increase in size by as much as 2-5 inches during pregnancy and remain enlarged for a few months after
delivery until the mother continues to nurse her baby.
In addition to breasts, the uterus also expands in size during pregnancy. Soon after delivery, however, it begins to contract to get back to its original size. The stronger the abdominal muscles, the faster the uterus shrinks. Any abdominal muscle toning exercises done during pregnancy and prior to getting pregnant will greatly improve the elasticity of the muscles and help in the uterus contracting back to its pre-pregnancy size. In addition, contrary to popular belief, you are more likely to regain your figure if you breast-feed your baby.
Will my breasts sag with pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Since there are no muscles in the breast, only ligaments, your breasts will sag from the increased weight unless well supported by a good-fitting bra. These ligaments, once stretched, never return to their original size. Therefore, a bra with good all-round support should be worn at all times, preferably even while sleeping at night. The good news is that your breasts will eventually shrink back almost to the pre-pregnancy size.
How can I prevent the sagging of breasts?
Here are few things that women can do to prevent the sagging of the breasts.
Low Fat Diet
You need to take some prior preparations to be able to nurse effectively without letting your breasts sag. Enjoy a diet low in fat, cream or butter. It is a good idea to rely on vegetable oil, dressings, spreads low in cholesterol to keep at bay the sagging breast syndrome.
Saturated Fat
Your body cells must be composed of at least 50% saturated fat. When your body fat is made of the saturated fat, they shall become more elastic, resilient and strong and thus you can expect the integrity of the cell membrane to increase.
On the contrary if your diet lacks the saturated fats and your cells starve, they shall be prone to easy damage. In course of time your breasts shall lose their shape after bearing the regular stress of feeding.
Arachidonic Acid
Your healthy skin shall also require arachidonic acid. This is the fat present in butter and egg yolks. There are many known to avoid them on purpose during
pregnancy and nursing. According to the traditional Chinese belief a woman can take around 8 eggs with chicken while nursing. May be this can be said a reason why the problem of sagging breasts are so rare among the women there. However, do consult your doctor about the number of eggs and the amount of chicken that you can include in your diet while breastfeeding.
Arachidonic acid helps in formation of cell junctions and thus you need to ensure you get enough of it through your everyday diet. When your body cells does not get adequate amount of this acid, water evaporates from the cell junctions and causes the damage.
What are the other ways to minimise breast sagging?
Apart from taking care of diet, here are some other things you can try to avoid breast sagging. Take a look:
Wearing a Supportive Bra
Wear supportive bra to protect the breasts from sagging. It is normal for the breasts to increase in size after pregnancy. You must make it a point to wear well supported bra at home as well. This shall not only make you feel comfortable, but also reduce the incidences of sagging.
Monitoring Weight Gain
Monitoring your weight gain pattern is another important thing you need to remember. While a healthy
weight gain through pregnancy is appreciated, an unhealthy weight gain pattern shall definitely remain unappreciated. If you are overweight, you need to start taking it seriously. Eventhough you may not restrict calorie intake in pregnancy, but make sure to rely on healthy options only. The heavier your breasts become in pregnancy the more shall they get prone to sagging.
Keeping Skin Moisturised
Keeping your skin moisturised shall be another effective way to keep it in good health. As your skin is prone to more stretching these days, you need to keep it well moisturised. Ask your doctor about oils and creams specially made to serve these purpose. Your breasts shall definitely benefit from all the pampering. Also make sure that you drink plenty of water.
No matter what you do, make sure you have realistic expectations. Your body has gone through so many changes. So, be nice to it and give it more time to recover. By the time enjoy your bonding with your little one.
What causes breasts to sag after delivery? How to prevent sagging of breast after delivery? Can breastfeeding result in sagging of breasts? Discuss here.