Breast reduction is on the rise and for all the right reasons. Women normally think for years together before opting for this surgery. There are many reasons which keeps them thinking and one such reason is the question “Will I be able to breast-feed after my breast Reduction surgery?”
Well the question is very pertinent as breast feeding one’s baby is an integral part of any woman who desires to be a mother.
There are many women who choose to do this surgery only after they have completed their family and there are many who are in such great discomfort that they wish to go for this before they have the baby because they feel the current quality of life is very important to them. They also fear that during pregnancy and lactation the breasts would grow more which would put them in extreme discomfort.
There are various methods of breast reduction and the choice also depends on the size of breasts. Almost always a part of the breast is kept attached to the Nipple Areola Complex (NAC) when designing for Reducton of the breasts and keeps the hope of breast feeding after Breast Reduction alive. The lower and outer part of the breast is usually reduced and the inner part of the breast is saved for the shape and volume. Whatever milk is produced in that part of the breast tissue which is attached to the NAC, a woman can successfully breast feed. In gigantomastia too with the current methods of breast reduction the connection of NAC to the breast tissue can be maintained for many patients. Earlier breast amputation with free Nipple areola graft was done in which the chances of breast feeding was absent altogether.
Another important thing to understand is that not all women can breast feed even when they haven’t had any kind of surgery or intervention. In my practice when taking the medical history, a significant percentage of patients tell me that even though their breasts were very large, milk production was poor or none at all, they often feel that they waited in vain for their surgery and could have opted for it earlier and enjoyed a good quality of life.
Heavy breasts are not only a weight on the chest and shoulders but rather a weight on a woman’s mind which weighs her down physically and emotionally. Most women face this problem since puberty but due to societal pressures and lack of financial independence endure this for a large part of their lives before they opt for this surgery.
Dr. Shilpi Bhadani, Plastic, and Aesthetic surgeon, Founder SB Aesthetics, Gurugram
