A recent study from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has found that mothers who have had breast implant surgery and who believe that breastfeeding will cause their breasts to sag are far less likely to succeed with breastfeeding than those who don’t hold this belief.
In this study of 160 women, researchers found that 86% of the women who believed that breastfeeding after implant surgery would cause their breasts to sag were unsuccessful at breastfeeding for two weeks or more, while only 13% of the women who didn’t hold this belief were unable to breastfeed for that period. The Society notes that, “the only significant difference between the two groups was the perceived effect breastfeeding would have on the appearance of their breasts.”
Breastfeeding, the researchers point out, has not been shown to cause breast sagging in women with or without implants: “although breasts sag more with each pregnancy, breast-feeding doesn’t seem to worsen these effects in women with or without breast implants.”
This is one of a number of myths about breastfeeding after implant and other breast surgeries. To help separate fact from fiction, we encourage you to visit Diana West, IBCLC’s website, Breastfeeding after Breast and Nipple Surgeries. This site contains the best up-to-date collection of evidence-based information on breastfeeding after a variety of surgeries.
