You probably noticed that during your pregnancy, your breasts get bigger as they prepare for a hungry
little baby, right? And so, logically, many women, and probably even more men, ask themselves,
what happens after you stop breastfeeding? Like, are they gonna stay that big? Or are they gonna
get saggy? And if so, what can you do about it? Exactly. So, in this video, we are going to discuss
what happens to your breasts after weaning your baby and how to prevent your breasts
from sagging. And we are also gonna give the answer to the question: will my breasts keep their
pre-pregnancy shape if I don’t breastfeed at all? Yes. This is Nathalie a pregnancy and birth consultant
and TCM therapist and that’s Mathias a researcher and science geek and we are helping expecting mommies
and their babies naturally and science based. So, how can you avoid saggy breasts after weaning?
Okay. So, there is one thing that we would like to make clear right from the start. Yes,
your breasts are most likely, not always, but most likely gonna look different after weaning your
baby compared to what they looked like before. But it would be wrong to assume that that’s mainly
because of the fact that you breastfeed your baby. The actual reason why your breasts start
to change in the first place and are gonna look different after weaning your baby is the pregnancy
itself and not the fact that you breastfeed your baby. Exactly. Normally, during your pregnancy,
your breasts are gonna get bigger. And that’s because in order to produce milk,
your breasts are gonna need two things: they are gonna need glands to produce milk and milk ducts
so that the milk is able to flow. And enlarging those glands and milk ducts is exactly what’s
happening during your pregnancy which is why your boobs get bigger over time. Yes and even bigger once
that baby has arrived, right? I still remember when we went for a walk when our son was like one week
old and that truck stopped for us at the zebra crossing. And the guy in the truck was like…..
And was like: yeah, you better watch the traffic, you son of a … you know. Anyways. So, yes, boobs do
get even bigger when that baby finally arrives because now the milk starts to flow. Yes. And by
the way: they are also gonna get bigger during that first week after your delivery, when you
bottle-feed your baby. Because your breasts don’t know that you intend to bottle-feed, right? Therefore,
they will prepare for a hungry baby anyways. And then once they realize that there is
no demand for milk, they are gonna change again in shape and size. Exactly. And because of that it is
not possible to prevent your breasts from changing or from getting saggy by not breastfeeding your
baby, right? Whether you like it or not, if you are pregnant, your breasts are gonna get ready to
feed your baby. Right. So, please do not bottle-feed your baby out of fear that your breasts are gonna look
different afterwards, right? Speaking of which: what exactly does happen to your breasts after weaning
or in case you bottle-feed your baby, after your pregnancy? Well, most of the times, the breasts
are gonna get smaller again after weaning a baby. What exactly that means, very much depends on
factors such as genes, hormones and weight gain during a pregnancy. Oftentimes, they shrink back
to their original size. But most of the times, they stay slightly bigger than initially. Yes.
Actually, in a study some 73% of women reported that their breasts look different compared to what they
looked like before their pregnancy. And most of them do claim that they are bigger afterwards,
but less firm. Exactly. So yes, next to size, firmness is another aspect. During your pregnancy,
the ligaments that support your breasts begin to stretch because the breasts are getting heavier,
right? And this stretching can often lead to less firm breasts and even saggy breasts. Exactly.
And what can also add to saggy breasts is, of course, the weight loss after your pregnancy.
Because it’s not only the ligaments that stretch. But also the skin, which you may notice when you
have stretch marks, for instance, right? Now, the question is of course: is there
anything that you can do to prevent your breasts from sagging? Like, what should you do? Okay, so,
first of all, as we mentioned already, weight gain plays a very important role in developing
saggy breasts, also when you are pregnant. And so, the first thing you should do is make sure
that you only gain weight during your pregnancy within reasonable boundaries. Yes. We often hear
the sentence “I have to eat for 2 now”. But that is not the case. It will actually do more harm than
good, right? Of course you have an increased need for calories. And of course, you are gonna gain
weight when you are pregnant. That’s how it should it be. But a pregnancy should not be an excuse
to eat twice as much a day, particularly, when it’s unhealthy food, right? Exactly. Likewise, when
you try to lose weight postpartum, do it step by step! Those extreme postpartum weight-loss diets
that you sometimes see on the internet almost always do more harm than good. Not only because
your body requires energy to recover and also to nurture your baby. Also, because you don’t give
your body time to slowly adjust to the loss of weight which makes flabby skin and saggy breasts
more likely. Yes. Talking about weight loss. To some degree, exercising can also help! Now,
it is important to understand that breasts mostly consist of fat and certain tissues, but no muscle
tissue, right? And so, it is rather difficult to prevent sagging breasts by exercising. BUT:
there are muscles below your breasts that you can tone. Because toning can give your breasts a
more lifted appearance, at least to some degree. Right. And of course, exercising in general can also help you
with a more controlled weight gain during your pregnancy and weight loss postpartum. Exactly. The
next thing to do to prevent sagging breasts is making sure that you try to avoid what is
called breast engorgement. Breast engorgement means that your breasts become overly full,
for example, because you have not fed your baby for a longer period of time. And the
problem with engorged breasts is not only that it causes the skin of your breasts to stretch
even more. The problem is also that it can lead to clogged milk ducts which can be painful. So,
ideally, you don’t keep the intervals between the feeding sessions too long. Yes. Of course,
this is not always a simple task, right? And so, one thing that could help avoid engorgement, if your baby
is not ready to eat, is using a breast pump. Exactly. So, what else can you do to avoid saggy breasts? Well,
as you may know from various TV commercials skin needs to be nurtured in order to be good
looking, right? In other words, your skin, but also your connective tissue require certain micronutrients.
Exactly. And so, if your main source of nutrients is fast food, such as burgers and fries, both,
your skin and connective tissue, are gonna reflect that diet – at least at some point, right? Right.
But if you provide both with micronutrients from a healthy and balanced diet, you help your breasts
look better for a longer period of time. Yeah. At least until the age effect kicks in, right? Then
you could as well eat burger and fries. No just kidding. I just want to add here that when we
talk about good looking skin, we also talk about the elasticity of the skin, right? And this is,
after all, what matters when it comes to avoiding saggy breasts. And in order to maintain a good
elasticity of the skin, you have to replace those high-cholesterol, saturated fats that
you can find in burgers and sausages for instance, with healthy fats, for example, from an avocados.
On top of that, you wanna make sure that you get enough vitamin E because vitamin E also plays a very
important role when it comes to the elasticity of the skin, right? Exactly. And another factor that helps
with that is hydration of course. And hydration will also support a good blood circulation in
your breasts which can also help avoid sagging breasts. Yeah. Good point! And actually,
a good blood circulation can also be achieved by other things, such as alternating between hot and
cold water when you take a shower, for instance. And of course it is also important to moisturize the skin on
the chest area. Yes. Just please make sure that you use natural products, like herbal products because
keep in mind that you are breastfeeding your baby, okay? And the final thing to do is slowly
weaning your baby. If you slowly increase the gaps between the breastfeeding sessions, it will not
only be easier for your baby. It will also teach your breasts that the demand is now starting to
slowly decrease over time. And that will give your breasts the time to redeposit fatty acids in your
breasts which can help avoid saggy breasts. Right. One final thing: a good breastfeeding position
can also help you avoid saggy breasts if it is a position that helps you prevent unnecessary pull
on the breast tissue. So, if you like, watch our video on the best breastfeeding positions. And
just in case you are still pregnant at this point, watch our video on the most important
nutrients that you and your baby need during your pregnancy. Both videos can also be found
in the description below this video. Right. If you have found this video helpful, we would be super
grateful if you could leave us a like below this video! Yes. And for more useful tips and tools
on pregnancy- and baby-related topics, make sure to subscribe to our channel and to hit the bell!