Can I Breastfeed after Breast Surgery?

Breastfeeding With Implants. If you are pregnant or planning to have children, you may worry whether your breast implant will affect your ability to breastfeed your new baby. Breast enlargement surgery can be suitable for many ladies and here we discuss the suitability for future or present mothers who are looking to breastfeed their babies, after having implants.

Well, the good news is, it is still possible to breastfeed successfully after breast augmentation and in most cases your implant will not affect breastfeeding. That said, breast implants can affect your ability to produce a full milk supply, so, there are a few points to consider that will improve your chances of problem free breastfeeding.Breast Feeding After Implants
The main factor that will determine breastfeeding success is the surgery itself; the location of the incision and how the implants are placed.

If the incision is made under the fold of the breast (Inframammary Technique) or under the armpit (Transaxillary Technique), the milk ducts and nerves remain intact and connected to the nipple, this will increase the chance of the milk supply remaining unaffected and is the preferred technique for women planning on future breastfeeding.

Placement of the implant also has an important role in affecting your ability to breastfeed.

For increased milk production and flow, it is preferable for the implant to be placed under the chest muscle; implants placed directly above the chest muscle could place pressure on the glandular tissue and may impede milk production.

For both of these reasons, we always advise you to discuss with your Surgeon during your initial complimentary consultation your desire to breastfeed in the future, and your Surgeon will then be able to consider and discuss with you the surgical procedures most compatible with breastfeeding.

A further consideration is the initial reason for your breast augmentation. If your implant was to enhance small breasts, it could be the case that you may not have had sufficient functional glandular tissue (Breast Hypoplasia), as a result, milk production for breastfeeding may have been an issue prior to surgery and the introduction of implants would not further affect your existing milk supply/production capacity post-surgery. As a result, you could be at a greater risk of having a low breastfeeding milk supply.

Many ladies also ask questions relating to whether the implant will cause any harm to your baby; can materials leak from the implant into the breast milk?
According to many reports and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there hasn’t been any clinical reports of problems in babies of mothers with silicone implants.

It is possible that you may experience some breastfeeding side effects that may be heightened due to the introduction of your implants and scar tissue from the surgery: breast engorgement if the milk can’t flow freely from the breast, also, Mastitis may have slightly worse effects for women with implants due to engorgement or scar tissue. These are issues all ladies might experience and there are many ways in which to help and prevent them.

Feeding little and often is a good way to stimulate the milk supply and keep it flowing, and ensuring your baby is latched on correctly, can help you get the most out of feedings.
Remember that often if the supply of amount of milk you produce doesn’t amount to a full feed, any amount of milk you produce if good for your baby, and can be supplemented with powdered milk.
This is true for all mothers, not just those who have had prior breast surgery.

Your cosmetic surgery aftercare nurse and patient care team are available throughout your cosmetic surgery. Your consultation allows you to discuss implants after surgery with your surgeon and the team can work with you to ensure you have all the information you need to make a decision.

You can book in for a consultation in Preston, Bolton, Manchester or Warrington.

We have a range of clinics here.