Breastfeeding With Implants – It Can Be Done!

By Mommy News, on April 9th, 2010

By Tiffany Holley

As a mom-to-be or new mom deciding how to feed your baby, you’re likely to get tons of advice. That’s true of any parenting issue of course.

What surprises me about feeding “advice” is how much of it starts with, “Well you won’t be able to, because…”

Some are obviously silly, but others might appear credible, and discourage the mama from trying. This is one of those.

Can you breastfeed after having breast implants?

Obviously, every situation is different, and I can’t speak for them all. But let me offer you my reassurance that you quite possibly CAN!

When I was younger, I worked as a bikini and fitness model. Needless to say, your breasts are a huge part of your qualifications in that business!

Young and foolish, I decided to have a mastopexy (breast lift) and implants.

My doctor assured me that this would not inhibit my ability to breastfeed later (even then, I at least thought to ask!), so I was horrified recently when I discovered a citation on Wikipedia describing the procedure I had (a periareolar incision, one placed along the areolar border) as the one that “causes the most problems with breast feeding, due to cutting milk ducts and nerves lead to the nipple”.

It’s probably a good thing my son and I didn’t know that when he was born! He latched on and nursed vigorously – for about 3 ½ years.

I’m nursing my third baby now… well over 8 years of nursing under my belt, and in spite of my implants and surgery.

Please, don’t let anyone tell you what you cannot do… Not in breastfeeding any more than in the rest of your life!

Did you have breast implants or breast surgery? Did you breastfeed with them? Did anyone try to talk you out of it? Please share your stories by leaving a comment on this post.

Tiffany Holley has nursed three children (currently 18 mos. – 15 years old) for a total of 8 years – and counting. She and her family live, breastfeed, urban homestead, cloth diaper, homeschool, and write in Southern Florida (but hope to remedy their location situation soon). You can read about their adventures on their blog, As For My House.

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kailey bergin

April 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm

hello, first im so glad to hear u wer able to breastfeed after your surgery!! i also had a breast surgery but because i didnt know any better to ask questions or make demands to help my future breastfeeding ive run into problems. weni was 17 i had my first baby, and breastfeeding was a breeze. it can so easily for me, until about 8 months in i developed a clogged duct and got some bad advice from a dr. not to let any milk out of the affected breast. i stupidly listened and the clog turned into mastitis. i then went to another dumb dr who told me to stop nursing and take antibiotics. this was alos the wrong thing to do. as it lead to me developing such a severe infection in the breast i could have died. i was rushed to the hospital and booked in for surgery a couple hours after. they drained 2 liters of pus from my badly infected, regularly b sized, breast. they made the incision wrong tho, and severed many milk ducts which healed wrong and left a lump in my breast. this lump turned out to be a collection of milk that cannot travel to the nipple because of the ducts healing severed apart. wen i got pregnant with my second child the lump of milk grew so much i couldnt latch my son onto the nipple as it was so stretched out. i did however manage to nurse him for 13 months on my other breast alone. wen i had my third child the collection of milk grew so much and stretched my nipple so badly i was in constant pain. i found a dr willing to follow me thru nursing my baby and aspirate the milk wen it gets so stretched out and painful, ive had it drained 3 times now, and have been nursing my third child for 12 months now on one breast and my advice to any woman going in for any breast surgery and plan to breastfeed in the future, make sure you get the dr to make the incision the proper way, lengthwise from your chest toward the nipple, not across the breast. im so glad i was at least able to breastfeed my children, even if only on one breast. but if i could go back in time i would save my left breast from the breastfeeding ignorance of so many drs.

Mommy News

April 9, 2010 at 1:20 pm

Thanks so much for sharing your stories everyone! Wow Kailey – you went through some rough times because of bad advice from Drs – I’m so sorry! But you have persevered and for that you deserve HUGE kudos!! Thanks again for sharing – Judy

Amy

April 9, 2010 at 1:36 pm

It can be done! I nursed until my daughter was over a year and a half – no problems whatsoever.

Michelle

April 9, 2010 at 1:49 pm

Me TOO!! The EXACT same thing. Well not the swimsuit model, but everything else. I asked if I could still breastfeed and he told me yes. But he was wrong. I ran out of milk around 3 months with my 4 year old, but kept nursing with an SNS and we nursed for 3 1/2 years. Then 2 weeks with son and went on with the SNS till 6 months. Now I’m nursing my 3 month old wiht no aids. I’m hoping this one sticks.

Thank you for this post.

I direct people to BFAR.
Michelle´s last blog ..Ultimate Blog Party 2010

Shannon

April 9, 2010 at 9:06 pm

I’m in same boat, foolishly got implants at a young age, then they ruptured and Drs had to cut into my nipples a second time! I still breast feed my babe who is 13mo…we do fine with the help of fenugreek.

Does anyone fear that a repeatedly smothered boob can rupture an implant? Or am I just paranoid?!