According to the National Plastic Surgery Statistics report, over 299,715 females underwent breast augmentation making breast augmentation one of the most popular procedures among the cosmetic surgical procedure. The breast implant procedures have been becoming more and more common since 2012. However, as the decade has passed, women have become more worried about the implant procedures and have questioned the reliability and health safety issues related to the breast implant. Among all the queries related to health issues, a question arises whether a woman can breastfeed after breast augmentation. Have you heard all the myths on social media sites that say that the breast implant prevents mothers from properly breastfeeding their child? Do you doubt that you might not be able to breastfeed your child? Are you worried if breastfeeding is making your boobs saggy? Or do you want to know whether the implant is affecting milk production? Don’t worry; this blog post will thoroughly guide you and clear up all your doubts about the implants.

Factors that might affect breastfeeding ability: Implant procedure

The position and type of implant affect how a mother would breastfeed. An implantation surgery needs to be performed in a way that won’t interfere with the pectoral muscle (affects milk supply) so that a mother can easily breastfeed a healthy amount of milk to her child. There is no evidence that a rupture to silicone or saline-based implant adversely impacts the milk supply as the milk ducts, blood supply and nerves remain unaffected.

Surgical Access Incision

The way the surgical incision has been made impacts the lactation in mothers. A mother’s capability to breastfeed is not affected if the incision is performed away from the pectoral muscle (responsible for milk production) either behind or below the muscle as all the nerves and ducts stay connected to the nipples. Areolas size (a pigmentated area around the nipple) plays an important role in breastfeeding as the milk ducts are below this area, and they need to be squeezed to supply milk. Any incision performed in this area can result in the limited production of milk.  Incision via fat transfer is considered ideal as it doesn’t interfere with the sensation and reflex action of areolas resulting in normal milk supply.

Use Of Fat Injections

For the enhancement of breast, many women ask the plastic surgeons for the fat injection procedures to increase the size of a breast. Mostly the fat injections don’t change the ability of women to breastfeed as the muscles, milk ducts, nerves, and blood vessels remain unaffected. Unfortunately, there’s no extensive evidence to question the risk factors of fat injections.  While it is important to know that any surgical procedure can affect the ability to breastfeed, we can’t ignore the facts of different studies that the lactating ability ultimately depends on the body. It is highly unlikely that the mother-child relationship is negatively affected by the breast implant. Luckily, even if a women’s breastfeeding is affected by the surgery, there are still loads of safe and treatable options. To sum up, you can breastfeed your baby as this claim is supported by scientific evidence. However, it’s always important to consult with your cosmetic surgeon regarding all the queries and questions you have in mind.