Hello all,
Because of all the questionning i have had to deal with... alone... and for the past 10 years... I cannot tell you how relieved i am to have found this forum...

For the last 11 years, from 16 to 27, i have been trying to accept my breasts, which are biggish (34D) and droopy.
Working in the MODERN DANCE WORLD has not helped me accept my boobs, which always seem to be in the way, and never fit in costumes, and strain my back, and require 2 or 3 sport bras to stay in place.
So all this time i have wished to undergo boob surgery: reduction and lift.
Yet i have always had the desire to have children and breast feed them.

I now know, thanks to your forum, that i can have both.
But that i would also be taking a risk.
The risk that the surgery does not go well.
And more so, the reality that i most probably WILL have some sort of issue BFeeding.

And i feel guilty, ahead of time as i will not be having children for a few years.
And i have been feeling guilty, for not seeing beauty in my natural form...

I am tired of weighing the pros and cons...
And feeling the weight of my guilt towards my future babies...
Yet i daily face my incapacity to fully accept my boobs (i still find it hard, at 27, to stand naked in front of my man, i ont find their shape sexy and he hasn't managed to mae me feel otherwise).

I live in France, and i dont easily trust surgeons or doctors.
I am willing to travel for the surgery.

I need advice... As much to find a good surgeon than to deal with the guilt... Or simply to make a decision.
Thank you.

Salut Céleste,

Si tu veux avoir mon avis, ça me fera plaisir de te le donner... J'ai eu une réduction à l'âge de 15 ans et mes seins étaient vraiment laids... Je portais du 40 F et ils me les ont réduit à du 36 C. Le résultat est superbe, je dois te l'avouer mais à cause de cela, je n'ai pratiquement presque pas de sensation dans les mamelons qui est une clé dans l'allaitement. C'est certain que je ne me sentais pas bien dans ma peau mais c'était obligatoire pour moi d'avoir la réduction. Je ne l'ai pas eu parce que mes seins étaient laids mais parce mon dos a formé une courbe qui est encore là et j'ai bientôt 29 ans. Lorsque j'ai eu Raphaël qui a maintenant bientôt 4 ans, je n'ai pas pu allaiter du tout. Je n'avais pas de colostrum, mes glandes mammaires n'avaient pas réagi du tout. Lorsque j'ai eu Olivier (il a bientôt 2 ans... dans 3 semaines!), j'ai eu une montée laiteuse à ma grande surprise mais étant donné qu'Olivier avait déjà 3 jours, la stimulation des 3 premiers jours n'avait pas eu lieu et je n'ai pas été capable de l'allaiter. Puis dernièrement j'ai trouvé ce forum et acheté plusieurs livres dont: Defining your own success de Diana West. J'ai lu que les canaux lactifères se reforment avec chaque grossesse... On est rendus à bb numéro 3 et je suis vraiment décidée d'allaiter complètement celui-là (celle-là préférablement!).

Si tes seins sont seulement gros et pendants, sans difformation ou malformations, c'est la loi de la gravité malheureusement. Il est certain que si tu fais de la danse moderne comme métier et que ça t'empêche de performer autant que tu le veux, il faut que tu pèses le pour et le contre. Est-ce que tu es prête à faire passer ton métier avant le pouvoir d'allaiter tes enfants? C'est une loterie dans le fond. Peut-être que tu pourras, peut-être que non. Tu peux aller voir un chirurgien plastique et en discuter avec lui, il y a certaines procédures qu'il pourrait faire qui ne toucheront pas vraiment à ta capacité d'allaiter. S'il garde le mamelon et l'auréole attachés aux canaux durant l'opération et qu'il fait bien attention de ne pas toucher aux glandes et canaux (ce qui est pratiquement impossible), il y a de fortes chances que tu pourras allaiter. La meilleure personne avec qui tu pourras discuter de tout cela sera ton chirurgien et toi-même. Tu as un conjoint depuis un certain temps, tu n'es pas seule dans tout cela. Et en plus, il y a nous toutes! Tu n'as pas besoin de t'inquièter, nous ne te laisserons pas tomber, peut importe ta décision. Et ton conjoint non plus! Il est très gênant d'être intime quand on est pas bien dans sa peau, je le sais mais en même temps, je suis certaine que ton conjoint adore ton corps!

Tu peux me recontacter avec toutes les questions que tu as, il me fera plaisir de t'aider!

Gros becs, Sophie xox
P.s. J'ai pris en compte que si tu es en France, tu es francophone! Et avec le nom Céleste, il y a de bonnes chances que nous parlions le même language!

I can certainly relate to your pain and body image issues and can undertand why you want a reduction. But to be blunt, a 34D is not very big. I think there is a good chance you would regret the surgery once you have your first child. Yes, you will still be able to breast feed in some form, but it is so much easier when you don't have the difficulties of surgery damage.

To share some of my story, I was a 34F in high school. I was committed to breast feeding and wanted to wait until I was done having children for surgery. But I grew to a 36K with my first daughter and stayed there. I went ahead with the surgery then and have since had a second daughter and am expecting again. My surgery was necessary and life-changing. I wish it hadn't been necessary, but I don't regret having it.

Having nursed both before and after surgery, I can tell you it is much easier with undamaged breasts. I would never recommend the surgery to anyone smaller than a G cup, and even then only if she had significant pain issues.

But only you know what you can tolerate. If you decide to go ahead with the surgery, we will support you 100% when you come here with your first baby. You CAN breast feed after reduction surgery. It isn't easy, but it is worth it.

Thank you so much for your support:
However, I do wish to be more clear about my situation, as it may alter your responses:

It is not really a reduction that i wish for, but more so a lift.
The best for me would be a slight reduction from a D to a C cup, and with a sergeon who is capable of understanding my desire to breastfeed and so who would work on me accordingly;

I have come to understand, and please let me know if i am wrong, that the less tissue is removed, the better chances i have to breastfeed?

I know that compared to women whom have had excruciating back pain, my situation may sound somewhat superficial...
But since the age of 9, as my breast started growing, i realised they were developing in the wrong direction, and i have been complexed since.... and it kills me to think that in 2009, there arent any techniques secure enough to lift a boob without damaging nerves and ducts...

Sorry, i'm venting... because i so strongly wish to be proud of my breast... And when i see pictures of pre and post lift surgery, i know that i could be a perfect candidate;

Alas.....
my wish to breastfeed is stronger.
I'm just mad that i HAVE to choose between one or the other...

ps: sophie i do speak french fluently! and thank you for your post!

I think you've said it all here.

It sounds like the primary difficulty is body image issues. These can be solved by means other than surgery. In fact, this is, in my opinion, one of the finest lessons of motherhood: our bodies are very powerful, and capable of amazing things (pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding among them). The superficial appearance of the body comes to matter much less after one has discovered this.

From all you have written, I think you would regret it horribly if you had surgery and it negatively impacted your milk supply. (And however skilled our surgeons, when we put ourselves under the knife, we, and our abilities to breastfeed, are very much at risk.) On the other hand, if you can learn to appreciate your body as it is, then I think you will find yourself positively in love with it after you give birth to a baby and make milk for it at your breasts. It is truly a transformative experience.

Wait. If you still wish for the surgery, it will not be too late after you have had a child.

My very best wishes,
Meg

Hi Meg...
Thank you for your reply!
Did you regret your operation?
Were you able to breastfeed?
Is supplementing with that smart device close to breast feeding?



HI EVERYONE!

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS HAD A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH A BOOB LIFT? AND WHO WAS ABLE TO BREASTFEED?
Has ANYONE experienced a positive impact on their self-esteem YET NO GUILT?

I totaly understand the fact that it is better to stay natural, in order to have the best experience possible with later babies...

But who is to say that physical pain caused by big boobs is worse than psychological pain caused by saggy boobs?

If the answer was easy i wouldn't be juggling with it for over 10 yrs....

Now i know that the more years between the surgery and pregnancy the better....

And i'm already 27..... So i feel pressured to come to a final decision.
Eventhough i am not planning to have any babies in the next 6 to 8 years.

If i were planning on having babies now, i wouldn't even ponder this question.

But to know that i could have a few years of my youth with adequate breast....

Oh gosh... How selfish does that sound?

But again, it really only sounds selfish if one considers back pain to be more important than emotional pain...

And the shape of my breast, combined with the D cup, make it difficult for me in dressing, sports and in my career which is the dance world.

To conclude, i will say that it is really hard to make a decision based on the knowledge that we may regret it later.

It is like telling a child not to experiment climbing a tree, because we have been there done that, and we can simply share our experience with him, and also let him know that it could be a dangerous move.... Therefor, he must trust our wisdom.
I also feel it is like wanting to break up with someone, yet no go for it because we might realize later that he was THE ONE.

I absolutaly still want women's truthful advice... I just needed to express how i feel about the situation....

Thank you for your time,
Celeste.

Salut Celeste,

je vais te répondre en anglais comme cela, les autres mamans pourront commenter sur mon avis et mon message.

If's its just a lift, I would have to think that the glands might not be as affected as a reduction. But, there is a saying that says: What comes up will eventually come down. If you get the lift today, I would totally understand because I know what it is when you don't feel very comfortable in your own body. But you also need to understand that many women who have a lift before bfing, well, gravity does it's effect quite often. But don't worry, whatever decision you end up doing, we are ALL going to support you. I heard that the longer you wait between the operation and bfing, the better it is. But with a better confidence in your body can do a lot of things... like raise the desire and sex life, and becoming prengnant!

My mom had the lift surgery between my sister and she seriously regrets it today. She wishes she'd had waited but that was 29 years ago. Even then, my father who was a doctor told her to wait and she didn't. Now she wants another lift (and reduction this time) but the Quebec gov. covers only the first surgery so she'll have to pay for the procedure...

It's really your call but remember that we will be waiting from any news from you.

Until then, hugs and kisses, Sophie xox

I had a reduction/lift. I was "only" a 34DD or so but my back/shoulders hurt and my shoulders were getting pulled forward. I also got in trouble at work for wearing a "belly shirt". it was a regular t shirt, it just was getting pulled up too much by my breasts!

I posted my bfar story on here so you can read about that there if you like.... but:



this is very true. And being pregnant, even if you chose to exclusivly formula feed, will make your breasts do things and they will end up sagging again. so if you wnat them to stay up for as long as possible it would be better to be pregnant first. My were nice and perky right after the surgery, but even wearing proper fitting bras didn't keep them from going back down to where they were, and it's only been 4.5 years for me.

hey celest
Dont do it I had 3 kids, actually nursed all three I had a set of twins that i nursed till they were 18months. Just like the other ladies said pregnancy does a number on your breast. After my 3rd baby i thought we were done so i got a lift. worse mistake of my life!! We just had another baby and it has been so difficult to nurse!! Dont do it!! I feel so selfish and my little girl is now the one suffering!!
by the way all the doctors told me i would have no problem nursing, they dont have any idea!

sariah

Hi girlz and thank you for taking the time to write...
I have decided to see a therapist for various issues and i will discuss breast surgery.
Hopefully it will help me make a decision.
A few more questions to you.........


quote:
Dont do it I had 3 kids, actually nursed all three I had a set of twins that i nursed till they were 18months. Just like the other ladies said pregnancy does a number on your breast. After my 3rd baby i thought we were done so i got a lift. worse mistake of my life!! We just had another baby and it has been so difficult to nurse!! Dont do it!! I feel so selfish and my little girl is now the one suffering!!

Questions: Did you have a reduction too? or just a lift?
Did the surgeon remove the nipple completaly?
How much time passed between the op and the pregnancy?
Were you informed on how to maximize breast feeding after breast surgery?
Did you have enough skin on your boobs when they filled with milk?


Quote:
so if you wnat them to stay up for as long as possible it would be better to be pregnant first. My were nice and perky right after the surgery, but even wearing proper fitting bras didn't keep them from going back down to where they were, and it's only been 4.5 years for me.

Questions: in the 4 years after surgery, were you pregnant?
Did you go for a lift or a reduction?
Did your breast really find their way back to their initial shape?



Celeste

in the 4 years after surgery, were you pregnant? yes, twice now:
I had my surgery in Aug 2004. I got pregnant the first time in May 2005, daughter born Feb 2006. She had weight gain issues due to my low supply I supplemented her with formula using finger feeding and an SNS. I tried every non prescription galatagauge out there, although I didn't find out about shantavari until she was 9 or 10 months, it seemed to help but then she really got into solids at 11 months and refused to take formula anymore. She just turned three and still likes to nurse before bed. The tightness of the skin during engorgement made it harder to get her to latch on too. My LC said it was like trying to latch onto a bowling ball.

Her brother was born two weeks ago (march 2009). so far he hasn't had any formula, but isn't up to his birth weight yet. I have been taking shantavari since he was 3 or 4 days old. With engorgement this time it wasn't nearly as difficult. I had more experience and the skin was already stretched out from the first time. Just remember weather or not you do the reduction before or after having kids ice is your friend when you are engorged.

Did you go for a lift or a reduction? both. the reduction came with a lift.

Did your breast really find their way back to their initial shape? yep. nearly same size now too. BUT that is also due to the weight gain of pregnancy. before my surgery I was 120lbs 34E/F which just looked weird and clothes didn't fit etc. My reduction took me down to a 34C. Right this second I am a 165lbs (what you gain while pregnant takes a while to take off) 36F. But even with the 36F now it looks/feels ok on me since I have more all over now.

If yours sag now there is a good chance that they will sag again, but this chance is increased if you get pregnant because the hormones will do all kinds of things to your body. Not to mention the weight gain of pregnancy.

Celeste, I just wanted to briefly comment on my own experience re: breast shape. My breasts were not much larger than yours before my reduction and also sagged badly. After my reduction, they had a beautiful shape. But with a few pegnancies, they now sag as much as they ever did, though they really aren't a lot larger than they were initially post-surgery and I never gained very much weight with pregnancy or afterwards. If you are considering the surgery to improve the shape of your breasts, you may want to consider that surgery might only be a temporary fix, as pregnancy and even just simple time and gravity will have their effects and quite possibly undo the effects of surgery. You may find that you have compromised your ability to breastfeed only to end up with sagging breasts anyway.