Breast Implants and Breastfeeding After Breast Augmentation
Can women who have breast implants breastfeed their babies? This is one of the most frequently asked questions by women who are considering breast augmentation surgery. The answer is that in the vast majority of cases, breast implants do not serve as an impediment to breastfeeding. However, it is possible for complications to arise.
Not too long ago, it was once believed that having breast augmentation surgery would render a woman unable to breastfeed. For this reason, many women who were planning on having children would wait until after having their babies to get the procedure done. Today, the trend has changed and an increasing number of women who have been pregnant or who are planning to conceive someday are getting the procedure done anyways.
There is a possibility that you may not be able to breastfeed with breast implants. This is a risk that must be considered if breastfeeding a child is important to you. The implants can exert pressure on the surrounding breast tissue, reducing your ability to produce milk. The nerves, milk glands and ducts needed for breastfeeding can also be inadvertently damaged during the surgery. If the nerves or the milk ducts in your breast become injured, this can decrease your ability to experience sensations in the nipple. As a consequence, your let-down response (the act of your breasts becoming engorged with milk) may be decreased.
Your ability to breastfeed after breast implant surgery depends upon how the surgery was performed. More specifically, it depends on what type of incision was made into your breast for insertion of the implant. If the incision was made close to the areola (the dark circle of skin around the nipple), nerve damage may result in loss of sensation in the areola and nipple. This can adversely impact your ability to breastfeed. In some circumstances, an incision that is made around the edge of the nipple can damage the milk ducts leaving the patient unable to breastfeed in the future. To mitigate this risk, some surgeons may opt to make the incision in the armpit, under the breast, or even in the belly button. This can substantially reduce the risk of damage to the glands, ducts, and nerves which are involved in the production of milk.
Some women are concerned not about the surgery causing them to be physically unable to breastfeed, but about the chemicals in the implant harming their child. Fortunately, there is a very low possibility of the chemicals filling in the breast implant mixing with the breast milk. This can only occur in situations where the implant is leaking. Some types of breast implants are comprised of saline water. In the event of an implant rupture, the saline can safely be absorbed by the surrounding tissue without any adverse reaction. As far as silicone implants are concerned, while they are deemed to be extremely safe, there is a legitimate concern about silicone mixing with the milk. It is a remote possibility, albeit only if the silicone implant were to rupture and leak. Learn more about the breast implant risks and complications.
When undergoing a breast augmentation procedure, there is no guarantee that you will be able to breastfeed after surgery. It is important to keep in mind that even a woman who has never had breast surgery could experience difficulties with breastfeeding. If this issue is important to you, discuss the issue of breastfeeding with your plastic surgeon during the consultation stages. You and your surgeon will be able to work together to come up with the best aesthetic outcome possible without jeopardizing your desire to breastfeed in the future. If you are contemplating getting breast implants, but you also want to be able to breastfeed your baby, then you might also want to consider the possibility of putting your surgery on hold until after you have given birth and finished breastfeeding the last child you intend to have.