I’m 20 and a new mother-to-be. About a year ago I received breast implants, and I’ve decided to breastfeed my child. I am worried that my implants will interfere with nursing. Will they?
Your ability to breastfeed really depends upon only one thing: whether or not your nipples were moved when the breast implants were inserted.
This doesn’t usually happen unless the breasts have been lifted during an operation called mastopexy. During this procedure, the surgeon cuts around the nipple, leaving it, if possible, on a “stalk” so that the nipple can be inserted through the skin higher up the chest wall.
Any surgical interference with the nipple and its underlying tissues can damage the milk ducts, thus reducing a woman’s ability to breastfeed successfully. If the nipple is moved independently, without a stalk, there’s no chance of breastfeeding.
Only the surgeon who performed your mastopexy can tell you how likely it is that you will be able to nurse. But if your nipples were left in place, your milk glands and milk ducts will be anatomically intact and you should be able to nurse.
Some famous people with breast implants have breastfed their babies—and I believe you will be able to, as well, if implants are all you had done.