Breastfeeding has been shown to be of immense benefit for
both baby and mother. Not only does breast milk provide the most ideal balance
of vitamins, proteins and fats, but also provides antibodies that bolster the
child’s immunity and ward of potential of infections. It lowers risk of long
term ailments like allergies, has been linked to less likelihood of diabetes,
obesity and certain cancers. Further, it has been correlated with higher IQ
scores in later childhood.
As mentioned, it also benefits the mother in several ways.
The hormone, oxytocin, is released which helps the uterus return to its normal
size and shape for one. Breastfeeding also burns calories, which aids in the
shedding of the accumulated pregnancy weight. It lowers the chance of breast
and uterine cancers, and is linked to lower likelihood of osteoporosis. Perhaps
the greatest benefit of direct feeding is the regular relaxation and bonding
that occurs through the process. While the baby doesn’t remember the act later
in life, it no doubt increases their sense of closeness and often provides the
mom some of her most cherished memories of motherhood.
Naturally, the thought that breast augmentation may get in
the way of this process is a concern of many younger women who have yet to have
children of their own and would like to breastfeed if and when they do become
mothers. Luckily, there is no reason to worry!
The only real issue here is a change of sensation around the
nipples resulting from surgery, which may alter the experience to a certain
extent. However, this shouldn’t affect a woman’s ability to breastfeed in any
significant way.
A common concern is that the presence of implants will
contaminate the breast milk causing it to be unsafe for the child. This is not
the case. The size of both silicone and saline molecules disallows them from
entering into the breast milk. Even if a few were somehow able to penetrate
into the milk, it would have no negative effect on the child. Imagine how much
silicone you inadvertently ingest from your lipstick on a daily basis!
Some women also worry about the act of breastfeeding having
potential to damage the implants themselves. While breastfeeding poses no
damaging risk to implants, the only precaution here is that women should do
their best to wait until the healing process from the breast augmentation
surgery has been able to complete itself prior to becoming pregnant. This is
because the breasts naturally enlarge during pregnancy in order to develop
milk, and this could slightly interfere with the recovery process.
Ladies who are considering having children in the future need
not worry about implants causing undue complications with breastfeeding or vice
versa. If I learn that this is something a woman is considering, I fully take
that into account when deciding where to place the implant and make incisions as
to not affect the milk ducts or nerves. This, of course, depends on each
woman’s specific anatomy and I may opt to do a more breastfeeding friendly
operation even if a woman declares she wishes to never have children, because
we all know that life has its surprises!
If you are interested in scheduling a consultation, feel
free to fill out the request form here.
