Normal Breasts & The Ability To Breastfeed

Different breast appearances and breast development

I have ugly uneven weird boobs!

Are my breasts normal? Are my boobs ugly? What are nice vs ugly breasts? These are questions many women have asked themselves…

Not everybody has those so called “perfect boobs” the fact is that most of us don’t! A normal breast, comes in many different shapes and sizes.

Many normal breasts may also not look the same on any given lady, actually most times, one breast is bigger than the other. There is also no normal breast size, there are a wide range of breast size differences.

Some moms might worry that their breasts may not produce enough milk because of a perceived idea of what breasts are supposed to look like. You never see the average breast on television.

Most of the time, any shape or size of breast and/or nipples will produce milk, but unfortunately there are a few things that may compromise milk production…

Things that will NOT effect milk production

* Different shapes and sizes of nipples. Although, it can be challenging breastfeeding with flat/inverted nipples or very large nipples. These differences will not cause lower milk supply, unless baby is struggling to latch on.

* Size of the actual breast. Women with larger breasts, usually only have more fatty tissue deposits in the breast, in other words, woman with large and small breasts have approximately the same amount of breast tissue “milk producing glands” The size of breasts, can sometimes make it more difficult for mom and baby to get comfortable during breastfeeding. Read more on 1. Breastfeeding with small breasts and 2. Breastfeeding with large breasts

* Firmness of the breast. The firmness of the breast has nothing to do with it's milk producing capability and all to do with connective tissue in the breast.

* Breast changes during pregnancy. Many moms might get worried, if they are not seeing or feeling any changes to their breast while pregnant, but this is not a sign of whether they will be able to breastfeed or not.


Breast differences that CAN make a difference in amount of milk produced.

* Hypoplasia “Hypoplastic breasts” Normal breast development did not take place. These breasts have a very distinct look to them. The normal breast tissue, that develops during puberty is either non existent or very little. They are usually tubular in shape, have large nipples and are far apart from each other. Read more on how to identify this type of breast and how to breastfeed with Hypoplastic breasts. Moms with this type of breast, usually struggle with low milk supply.

* Positioning of the breasts. Breasts that are positioned far from each other on the chest wall may produce less milk: Moms will need to make sure that they breastfeed frequently and have a good latch.

* Asymmetry (one breast is larger than the other) This is a common occurrence, and some ladies may find that the smaller breast produces less milk than the larger one.

* Supernumerary breasts or Polymastia: Some ladies may have an additional or "supernumerary" breast (or two) Many times, these extra breasts appear to be tiny moles, and these women are not aware that they have this extra breast tissue, until the "mole" leaks some milk! Sometimes, a nipple is absent, but there is a swelling of breast tissue. These lumps may emerge along the "milk line" which is from the armpit, through the regular breast, and along the trunk to the groin. These “breasts” rarely cause any problem, but women may be shocked to discover what these actually are.

* Breastfeeding with breast implants or after breast reduction surgery. Read more here.

Share your breast pictures. Tell your story. This will help other moms realize that no matter what the size or shape of their breasts, they most likely can breastfeed and even if they can’t, they can still love themselves the way they are.

So many young girls today are beating themselves up about their own bodies. Here are some search engine results of what girls are searching for (ugly uneven saggy boobs, normal 15 yr old boobs, normal teen boobs, ugly weird boobs) Most teenage girls worry about this, some even to the point of suicide, which is very sad. Please help set the record straight!

Please ladies share your pictures and stories below and help other moms see that they are normal!. (Whether you have breasts that can produce milk or not)


Tracy Behr, CBC, CLD (CBI)

Reference:
Childbirth International, course information on different breasts and normal breast growth.
www.childbirthinternational.com


Normal breasts pictures

By Mommy with normal boobs: I’m 28 years old. I have had two children, I breastfed the first for 2 months and the second for 16 months (am still breastfeeding) Been breastfeeding from the left breast only, for 10 months now. My right breast always produced less milk, so I decided to stop breastfeeding from that side all together. The right breast has always been larger than the left breast, but even more so while breastfeeding. I’ve never been happy with the look and shape of my breasts, and always thought I had ugly boobs. I also asked the question “are my boobs normal?”, but with being able to nourish and love my babies with them, I recognized that they are fine just the way they are. In my opinion now, there is no such thing as an ugly breast…they are all beautiful in their own way.

Other pages on breastfeeding problems in connection with this page on normal breasts

- Breast care

- Breast anatomy

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