Do a mother's breasts get bigger after childbirth?

Answer 1

Breasts will be bigger immediately after childbirth, and will feel very firm. Also, the abdominal area will be much bigger than before pregnancy, because it's had to stretch so much to accommodate the baby.

After a few days, or a week or so, when lactation is well established, breast will go back to their normal size, or close to it. At the same time, the abdominal muscles will be contracting, and under normal circumstances, everything should go back to the way it was.

It's important to wear a well-fitted and good quality maternity bra in the few weeks before and after childbirth; breasts need good support for the comfort of the pregnant woman and, later, the nursing mother.

Once breasts return to prenatal (before pregnancy) size and condition it's only necessary to wear a bra if more comfort is needed; a bra isn't essential under normal circumstances, and certainly not if a woman doesn't have large breasts.

Breasts will probably feel a little softer after childbirth, but otherwise having babies needn't affect a woman's body much at all. There is absolutely no truth in the old myth that having children ruins a woman's figure; it used to be that a woman in developed countries was encouraged to undertake very little physical activity in the time before and after childbirth and this, along with the silly notion she should 'eat for two' was responsible for a lot of weight gain and general lethargy - leading to more weight gain - in new mothers.

If the mother stays with her normal, healthy diet the whole time (cravings are a normal hormonal thing, go with them within reason) and stays physically active unless there's a clear medical reason why she shouldn't do so, she'll be back to her usual physical condition in no time. With the support of those around her - and she should absolutely avoid like the plague anyone who gives her negative feelings at any time, but particularly in this sensitive time - her mental attitude will be good, and this will be passed on to her baby.

Lactation is a great way to generally get back into condition, physically and mentally, after childbirth. The mother can relax, without having to bother with the expense and fuss of bottles and formula; she automatically takes cuddle time with her baby when it needs feeding, and the simply action of lactation uses up quite a lot of energy, so the mother's body gets back into its normal condition more quickly than happens naturally with a non-lactating mother.