Weaning off the boob… Here’s what you should prepare yourself for
If you decide to breastfeed your baby, the day will eventually come when you'll have to wean them off the boob.
And whether Baby is still only new when you snap the bra back on or they're chasing you around the room demanding milk, you will notice a few, ahem, changes surrounding the boob situation.
We're not here to scare you or anything… just, you know, help you prepare for what's about to come!
1. Sagging, droopy girls
Your boobs increase in size a fair bit when you are breastfeeding which causes your skin to and tissue to stretch. And when you stop feeding, your girls will have a very flattened-like appearance. Sorry. (although it’s not all down to breastfeeding – pregnancy itself can play a role in making your boobs a little droopy).
2. The dreaded M-word…
It can take a little while for your milk to stop producing, so blocked ducts are still a possibility. And we all know what they can lead to… mastitis. And while you don’t want to encourage your breast to produce any more milk, if you do discover a blocked duct you should remove the milk to lower your risk of mastitis.
3. A little bit of leakage
Your boobs won’t just automatically stop producing milk the minute you decide to wean. For the first few weeks (sometimes months) after you stop nursing, you may still require the use of your breast pads to catch any leaks.
4. Smaller boobs (or boob)
While your boobs may have gone up a cup size (or two) when you were feeding, they’ll start shrinking back to their former size once all that milk is gone… sometimes ending up smaller than what you started off with. And while your breasts are the same size to begin with, after nursing, their size difference may become even more noticeable.