What happens to your breasts if you chose not to breastfeed?

Carly Y: What happens to your breasts if you chose not to breastfeed?
I have heard that if you chose not to breastfeed, that your breasts have to “dry up” which as I have only hears, is “the most painful thing ever”. If I chose to use only formula, what will happen to my breasts after birth and so on? How long does it take this “drying up” to do? Will be breasts go back to the cup size they were pre-pregnancy? Or will they be smaller or larger than pre-pregnancy? How long will they hurt for?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Dude
they get bigger and bigger and bigger, so I’ve heard.

Answer by Majdesty
lol i am a guy but i do know some things
your breast will never be like before, they will be less firm, becuase of the baby, and more saggy 🙁
from marriage on, your body will get worse:(

if you dont breast feed well they will be more firm etc

Answer by Namaste
I have two children and didn’t breastfeed either on. It just wasn’t something I was comfortable or confident with. I don’t recall having any issues with it. There was no overwhelming pain or anything.

Answer by AiDYN[[9.26.08]]
I don’t really remember the whole drying up part, but I do know my boobs are smaller now than they used to be.

Of course, the state of your breasts should not really be considered when deciding whether to breastfeed or bottle feed.

Answer by ஐ.*.Baby Hannah born 3/17/10.*.ஐ
You will experience engorgement which is the painful part. Express the milk to relieve pressure. Your milk will dry up within 1-2 weeks and your breasts will go back to the way they were pre-prego. check out kellymom.com for more answers if you have more questions.

Answer by Jayden 1/7/10
I am a breast feeding mother, and I have to say breast feeding is the best thing I ever decided to do! I am 17 and a full time student. And when I’m not with my son I pump, which if you get a the medala harmony hand pump it doesn’t hurt at all, its like 30 dollars at target. And with breast feeding it only hurts for 2 weeks max, because the nipples have to toughen up, but you can put lanolin cream on them before the baby is born to help with that. Also, think about the cost of formula, its not cheep! and breast milk is free! and convenient because in the middle of the night you don’t have to heat up a bottle, the milk is already set and perfect for the baby and its better on the baby’s tummy.

The milk comes in whether you want it to or not, so why waste it? But if you don’t want to breast feed engorgement is the WORST thing in the WORLD! it hurts and the only way to relieve it is to either pump or feed the baby. And when the breasts become engorged you risk getting mastitis which is even worse, trust me i had it, and it takes about 3+ days for the milk to dry up, so that’s 3+ days of your breasts leaking and hurting like hell. Take my advice and breast feed, it is less painful and so much better for the baby. And hey if you get wic you can get a free hand pump with a dr note.

And If your breasts got bigger during pregnancy they wont get smaller or go back to normal, only a very tiny percent of people’s breasts go back to normal.

Good Luck!

Answer by eloquent
they stay in the same place. over time, the pregnancy hormones caused a weakening in the elasticity of the skin -switch to a bra with more support if it bothers you. breasts are usually fat tissue, so maintain a healthy BMI.

Answer by Madisons Mommy !!!!!!!
i was a 38c before my pregnancy im now a 38dd , which is huge and no fun , lol, but my breasts got bigger with my pregnancy and have actually stayed the same as they were in pregnancy, so now i need all new bras , , and i also tried breats feeding wish i could have done it longer but chose to formula feed with similac which is just as good my baby girl still gets what she needs , so dont feel pressured by women that breastfeed and look down upon bottled fed babies , these women have no idea of why you choose the desicion you made , you just do whatever is comfortable for you its no one elses business but yours , you wil still have a beautiful bond with this baby no matter if on bottle or breast .
Also im 6 weeks post partum and my breasts still leak every now and then they havent completely dried up and i never had any issues with painful engorgment so it may vary for different women , but good luck and just enjoy that baby , my sweet little girl is 6 weeks and it flys by so fast so enjoy !!!!