Can You Breastfeed With Implants?

If you've had breast implants or are considering having this type of breast surgery, you may wonder if you'll still be able to breastfeed. The short answer is yes. Most people with implants can nurse.

Milk production happens in tiny sacs called alveoli. The milk travels through the ducts to the nipple. The entire process is called lactation. Most of the time, implants go under the chest muscle, so they don't interfere with this process.

There are some exceptions, though. Some people with implants produce only a partial milk supply, and others cannot breastfeed at all. Various factors, including the specific type of surgery, can affect breastfeeding.

This article discusses how implants may affect nursing and how breastfeeding may affect implants. Breastfeeding is also called nursing or chestfeeding (a gender-neutral term).

When Breastfeeding With Implants Is Safe

People with breast implants breastfeed or chestfeed at a lower rate than those without implants. But it appears to be safe to breastfeed after breast augmentation, whether your implants are saline or silicone.

There are no established methods of checking the level of silicone in breast milk. However, there's no evidence that silicone from implants leaks into breast milk. There isn't much research on the matter, but a few studies found no higher risk of congenital (present at birth) disorders in children born to a person who had implants.

Neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nor the American Academy of Pediatrics include implants on their list of contraindications to breastfeeding or feeding expressed breast milk to infants.

What About Breastfeeding After a Breast Lift or Reduction?

Any surgery that involves cutting milk ducts and nerves or detaching the nipple and areola can affect milk supply. That includes breast lifts and reductions. The length, depth, and location of surgical incisions are factors.

Breast reduction surgery, which involves removing excess fat, glandular tissue, and skin, has more potential to impact milk supply.

Effect of Implants on Milk Supply 

Most people can produce some milk following breast surgery, although the surgical technique matters. Much depends on how many nerves and ducts it affects. In some cases, severed ducts eventually grow back together or form new pathways.

Breast surgery is more likely to affect milk production if you experienced:

• Incisions around the areola
• Techniques that involve detaching the areola and nipples
• Damage to ducts, glandular tissue, or nerves
• Complications of surgery, such as infection or capsular contracture (formation of scar tissue around the implant that creates a capsule)
• Presurgical problems, such as breast hypoplasia, a condition involving insufficient glandular tissue

If you have implants following mastectomy (breast removal), you may not be able to breastfeed. However, if you have one remaining breast, you can successfully breastfeed from it.

Breast Pump With Implants

Breast implants are made with strong materials, so there's no reason to believe that pumping will harm them. It can take some time to learn how to use a pump, and you may need to try several kinds to find the one that's right for you.

If you're concerned about pumping with implants, you may want to speak with a healthcare provider or lactation consultant.

Potential Risks of Breastfeeding With Implants

Most people with breast implants can breastfeed without complications. Of course, you can still develop common lactation challenges unrelated to implants, such as:

• Low milk production
• Sore or cracked nipples
• Engorgement
• Plugged milk ducts
• Breast infection (mastitis)
• Flat, inverted, or very large nipples
  

Does Breastfeeding Alter the Look of Implants?

You may have concerns about sagging or drooping after breastfeeding. One study showed that people with implants had the same amount of sagging or drooping after pregnancy whether they nursed their child or didn't.

Sagging and drooping tend to increase with each pregnancy, regardless of whether a person has implants. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends waiting for breast rejuvenation surgery (breast lift or implants) until a person has had all anticipated pregnancies and completed breastfeeding.

Summary 

If you have breast implants, there's a good chance you can still breastfeed or chestfeed. Much depends on the specific type of surgery you had and where the surgeon made incisions. Cutting into milk ducts or nerves can interfere with the process of lactation. So can the placement of implants above the chest muscle rather than under the muscle.

Breastfeeding shouldn't affect your implants. You are likely to have the same amount of sagging whether you breastfeed or don't after giving birth. Breastfeeding with implants is not dangerous for you or your baby.

Of course, you may have some of the same challenges and potential side effects as anyone who breastfeeds. You may be able to resolve most issues by speaking with a healthcare professional or lactation consultant.