I recently received the following question from a young mother who had just weaned her first child. I hope other mothers who have had similar experiences will share their thoughts.

“It was difficult to let go of the idea that I would no longer breastfeed my daughter for I loved every minute of it. I was very proud of my accomplishment. Although, now I am faced with an entirely different physical and emotional dilemma.

It’s my breasts. They seem to have gone into shock and shriveled up. I have become very insecure about the way they look. I wear a bra when I swim, and I refuse to accept that my breasts will remain this size. I have refused to buy smaller bras.

Before I got pregnant, my cup size was a small C, and now it is, at best, an A. I keep telling myself that they HAVE to come back, but the truth is that I am not so sure anymore, as I am not seeing any improvement.

I’ve been obsessing over it since my hubby pointed it out. I had hoped he wasn’t going to notice. I understand that the body changes after childbirth, and that most of the changes can be reversed with healthy eating and regular exercise. My breasts, however, are pockets of fat, so the only way I can think to get them back is to gain weight - something I don’t wish to do.

Please shine some of your much experienced light on my poor raisins. I have to get them back. Thank you so much.”

ANSWER - Many women find that their breasts get smaller after their babies are born. This can happen whether a mother chooses to breastfeed or not. These changes are most often caused by weight loss. The more weight you gain during pregnancy, the more your breasts will shrink or sag when the added pounds are lost. Even mothers who gain a modest amount of weight find that breast size and shape change after the weight is lost.

It would be wonderful if our breasts would stay the same and only our butt and thighs would shrink, but unfortunately when we lose body fat, we lose it everywhere. Other factors that cause our breasts to change are age and heredity. In other words, there are some changes that we can’t control despite our best efforts.

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise may increase muscle tone and improve the appearance of your breasts. In addition, gaining weight will increase breast size, but fat will be deposited in less desirable places as well. Sometimes we need to celebrate change, knowing it reflects a life lived.