Does Breast Feeding Change Breast Size?

Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in a
woman’s body. These changes are especially noticeable in a woman’s breasts,
where the changing hormonal environment of pregnancy has a profound impact.
During pregnancy, breast size increases in response to these hormonal changes. A variety of studies have shown that breast feeding
doesn’t actually increase breast size but instead stimulates breast milk
production which prevents the breasts from returning to their new baseline. The
sooner patients stop breast feeding, the sooner these changes take place. This
new baseline may include smaller breasts and associated breast sag.Breast feeding has significant advantages for the
newborn child and helps the developing relationship between the mother and
child. For these reasons, it’s not unreasonable for women to breastfeed. The
changes that occur following pregnancy are usually related to the pregnancy,
not the act of breast feeding. Most of the changes that have occurred following
pregnancy would have occurred without breast feeding and are related to the
pregnancy itself. It’s not unusual for women to be concerned about the
appearance of their breasts following surgery. When this situation arises
multiple treatment options are available to address these concerns. For this
reason, it’s important to continue to consult with your plastic surgeon.

There are many studies that show how beneficial breast feeding is for babies vs not breast feeding. I would encourage you to put the benefits of breastfeeding for your child ahead of the benefits of the aesthetic shape of your body first. It is normal for the breasts to become larger during pregnancy. If you breast feed your breasts will stay larger longer. Once you top breast feeding your breasts will cease to be engorged with breast milk and return to a smaller size. 

Thank you for your question.  Pregnancy can definitely affect a woman's breast size and body, whether or not you decide to breast feed.  The hormonal changes associated with pregnancy lead to rapid engorgement of breast and fatty tissue in some women and then subsequent atrophy following pregnancy and the cessation of breast feeding.  For these reasons, the changes in size and shape of a woman's breast following a pregnancy are a result of the pregnancy hormone environment and not usually the act of breast feeding.  With that said, some studies have suggested that breast feeding may prevent the breasts from returning to their pre-pregnancy selves but each patient is different and it is too variable to predict how either a pregnancy or the act of breastfeeding will affect a patients breasts.  I hope you find this helpful.