I have always been in pretty good health, so I was surprised one day when my doctor told me my blood pressure was a bit high. She told me to begin watching my salt intake, start exercising, and to try to relax. Well, I intended to follow her advice when I left her office, but the next day I was back to my same habits. I kept using the salt shaker and didn't begin an exercise routine like I had planned. When I went for my next check-up, she told me that my blood pressure was even higher and approaching a dangerous level. I had to begin a blood pressure medication to manage it. I wanted to create a blog to share my story and remind people to listen to their doctors' advice. If a few lifestyle changes can improve your health, then you should make them.
If you're a prospective mom looking into getting breast implants, you're probably concerned that the procedure may end your ability to breastfeed. This is not the case-- if you choose the right procedure and take some special care measures, you should be able to successfully breastfeed future children.
The Incision Site
Most of your success at breastfeeding hinges where the surgeon makes the incisions. Sometimes, the incision is made along the areola-- the dark circle around the nipple-- to hide the thin scar. However, cutting through this tissue can damage milk ducts and nerve endings. It will be more difficult for you to breastfeed successfully if the procedure involves this type of cut because:
Other breast augmentation procedures are a little more friendly to the existing structure of the breast. Your surgeon can make incisions below the breast, or near the armpit in order to preserve the nerves around the areola.
The Location Of The Implant
Tell your surgeon about your desire to breastfeed, and he will do as much as possible to preserve the function of both breasts by making sure the implant is placed in way that leaves milk ducts free. Some implants are placed in the actual breast, which causes the crowding mentioned earlier. However, other implants improve the size and shape of breast by creating space between the breast tissue and the chest. Your entire breast will sit in front of the implant, making it much less likely that you will have to deal with issues like crowded milk ducts.
The Quality Of Milk
Part of the reality of implants is that the implant in the breast may affect the flavor of the milk. Whether you have silicon or saline implants, you'll still be able to breastfeed, but both of the substances may leech into the milk. Doctors are not worried about saline, as salt water does not harm the baby, but some mothers may not like the idea. The FDA is still undecided on the safety of silicone, so you may want to choose saline if you are concerned.
The best way to avoid this problem, if you are worried about it, is to talk to the surgeon about placing the implant behind the full breast-- leeching becomes much less likely if the implant is not actually located within the tissue of the breast.
The Right Care
After your implants are in place, and your milk comes in for the first time, you can take special precautions to avoid infection and improve milk supply. Massage your breasts daily in order to prevent milk ducts from clogging. You can also stimulate the production of milk by hand expressing the milk into a container, or by using a breast pump between feedings.
You can still successfully breastfeed after breast augmentation, especially if you plan ahead and choose the right location for both the incision and the implant. Tell your surgeon about your future plans, so that both breastfeeding and natural-looking breasts can be your reality.
Share30 December 2014
