You can expect your nipples to return to their original size and color (likely lighter and smaller than when you were breastfeeding) and extra veins should disappear, says Kasper. All those stretch marks, however, are yours to keep, she adds.
Fortunately, within a few months postpartum, most nipples return to their original appearance.
1 Once breastfeeding has ended, the Montgomery glands usually shrink back down and the texture of the areola returns to its pre-pregnancy state.
They may also grow as your breasts expand with pregnancy weight gain. However, your areolae should get smaller again after your body stops producing milk or as your breasts get smaller.
Once your little one has weaned, your nipples and breasts may return to their previous size, and your body will absorb the remaining milk. Body weight is another factor that influences whether your breasts will return to their pre-breastfeeding size.
For women who don't choose to breastfeed, the color and size usually go back to normal fairly quickly because your body stops producing hormones. Breastfeeding moms will find that their nipples stay darker, longer, but begin to lighten once they stop.
After breastfeeding, both the fatty tissue and connective tissue in your breasts may shift. Your breasts may or may not return to their pre-breastfeeding size or shape. Some women's breasts stay large, and others shrink.
One lasting effect of breastfeeding is that your nipples might look droopy, or settle lower than they were before, after you stop breastfeeding. While you may not be entirely pleased with your new look, remember: You birthed and fed a baby!
Some people are simply born with big areolas, while others have smaller ones. Neither is an indication of any health concern. Areolas can also change in size as you age, gain or lose weight, or experience hormonal changes during puberty, periods, pregnancy, or menopause.
The truth is that breastfeeding doesn't affect breast shape or volume. Instead, the ligaments that support a woman's breasts stretch as breasts get heavier during pregnancy. After pregnancy, even if a woman doesn't breastfeed, this stretching of the ligaments might contribute to sagging breasts.
Your nipple should always come out of baby's mouth the same shape it went in, but, maybe a little elongated. You may find that pain in your nipple increases several seconds to a few minutes after the feed.
You will burn some stored body fat, but your body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding. Many women don't lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing.
Flat nipples are the second most common type of nipple, occurring in roughly 23% of people. 1 Some flat nipples will always remain flat, while others may become erect with cold temperatures, physical stimulation, or sexual arousal.
Thanks to biological and behavioral changes, it's totally normal to gain weight when you stop breastfeeding. "It's really common that women will stop breastfeeding and their weight goes up," G. Thomas Ruiz, M.D., an ob/gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF.
Both oxytocin and prolactin contribute to feelings of calm, love, relaxation, closeness and contentment. As breastfeeding ends, both prolactin and oxytocin levels will lower – and so may your mood and sense of wellbeing. It may last a few days, or it may go on for longer.
You Might Be Surprised By Your Emotions
Some mamas feel tearful, sad or mildly depressed after their baby is done nursing. Others may feel irritable, anxious or moody. Many feel a mix of emotions, such as relief, grief, and sadness about the loss of connection and those sweet feeding time snuggles.
Darker areolas during pregnancy will in most cases return to their original color after childbirth, although they will most likely stay dark as long as you are breast-feeding. For some women, the darkened skin is permanent.
Excessive breast stimulation, medication side effects or disorders of the pituitary gland all may contribute to galactorrhea. Often, galactorrhea results from increased levels of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production. Sometimes, the cause of galactorrhea can't be determined.
Once she stops expressing the milk, the breasts can stop lactating, till pregnancy happens once more. According to the medical practitioners at AMRI Hospitals, one of the best hospitals in Kolkata, a woman can produce breast milk for twenty, thirty or more years, as long as there is a constant need for it,.
It's not unusual for milky discharge to continue for up to two to three years after discontinuing breastfeeding and it typically affects both breasts.
These ligaments give your breast its shape, but the extra weight that breast milk adds to your breasts can pull and stretch your Cooper's ligaments. However, while wearing a bra may help, it cannot completely prevent sagging.