The Cleavage Countdown: 8 Facts About Breasts

Sagging Breasts

Bigger boobs are arguably one of the more appealing body changes of motherhood. But what happens when those hormone and milk-swelled breasts deflate once breast-feeding stops? Sagging breasts, or breast ptosis, for life? Turns out, pregnancy may weigh on a woman’s boobs more than breast-feeding.

As a pregnant woman’s breasts grow fuller and heavier, the ligaments and skin that support breasts stretch. When breasts shrink after delivery, these supports may not snap back to their former shape. Certain factors can make pregnancy’s toll on breast firmness even worse. For instance, the older a woman is and the more pregnancies she’s had, the more her breasts are likely to shrink. Smoking, too, can be a breast downer, as it breaks down a protein that gives skin (and breasts) its youthful elasticity. .

“Women may be reluctant to breastfeed because of this unfounded myth that doing so means the end of youthful breasts,” University of Kentucky plastic surgeon and researcher Brian Rinker told LiveScience sister site Life’s Little Mysteries in 2010. “Now, expectant mothers can relax knowing breastfeeding does not sacrifice the appearance of their breasts.”