Nursing After the Knife

Can you breastfeed if you've had cosmetic or other breast surgery?

But cosmetic breast surgeries aren't the only type that can have an impact on breastfeeding; women who have undergone surgical biopsies may also experience complications. "There's a nerve that's critical to the letdown reflex located on the lower side of the breast," says Diana West, author of Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction Surgery (La Leche League International, 2001). If an incision was made on or near the lower part of the areola (the dark area surrounding the nipple), it could have severed this nerve--although West points out that the nerve generally repairs itself within five years. (When sensitivity in the area returns to normal, it's a good indication that all's well.) As for incisions made on the upper half of the areola, horizontal cuts carry a greater risk of ductal damage than vertical cuts. The higher the incision, the better--regardless of the direction of the incision.

The bottom line: Don't make any assumptions. "I've seen women who have had several breast surgeries nurse with no problems whatsoever, and women with no history of surgery have a really difficult time," says lactation consultant Wendy Haldeman, R.N., C.L.C., co-owner of the Pump Station stores in Hollywood and Santa Monica, Calif. Regardless, if you're considering breast surgery for cosmetic purposes, waiting until you've finished nursing is probably the safest bet.