Can I make enough milk for my baby after breast surgery? 

Often the answer is yes, but there are some things to keep in mind.  Over the years, breast augmentation surgery has become more common, and I have had more new moms asking about how their surgery will affect their attempts to breastfeed.  Generally speaking, if the implant is behind the muscle and the surgery was five or more years ago you will probably produce enough milk to feed your baby breast milk exclusively.

If the augmentation was performed for a medical reason, such as asymmetric breasts, tubular breasts, or insufficient glandular breast tissue, you may not be able to make enough milk for your baby. In this case, the ability to make milk is not affected by the surgery, but by an underlying medical issue.

The type of breast augmentation surgery also may affect your ability to produce milk.  Typically, if you have feeling in your nipples and can sense temperature change, then you will probably make enough milk to feed your little one.

However, if you had a chest tube at any point in your life, even as an infant, there may be damage to the 4th intercostal nerve and in that case, the brain doesn’t get the signals that it needs to continue to make milk.  Your milk will come in after you give birth, but your supply will likely diminish over time. 

If you had reduction surgery, find out where the incisions were made and how much tissue was removed.  Most of the time, the breast isn’t reduced by more than two cup sizes so there isn’t enough damage to the ducts and glands to cause a problem with milk production.  Again, if you have feeling in your nipples you will likely have no problem. 

The best thing to do in either case is to give breastfeeding a try.  Even if you don’t make a full milk supply, giving your newborn some breast milk mixed with formula will benefit her.  It will keep your baby from getting constipated and give her those vital living cells that formula can’t reproduce.