Your breasts

It doesn’t matter how small or large your breasts are – they’re designed for breastfeeding your baby and you can rest assured that they’ll be able to do the job they were intended for. Women with bigger breasts have more fatty tissue inside their breasts but fat has nothing to do with breastfeeding!

Anatomically speaking, all lactating breasts operate in the same way: milk-producing cells create breast milk and this is stored in sacs called alveoli. These sacs feed into ducts (each woman has around 20 of these) that open into the nipple area and squeeze milk out when your baby sucks.

During pregnancy, it is likely that your breasts underwent some changes. The darker areas of skin immediately surrounding your nipples (the areolae) containing the Montgomery glands (small bumps) and hair follicles, may well have deepened in color, and hair may have become more noticeable around your nipples. You may also have noticed prominent blue veins appearing under the surface of the skin on your breasts. These changes were all connected with the job your breasts are ready, willing and able to do once your baby is born – feed her!

If you choose to breastfeed your baby, you can be sure she’ll be receiving all the nourishment she needs to grow and thrive during the first six months of her life. Your breast milk also provides her with your own vital antibodies and additional protection against a range of illnesses, including allergies, eczema, diarrhea and vomiting and ear infections, to name but a few. Breastfed children are also less likely to be obese and have higher than average IQ scores. And breastfeeding is good for you too – it helps you shed pregnancy pounds and reduces your risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. And all at no cost!

If you have any unanswered questions, use the feeding and food or mom health areas of our answers page to get advice from other moms or our resident experts.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.