Breast in pregnancy: how it changes from the first weeks until breastfeeding
Pregnancy breasts change from the first few weeks to prepare for breastfeeding once your baby is born. In fact, breasts have been constantly changing since puberty, when hormones cause them to develop. After puberty it may appear that breasts is fully developed, but it is not: every menstruation only adds a little tissue that will be used to produce breast milk, and this at least up to 35 years of age.
Starting from that age, the breasts reach their own equilibrium, while continuing to renew their cells with each cycle, when it is normal to feel a little pain or swelling in that area. The breasts, with each menstruation, prepares for a possible pregnancy!
And it is during pregnancy that the breast changes most evidently, until delivery and after. Increase in volume, evolution of the milk ducts, change in the nipples and much more: let's discover together how your breasts change during pregnancy, from trimester to trimester and until breastfeeding. Meanwhile, if you are preparing for this moment, here is to you a video explaining the benefits of breastfeeding:
How does the breast change in pregnancy
After the first few weeks of pregnancy, from the end of the first month, your breasts begin to change in order to prepare to produce milk for your baby. The milk ducts, also called milk cells because they are intended to carry the mother's milk, increase both in number and in complexity, in order to make the feeding of the future baby more effective.
At the same time, the so-called "lactocytes", which are used to produce breast milk, begin to develop. For all this to be possible, blood flow inside the breast - during pregnancy - will increase considerably, and this is the reason why the veins under the skin may become more evident.
During pregnancy, then, ducts and alveoli will form, small sacs that will serve to contain the milk itself. All this movement and these transformations will inevitably have symptoms that the mother will experience such as breast pain, itching, swelling (larger breasts), which - not surprisingly - represent some of the most well-known symptoms of pregnancy.
Breast in pregnancy: how it changes from the first weeks to the last trimester
From the first weeks of pregnancy, the first changes in the breast are already felt, which often - as anticipated - represent some of the first and best known symptoms of the same pregnancy. The nipple and breasts become softer and more sensitive, while for some women the first pains begin, which in most cases subside after the first trimester. But always remember that every woman is different! The increase in the volume of the breast can occur very quickly or more gradually and, even in this case, timing and volume vary a lot from mother to mother. Usually, at the time of delivery, the breast will be about one and a half in size. more than your original size.
In the second quarter, starting from the fifteenth week, the lactocytes will be activated which, from the twenty-second week, will begin to produce milk. Breast milk will be largely reabsorbed by the body and hormones will prevent it from escaping. The nipple at this stage is larger and darker, as are the areolas, making cocoons and enlargements more evident. These are the so-called "Montgomery tubercles", which are used to produce an oil capable of protecting the woman from the pains of pregnancy and infections when breastfeeding begins.
During the third and final trimester of pregnancy, it is normal to experience more pain in the breasts, which have become heavier due to the inevitable increase in volume. Your breasts will need a bra one or two sizes larger than yours, and it is Probably your ribcage has also increased its circumference. Your breasts are now full of breast milk, and for this reason a few liquid and sticky drops of colostrum, the first breast milk, may fall from the nipple. it is quite common for this to happen, but it can happen as early as the fourteenth week.
How to keep your breasts beautiful and healthy during pregnancy
In order for your breasts to remain beautiful and healthy, it is important to choose the right bra. It will be better to use a specific one for pregnancy, which gives adequate support and which maybe can adapt to the various changes that the breast will undergo for nine months without having to change it continuously following the increase in volume.
In order for the skin of the breast to maintain its elasticity, it is good to apply a specific cream against stretch marks every day, in order to strengthen and hydrate to the fullest. Don't forget to massage it on your nipple too, pulling it out with your fingers if necessary!
A little training may also be useful: with some specific exercises for the pectorals you can keep in shape the abdominal muscles that are used to keep the breasts up.
Finally, it is good to remember that prevention for breast cancer should never be neglected: always remember to do a breast ultrasound before conception, if you are looking for a child, and after the end of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding, among its many benefits for mother and baby, also has that of preventing the risk of breast cancer.
