Is it better to wait until after having children?

Question:

I am 32 and would like to get breast implants, however, I do plan to have children within the next few years. I have heard that implants should not affect breastfeeding but will having children affect the look of my augmented breasts? Is it better to wait until after having children?

Answer:

Many patients choose to have implants before having children. Breastfeeding should not be affected by having implants. The implants do sometimes stretch and compress the breast tissue but the anatomy remains the same and therefore if a patient with implants gets pregnant, she should still be able to produce milk and breastfeed, however, some times she may not be able to exclusively breastfeed and may have to supplement with formula. Having children and getting pregnant can affect the look of augmented breasts because, of course, with pregnancy the breasts will become engorged normally but if a woman maintains a normal weight gain of 25-30 pounds with pregnancy, the breasts should return to the pre-pregnancy state. If the breasts become significantly engorged or there is a significant amount of weight gain with the pregnancy, then it is possible that the breasts might droop slightly over the implants after the pregnancy. So while it is sometimes better to wait until after childbearing, the most important thing is to maintain a normal weight gain during pregnancy and there should not be any major issues with the augmented breasts after that.