Many women seek breast reduction surgery for a variety of reasons. For one, the weight of oversized breasts can cause pain in the head, neck, back and shoulders. Some women may also experience breathing and blood circulation problems.

Although this surgical procedure is very helpful, there are some risks that women may encounter with the reduction surgery. One of them is having difficulty when breastfeeding.

Surgeries involving the breasts – such as reduction, augmentation, lift and nipple surgeries – tend to affect the lactation capability of most mothers. However, it is still possible to produce some amount of milk.

There are so many issues concerning breastfeeding after breast or nipple surgery. Breast reduction is seldom an easy process for women who are willing to abandon breastfeeding in favor of formula feeding. However, if you are dedicated to provide the benefits of breastfeeding to your baby, there are other options and supplements you can use:

• Increase milk production. There is a variety of methods that can let mothers produce sufficient amounts of milk even after the surgery. These methods include pumping, breast compression and galactagogues (substances that increase milk production).

• Use at-breast supplementation products. These are containers that hang around the neck, with tubes that supply pumped milk or formula. This device can be effective, but may pose as a problem if the baby is not able to remove milk effectively.

• Use baby bottles to supplement. Choosing bottles does not impact breastfeeding in a negative way. There are mothers who have used bottles and have had successful breastfeeding experiences.

More importantly, successful breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery does not necessarily mean producing a continuous supply of milk. Rather, the successful is defined by the degree of satisfaction the mother and her baby get from the breastfeeding experience.

Each woman’s breastfeeding success varies – some may breastfeed successfully, while others may have to supplement the baby’s entire nutritionally requirements.