Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

There's not much natural support.

"You sacrificed your boobs, you know." I've been told that a few times since becoming a mother. My fellow residents are the only ones to say it that way. As doctors, we've seen a lot of boobies and the saggy grandmas leave an indelible impression that makes many hesitant to have kids and breastfeed.

The only thing keeping the breast suspended are Ligaments of Cooper that are very, very fine elastic fibers. With time and strain they can give out and cause, what we call, "T4* to the floor."

I'm a big supporter of breastfeeding, but I also don't want to carefully maneuver my cane around my boobs one day. So I take the following steps to fight the good fight against the sag.

• Rotate bras.
  If you wear the same bra all the time, it loses its support. Also, I invest in the good stuff.
  
• Wear a sleep bra at night.
  It doesn't have a strong hold, but it's better than nothing.
  
• Use the side-lying position for feeding.
  
• If I do breastfeed upright, I bring my baby to my boob and not the other way around.
  
• Pump before I get engorged.
  
• Not dance like this (courtesy of my friend, Brenda).

*T4 is the spinal cord level that innervates sensation in the nipple.