Sagging of the breast is physiological and breastfeeding is not one of the known causes, Dr Amma Benin, the Head of the Paediatric Department, International Maritime Hospital, has said.
“The sagging of the breast is physiological, so there are women who have never breastfed, yet they have their breast sagging. The most common cause is simply the passage of time,” she said.
Dr Benin explained that there are some women who even have their breasts sagging before they initiate breastfeeding, so breastfeeding was not going to facilitate the sagging of the breast.
Speaking on the topic: “Addressing the Health Needs of Children, Adolescents, and Women, a Sure Way to Building a Healthy Society,” she disputed the perception that breast milk alone did not satisfy babies.
“Breastfed babies grow beautifully, gain weight, urinate and pass stool regularly, an indication that the baby is getting enough milk.”
Dr Benin said this at the 16th Stakeholder Engagement of the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office to provide the platform for state and non-state actors to address topical issues.
She said the size of the breast did not affect breastfeeding, nor did it affect the production of milk, therefore, mothers with breastfeeding issues should report to the hospital for the needed examination.
Mothers who, for any reason, had to stop breastfeeding for some days, could avoid engorgement by expressing the milk and storing it in a fridge for four days or in a freezer for a year, Dr Benin said.
Answering a question on whether women with breast transplants could breastfeed, she explained that breastmilk was gotten from the ducts in the breast tissue, hence if there were implants obstructing the ducts then that mother would not be able to breastfeed.
She added that depending on the type of breast implant, the ducts could be blocked from producing milk.