How to Decrease Breast Size After Baby Birth

Breast size increases immediately after giving birth, and breasts may remain larger for three months to a year or more, depending on how long you nurse your baby. Some women find that even after they have weaned their baby, their breasts are larger than they were before they got pregnant. For others, breasts are smaller and droopier. Because you cannot focus fat loss on specific areas of the body, including the breasts, breast size needs to be decreased with exercise and overall fat loss.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Prepare for breast engorgement two to three days after the baby is born. Breasts will get larger and will become full and heavy with milk. Breastfeed the baby or use a pump to expel the milk.

2. Breastfeed the baby regularly in the first days after engorgement to keep the swelling down. While breasts seem larger immediately after birth, and will remain full-looking while breastfeeding, for some women they will revert to their pre-pregnancy size after nursing.

3. Exercise 30 minutes per day after your doctor has given you the OK, to lose baby weight and accumulated fat, including fat in your breasts. Engage in cardiovascular exercises, including fast-paced walking, aerobics, biking or running.

4. Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy over full-fat dairy once you have stopped breast feeding. A low-fat diet should help you lose weight fat and decrease your breast size. Use an online calculator to determine your recommended daily fat intake (see Resources section).

5. Strength train with free weights or gym equipment, focusing on the pectoral muscles two or three times a week. Use the seated chest press, the seated incline chest press, the pectoral fly machine and the weight-assisted dip/chin machine. Use a setting that causes muscle fatigue, but not pain, after 12 repetitions. Work up to three sets of repetitions.

6. Add push-ups to your exercise routine to work the muscles under the breasts. Push-ups can be done in a modified position, on bent knees. Start with 5 or 10 a day and work up to 20 to 30 a day. Push-ups may be done anywhere and at anytime, including while your baby is napping.

Tips & Warnings

• Use ice packs to decrease pain associated with postpartum breast engorgement. Consider using a non-hormonal form of birth control to keep breasts from increasing beyond their normal size. Stay hydrated by drinking eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day. Wear bras with extra support to make you more comfortable.
• Accept that your breasts will not be exactly the same as they were before you got pregnant. Only consider surgical procedures if all other methods have failed or if back pain due to breast size is interfering with your quality of life.

Resources

• Fat Intake Calculator - University of Maryland Medical System
• Exercise and Weight Control -President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports on