|
Some women don't like the idea of breast feeding because they think it'll play havoc with their breasts and consequently their attractiveness. But an Italian study showed there were no differences in breast changes between non breast feeding mothers and those who did breast feed Some women don't like the idea of breast feeding because they think it'll play havoc with their breasts and consequently their attractiveness. But is this fear soundly based? The nation which arguably has the most intense interest in women's breasts is Italy - so where better to study this important question? Researchers in Naples had already found that one in three high school students thought breastfeeding disfigures breasts, so next they interviewed 500 first time mothers with children aged between one and two years. Thirty percent never breastfed. About a quarter breastfed up to three months and just under a half breastfed for more than three months. Nine months was the limit. Most mothers said there'd been a change in their breasts such as being bigger or less firm. A smaller proportion said they had stretch marks or were smaller. When the researchers allowed for factors like cup size before pregnancy and weight gain during pregnancy, there were no differences in perceived breast changes between non breast feeding mothers and those who did breast feed regardless of how long. It's not that the breasts didn't change, it's just that it appeared to have nothing to do with infant feeding. Trust the Italians.
|
