Tender Breasts During Pregnancy

"Whether your pregnancy was meticulously planned, medically coaxed, or happened by surprise, one thing is certain - your life will never be the same." ~ Catherine Jones

Pregnancy changes a lot of things for a woman, she is no longer a normal woman now, she is 'an expecting mother.' Not only does the outlook of people change towards you while you are pregnant, but your body also changes drastically. If you know that you are pregnant and are experiencing some unusual changes in your body, like frequent urination, mood swings and tenderness in the breasts, then do not worry at all. These are some of the very early pregnancy symptoms that a woman may experience even before missing a period. You may feel that your breasts have become extremely tender. Accompanied signs may include increased sensitivity, swelling and soreness in the breasts. The degree of all these depends upon the age and the number of times a woman has been pregnant before. If this is your first pregnancy, then it is likely for you to experience extreme tenderness in your breasts. Although, these symptoms become milder in nature in the following pregnancies.

Causes of Tender Breasts During Pregnancy

Giving birth to an all new life is a blessing in itself. There are many changes that a woman's body undergoes while she is preparing for that. This is the main cause of tender breasts during pregnancy. Your body needs to make some arrangements for catering to the needs of the baby growing within you. One of the ways of doing it is the increase in the levels of hormones in the body. These hormones, namely progesterone and estrogen increase drastically in the body, leading to increased blood flow in the breasts. It is due to this increased blood flow that your breasts become more sensitive and tender. Another reason behind tenderness and sensitivity in the breasts is the production of milk for the baby. The milk producing cells in the breasts cause the breasts to grow almost 2 cup sizes bigger than normal. This is because of the formation of the milk duct that causes the development of additional layers of fat under your breasts. All these reasons result in the increased tenderness, sensitivity, soreness, pain and swelling that you experience in your breasts during pregnancy. It is nothing but the response of the mammary ducts and the alveolar system in the body towards the drastically elevated levels of hormones.

Other Symptoms Accompanied with Tender Breasts During Pregnancy

Most women experience tender breasts during early pregnancy. In fact, some women have noticed tender breasts even before missed period. However, a majority of women experience changes in their breasts during the 4th week to 6th week after conception. Mentioned below are the changes that you may notice in your breasts during pregnancy.

• Increase in the size
• Darkening and enlargement of nipples and areolas, which is the dark surface surrounding your nipples.
• Hypersensitivity and tenderness.
• Pain while touching or moving the breasts.
• Visible veins in your breasts due to increase in the blood flow.
• Raised Montgomery's tubercles, which are the small glands present on the surface of your areolas.
• Leakage of the colostrum, also known as the pre-milk from the breasts. This yellowish liquid is the one that feeds your baby initially. This leakage may not occur with every woman though. Whether it happens or not, both the cases are absolutely normal.
• Burning sensation or tingling in the breasts, especially the nipples can also occur during pregnancy.

What Can be Done to Handle these Changes?

While the changes you are experiencing are inevitable and there is nothing you can do to stop, you can however adapt to these changes so that handling them becomes much easier. The first thing that you need to handle your hypersensitive breasts this time, is to get a comfortable bra. Make sure that you don't wear bras with under wires as they end up chafing your breasts and can clog the milk ducts as well as the blood supply. Instead, go for bras that are much more comfortable and can give your breasts some room for further growth. Yes, that is right. Your breasts tend to grow until after your pregnancy, so buying a cotton bra which is larger than your current size would be a good idea. In fact, your breasts can account for almost 1 to 3 pounds of the total weight gain you experience during pregnancy! You can also get a bra specifically designed for yourself from a maternity store.

Apart from getting a good maternity bra, another tip to reduce the swelling on your breasts is to take warm baths and let the warm water flow down your breasts. If you are experiencing a burning sensation, then applying cool cloth on the area would prove to be of help. Tender breasts during pregnancy can cause a lot of trouble and botheration, however, keeping in mind that these changes are only for the proper growth and development of your baby, all the discomfort is totally worth it! Take care of yourself and the little one inside you.