There is no way you can fully prepare for the weird ways your body changes after pregnancy and childbirth. Your shoe size goes up, hips settle a little wider and hair turns curly. The possibilities are endless and motherhood doesn't even spare your breasts too.  To ensure that you don't get a surprise added to the long list of stressors that come with new motherhood, we listed out a few major ways your breasts change after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

1. Your Pregnancy Breasts Deflate Like Balloons

The oestrogen enlarging your milk ducts makes your breasts grow during pregnancy but when you stop breastfeeding or choose to not feed, your breasts can shrink as well as sag. So don't worry if you have gone a few cup sizes higher during pregnancy. How To Get Pregnant: 7 Things That Will Help You Conceive Faster.

2. Your Breasts Become Uneven

Your breasts can become lopsided during breastfeeding especially when one breast is expressing milk more frequently than the other. If you had uneven breasts, they might get even more lopsided during and after pregnancy as the one with less breast tissue is more susceptible to extra hormones.

3. You Get A Few Pesky Nipple Hair

Due to all the fluctuation in hormones, one or two nipple hair may make an unexpected appearance. You don't have to break your head as they go off once your body goes back to normal hormonal levels. Planning for a Baby? Here’s How You Can Plan a Healthy Pregnancy.

4. Your Nipples Become Cracked and Painful

While most changes in your breasts are pretty harmless, cracked nipples can make you cry out of pain and discomfort. Constant breastfeeding can cause your nipples to dry out and crack which might get worse due to all the chafing from your bra. Nipple cream can be your saviour so apply it from day one.

5. The Veins Get More Visible

Don't be surprised to see your veins protruding out from your breasts. They are not extra veins that popped up during pregnancy, they are simply your breast veins that have become more visible due to all the increased blood flow pregnancy. High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment of Preeclampsia or Toxaemia. 

6. Your Breasts Swell

Your post-baby breasts might feel swollen and sore the first few days after having a baby as they begin to swell with milk. And irrespective of whether you choose to breastfeed or not, you cannot stop your breasts from making milk. This, in turn, can sometimes lead to painful breast engorgement.

Lastly, it is no secret that your breast changes in shape and size after pregnancy. What you may not know is that your breasts can either get bigger or smaller after pregnancy. The change in the size of your breasts is determined by factors including genetics, body fat, and age.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2019 11:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).