Lactating Breast Anatomy
During pregnancy your body is changing to give birth to your baby. In addition, during this time your breasts are changing, getting ready to feed your baby after it is born. Knowing the anatomy of your breast while you are lactating will help you understand how milk moves through the breast to feed your baby.
Fat Cells
The female breast is partially made of fat tissue. The fat cells can increase in size as you gain weight during your pregnancy.
Ligaments
As your breasts get heavier during pregnancy and lactation, the Cooper's ligaments attach the breast to the chest wall.
Mammary Glands
The breast contains mammary glands, also called lobules, that hold the milk. These glands are deep within the breast. While you are lactating, these glands increase in size making your breasts larger as they fill with milk. Each of these glands is surrounded by fat tissue.
Milk Ducts
The milk travels from the mammary gland through a web of milk ducts to the nipple. There can be as many as 29 milk ducts in each breast. All of the ducts narrow down and join into one main milk duct above the nipple, according to Springerlink.com.
Sinus Area
Just underneath the nipple is a sinus area where the milk is collected before leaving through the holes in the nipple. Women have varying amounts of small holes on their nipple where the milk is dispersed as the baby sucks.
Tags: your baby, your breasts, Breast Anatomy, feed your, feed your baby
