34 Nipple

When I became pregnant with my first daughter in 1997, I was very happy with my size 34 B breasts. OK, I’ll be honest, they were a small 34 B, none-the-less that’s what it said right there on my bra. I’ve always had a certain confidence about my body despite its imperfections and contradictions to the popular belief that size matters. I found smaller breasts to be comfortable and even attractive. I’ll even go so far as to say that I find Pamela Anderson’s figure overwhelming and repulsive. Luckily I married a man that agrees with me. What’s the old saying? More than a handful is too much! Don’t be offended big-breasted ladies…you have enough cheerleaders in your corner. As many of you who have birthed children know, pregnancy and especially nursing can change our bodies. Women like myself (and our husbands) get the privilege of experiencing a fuller figure as our breasts fill with the liquid gold that gives our children nourishment. Of course, it’s accompanied by the ever so sexy leakage of breast milk and nursing pads…but who’s complaining? Then comes the day when we decide it’s time to pack up the breast pump, put away the nursing bra and let it all dry up. Among many emotions that accompany this decision (most of which are a totally separate topic) is the feeling of empowerment as we embark on reclaiming our bodies. We endure the agony of engorgement, mastitis and clogged tear ducts. We dig out our sultry 34 B’s (OK, our comfy granny garments) and wait. A couple of weeks go by, and we discover that we haven’t reclaimed our bodies at all. In my case, and I certainly hope I’m not alone, I seemed to have reclaimed my 14-year-old nieces body! Yes, it really does happen. I lost 1 full cup size. I went from a confidant 34 B in 1997 to a still confident but a little shocked, 34 A in 1998. I know what you are thinking and you are right. I was a small 34 A. Thanks for keeping me honest! I had 7 years to get acquainted with my new body and to re-introduce my husband to the girls. I must say we all remained one big (OK, small) happy family. No big deal, right? That’s what I thought until I found myself blessed with a second (surprise) pregnancy. You know the drill. Pregnancy and nursing equals growing anatomy (not just the boobs this time!) I plumped back up to a full 34 B and was thankful to have those old bras stashed in a storage box in the crawl space. I nursed my 2nd daughter for 19 months and I although I remembered what happened the first time; I really thought I had nowhere else to go. I convinced myself that I would have to remain the 34 small A woman I grew to love and accept. So, decision time came and I again endured engorgement, mastitis, clogged tear ducts and waited patiently to reclaim my body. Let me just say that waiting for me was no budding 16 year old chest! As I stood in front of the mirror I realized that this time I reclaimed the body of my 8 year old. There is just something wrong with the sight of a 35-year-old women shopping and FINDING the perfect new bra in the little girls section of Target. Yes, I am officially a 34 Nipple! No cup size necessary. Needless to say, I can’t afford another surprise pregnancy! As a Mother I have learned to roll with the punches and appreciate me for me. I hope you can do the same. Bra size, stretch marks, tribal boobs and the like may try their best to change who we are, but we have the ability to embrace our identity and hold on to the things that matter.