Accepting changes you don’t want: Post bariatric boobs

Enormous physical changes are part and parcel of going through bariatric surgery. Some of these are very welcome like smaller bits of yourself, oh hey hipbones! Others are less desired like tiny boobs. One thing I say over and over is not to have too many expectations before bariatric surgery in terms of how your body may look afterwards because it’s very likely you will end up disappointed. This post is mainly for you ladies out there but anyone can read this, just think of it in a more generalised context.

One thing that seems to vary wildly in terms of their shrinking abilities and end result is our boobs. What does seem to be quite common in women who have been bigger is that our boobs tended to be one of the parts of ourselves we actually liked. In spite of not having a waist or fitting conventional beauty standards (which in my mind can just go jump off a cliff anyway) many of us tend to cling to our boobs and tie up our feminine identity with them. I did used to feel that they were basically all I had.

The higher you get the further the fall right? I had always been a DD or E cup and when I was pregnant and breastfeeding my son my boobs got up to a G cup (for gigantic by the way!) As they were one of the only things I liked about myself I would often centre outfits around them and quite often they were the focal point. If I drew attention to my huge (and rather nice) boobs people wouldn’t notice that I was fat right?

How the mighty have fallen. I am now a whopping A cup, I’m not freaking kidding, A for amateur. Not only am I an A cup but to add insult to injury they are a saggy, baggy mess. Imagine a tennis ball in the bottom of a tube sock, that’s basically the situation down there. I can quite literally roll them up like a chocolate log to get them into my bra. It’s hard when you first realise that one of your favourite body parts has literally shrunk away to nothing.

I had bra fittings done a few times on my way down and generally followed them but the last one I had done has taken me a very long time to accept. I have had a couple of fittings and have been told I am a size 14 A bra size a couple of times but I decided to compromise and go for a 12 B. First of all, since I have many size 8 tops I refused to believe I was a size 14 band and I was resolute that I was not and would never be an A cup. After a while of wearing the wrong size bra, I could fit half my fist in the cup with my rolled up boob, I finally decided I would bite the bullet and just go with what I have been told more than once.

I have finally come to the conclusion that clothing sizes are seriously messed up and that I have a big ribcage. A couple of weeks ago I bought two dresses from the same shop, one a size 12 and one a size 8. Like really? I also figured out that if I went for the correct band size I wouldn’t have as much loose skin falling out over the top of the band because it wouldn’t be so tight and helping everything to relocate.

And the A cup size, it is what it is. Did I ever think I would be an A cup size? NO, but you know what I always used to look at the tiny sizes at the front and think how cute they were before pulling out a gigantic size from the back of the rack that was a bit less cute, so maybe this was always where I was meant to end up. I can tell you that a correct fitting bra makes such a difference and at least I can fill an A cup. I’ve decided to change my mindset and A is now for awesome! My body didn’t do what I thought it would and what I wanted it to but overall everything is for the better.

The advantages of small boobs are that I don’t have to go up one or two sizes in tops just to fit them in. It’s the same with dresses I don’t struggle so much to find ones that fit my funny proportions. I don’t worry about them getting in the way and lying on my tummy is far more comfy now. Bra shopping is still as hit and miss as it ever was but I think there’s a rule that whatever size you’re looking for the shop will have precisely two of them in stock. I don’t have to rely on bra extenders now and I can find correct size bras to buy off the shelf!

This question is for the girls, did things work out how you wanted in the boob department? Have you been left with too much, too little or just the right amount? Comment below and let me know, I hope you were luckier than me!