Pregnancy Breast Tenderness

Breast tenderness is actually one of the first signs that a woman is pregnant. Beginning four to six weeks into the pregnancy, sore breasts can be an indicator before a woman has taken a pregnancy test, and well before she has experienced any other signs such as nausea. Pregnancy breast tenderness is something a woman’s body will go through during the course of her first, second and third trimesters. Some women’s breasts will become very sore, swollen or tender, while others only notice minor changes. What expecting mothers will certainly notice is a change in the size of their breasts. Later in pregnancy breasts may feel heavy with a tingling sensation in the nipples. As your body prepares to breastfeed your baby, your breasts will typically increase by at least one cup size. All of these changes are perfectly normal and you should do as much as possible to make yourself comfortable by supporting your breasts with a good maternity bra, which will also help your breasts retain their shape after delivery. Once you begin breastfeeding it’s likely you will experience soreness in your breasts to some degree, again, this varies and doesn’t mean you should stop breastfeeding. It might sound odd if you have very sore breasts during pregnancy, but some women do like the changes to their breasts and are disappointed when these new, larger breasts return to their original size after pregnancy!