It is logical to think that women with big breasts will produce more milk than those with small breasts. However, it has been shown that breast size has nothing to do with the amount of milk produced. The size of your breasts is a function of the quantity of fatty tissue present in them and does not necessarily reflect their capacity for milk production.

Where is milk produced?

Milk is produced from a tiny structure in the breast named alveoli. The alveoli also help in milk storage after production. A group of these alveoli make a lobule, which are connected to the nipples via milk ducts. These milk ducts (or channels), embedded in the tissue of the breast, transport the milk produced and stored in the alveoli to the nipple, to be let out from there as the baby sucks the breast.

What determines the amount of breast milk produced?

The quantity of milk produced by your breasts depends on:

1. The quantity of glandular tissues (alveoli) in the breasts – The higher the quantity of glandular tissue in the breast, the higher the milk produced. This glandular tissue varies in quantity from one woman to another and it is independent on the size of the breasts.
2. Demand – Milk production is also affected by demand. The more the baby sucks the breasts, the higher the quantity of milk produced; the less the baby sucks, the less the quantity of milk produced. This is a positive reflex mechanism.
3. Latching – This refers to how a baby attaches its mouth to the mother’s nipple and areola for effective breastfeeding. Proper latching involves the baby’s mouth covering both the nipple and areola, not nipple alone. With this, the baby receives sufficient milk and the mother avoids injury to the nipple. Proper latching thus enhance milk production.
4. Mother’s emotional state – When a breastfeeding woman is stressed up, depressed or in a bad mood, these emotional states reduce breast milk production, as the stress influences the hormones that control milk production.
5. Medication – Certain medications can reduce (e.g. bromocriptine, steroids) or increase (e.g. domperidone, metoclopramide) milk production.
6. Breast discomfort – Breast or nipple pain can reduce breast milk production by influencing the hormones controlling milk production
7. Hormonal factor – Breast milk production is controlled by certain hormones. Some hormone disorders affect the ability of the breasts to produce milk.
8. Breast glandular development – Breasts with inadequate glandular tissues may not produce adequate quantity of milk for baby feeding even if it is large in size.