Do Implants Prevent Women From Breastfeeding?

Sept. 1, 2009 — -- Reality television star and former Playboy model Kendra Baskett always assumed that her breast implants that helped made her a star would prevent her from one of the joys of motherhood: breastfeeding.

But in a recent interview with US magazine, Baskett explained how she was pleasantly surprised when she learned that her fake breasts would not necessarily thwart her hopes of lactation.

"I was so scared that I wasn't going to be able to nurse that when I saw stuff come out of my nipples the other day, I was like, I can breastfeed?" Baskett, 24, told the magazine. "And I asked my doctor, who said, 'That's fine, but it's not milk yet!'"

TV Reality star Kourtney Kardashian, whose baby, like Baskett's, is due this December, said she also hopes to breastfeed despite having implants.

"They say usually you can [breast-feed with implants]. I want to," said Kardashian, 30.

Baskett and Kardashian are not alone in their skepticism about having implants and breast feeding, according to Dr. Stephen Greenberg, a board certified plastic surgeon and the author of the book "A Little Nip, a Little Tuck."

"Women with breast implants don't understand and think that they won't be able to breastfeed and are surprised when they realize they can," said Greenberg, who performs 15 breast augmentations a week.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation ranks as the No. 1 surgical cosmetic procedure in 2008 with 307,000 performed.

Greenberg said that quashing the myths surrounding breastfeeding is a "very common discussion."

"The overwhelming majority of women who have breast implants can breastfeed whether they're using silicone or saline implants," said Greenberg.