Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cocreator and star Rachel Bloom revealed on social media that she recently underwent breast-reduction surgery. The “Heavy Boobs” singer shared that her breasts had changed and become more uncomfortable after pregnancy and breastfeeding, but she’s already feeling better after the surgery.
“I did it!” Bloom began her Instagram post. “Context: Before pregnancy, I hadn’t ever craved a breast reduction. I was pretty happy with where my body was at. I mean, at times, my DD/DDD boobs (size dependent on time of month) were annoying and sweaty (and yes, heavy), but I was lucky to never really experience major physical discomfort from them.”
But after pregnancy, Bloom said, she felt differently. “I got pregnant and grew very quickly from a DD/DDD to a size G. Then, after breastfeeding, their entire texture changed; they got super super soft, which is a thing that pregnancy/breastfeeding does that no one really tells you about,” she explained in the caption alongside pre- and post-operative selfies.
Bloom also said that she began to notice new types of discomfort related to her breast changes: “I started to get underboob rashes, shoulder grooving (when your bra strap digs into your skin), neck issues, and night sweats (I couldn’t fall asleep unless I had a pillow in BETWEEN my breasts).”
After meeting with three doctors, Bloom decided to go ahead and get breast-reduction surgery. “My request was to just go back my pre-pregnancy size (if not maybe a little bit smaller),” she said.
One of the more common medical reasons to undergo breast-reduction surgery is to relieve neck, back, and shoulder pain caused by large, heavy, “pendulous” breasts. (And yes, your breasts can grow during and after pregnancy—and keep growing during breastfeeding. But not everyone experiences the same size increase.) The surgery itself typically involves opening the breast up, removing the necessary tissue, and then closing and essentially reconstructing the shape of the breast. For most people who get this type of surgery, depending on the exact technique the surgeon uses, they can expect to end up with two or three scars.
Many patients will begin to feel some relief from their back, neck, and shoulder pain almost immediately after having the surgery. But recovery does tend to come with moderate swelling and discomfort, and patients are typically told to avoid lifting as well as certain upper body movements for a few weeks while healing.
So far, Bloom said, she is still recovering but already feels better. “I’m still healing so we’ll see what happens. But I already feel more comfortable and relieved,” she wrote. “Lesson/conclusion/stunning revelation from this experience TBD?!”
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- Before Breast Reduction Surgery, Amber Rose Says It Felt Like ‘I Had a Heavy Backpack on My Chest’
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