A woman who says her 34H breasts were preventing her children from getting enough milk has gone under the knife to make them seven sizes smaller.
Elle Curtis, 40, has shared her story on how she is finally able to be herself after having breast reduction surgery.
Having turned down the surgery at age 22, the mum-of-three, ages 12, 8, and 6, was forced to give her babies formula as they couldn’t get the milk they needed.
The constant weight of the 34H breasts also caused severe pain in her neck and shoulders, leading to her decision to take the plunge and opt for surgery.
“I imagined having big boobs would supply endless amounts of milk for my babies, I was so wrong,” Elle, a pathology laboratory technician from Melbourne, Australia, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“My babies weren’t gaining weight and all three times, I made the hard decision to formula-feed after weeks of trying.”
Elle developed breasts when she was only 11 years old, being the first among her friends, and was continually bullied throughout school due to their large size.
“I was teased for my big boobs and I always felt like people were always looking at my chest, rather than my eyes”
“I experienced this my whole life, from men and boys, in particular.”
At 16, she noticed going out and finding new clothes, was harder for her compared to her friends.
She added: “I couldn’t wear the nice tops my friends wore, especially ones that they’d wear to parties and clubs.
“I learned to dress accordingly to how I wanted to present myself from early on.
“This meant wearing tops that didn’t reveal too much cleavage, no spaghetti straps, and no patterns that would draw eyes towards my breasts.”
Therefore, when she was 22, Elle visited a GP who referred her to a plastic surgeon regarding a reduction.
She said: “But I never followed through to see the surgeon, I just wasn’t ready to commit at such a young age.
“I hadn’t put my body through having babies yet, and that was what was on my mind.”
Elle met Heath at 27 years old, and soon they had three beautiful children, but her breasts just got bigger, causing problems with breastfeeding.
She said: “Breastfeeding was such a struggle for me.
“Finding the right position to feed in was a challenge, and never in public.
“I was restricted to my couch with a huge feeding pillow — the only way I knew how to nurse my infants.
“Then, my babies just weren’t getting enough milk.
“I tried with all three babies and breastfeeding just didn’t work for me.”
Carrying such heavy breasts for so long, accompanied by severe neck and shoulder pain, caused Elle to revisit the idea of a reduction.
She said: “I had indented shoulder marks from bra straps, general discomfort, poor self-image, lack of ability to wear a variety of clothes, expensive bras, and I was just unable to exercise properly.
“I said all of this to the surgeon, had a consultation, decided on a date, and costs and went ahead.”
On 7 March 2023, Elle underwent her reduction, which consisted of liposuction and breast lift.
The surgery lasted for a total of two and a half hours and cost £12,857.06 GBP ($24,000 AU) for the breast reduction alone.
She said: “My fee included the surgeon fee, anaesthetics, surgical assistant, private hospital stay for one night, surgeon rapid recovery pack, medication to take home, two post-surgical compression garments, heal light wound treatments, nursing appointments, and laser treatments to reduce redness and visibility of scars.
“The breast reduction was quite a good procedure to recover from.
“I woke up in the theatre recovery to have a nurse on one side and my surgeon on the other.
“My surgeon gently said it’s all done and took my hand to place it on my new reduced breast so I could feel the difference.
“He then rang my husband to tell them I am out of surgery.”
1.2kg was removed from each of Elle’s breasts, and she stayed in the private hospital for one night to recover from the procedure.
She said: “They gave me pain medication and ice packs to help with swelling.
“They were amazing.”
Now, eight weeks post-surgery, Elle still has to wear her compression bra but is in love with her new, 34D breasts.
She said: “I found it quite strange shopping for a new bra and had no idea what suited me now — I tried on at least 15 bras!
“I love my new breasts.
“I have bought a few new tops that are smaller and complement my new breasts.
“I generally feel thinner as my larger breasts made me feel frumpy and fat.
“The relief on my back and shoulders was noticed instantly.”
Her family and friends have also been extremely supportive.
She added: “My friends and especially my family have been very supportive.
“The most popular comment I got from friends when I told them I was about to have the breast reduction procedure was that they didn’t realise it was a problem for me and they didn’t see my breasts as overly big!
“But now, I love them.”
