I've Waited 20 Years For This...
2025, the year I finally get a breast reduction!
I shared my top five overarching goals for 2025—goals that will bring me back into alignment with myself and help me reach the thrive state I’m aiming for after a few really heavy years of basically just surviving.
One of my biggest goals is to flip all of my “one day I will” dreams into “this year I will”. And one huge thing happening in less than two weeks—something I’ve been dreaming about for literally 20 years—is my breast reduction!
Like so many things we put off all it took was taking that first step to set the rest of the process in motion, and now, less than a year since starting this process, I’m finally doing something for myself and only myself. I have a strong feeling this will bring me so much newfound confidence and joy in my appearance (not to mention relief from the chronic pain I’ve been dealing with for years).
Today, I wanted to break down not only the process of getting a breast reduction (in case you’re interested or just curious about how it works) but also a bit about “my boob story,” as I’m now going to call it, and what I’m doing to prep for surgery in the next couple of weeks. So without further ado…
My Boob Story
I’ve been a 30–32F/30–32G since my early 20s. As someone who’s really active—especially someone who loves high-impact workouts like running—the biggest issue for me has always been the sheer pain of lugging around such huge cantaloupes.
Fortunately, my size didn’t change drastically through pregnancy or postpartum. However, I carried Cal really high, which flared my ribs a bit, and the way my breasts were shaped and where most of the volume sat changed a lot. Let’s just say they moved to places I didn’t want them to go—I felt like I had an extra supply of milk sitting in my armpits for 2+ years while nursing, and since weaning I’ve become really self-conscious about the way I’m carrying them.
Speaking of how they looked, that’s something I’ve always struggled with even pre-baby, and felt conflicting emotions about. My boobs have always been a topic of conversation. At not one but two different workplaces (unsurprisingly, Cactus Club and Joey’s when I was working as a server), I found out there was a running poll among coworkers betting on whether my boobs were fake or not. It didn’t really bother me massively because it was so dumb, but just that feeling of having a spotlight on your body that you didn’t ask for is definitely not the most comfortable thing. As anyone with large breasts knows, the unwanted attention is just a constant grating white noise.
On top of that, they add so much bulk to my frame. It’s hard to shop for my body when I have two bazungas throwing everything off proportionally. I can’t shop at most bra stores or have that sense of freedom in choosing what kind of tops I wear.
But the biggest thing for me over the years is pain.
The Physical Toll
I’ve always had a lot of back pain particularly between my shoulder blades and in my shoulders, but everything skyrocketed during breastfeeding. With even more weight in my breasts and the constant hunching inwards to nurse or carry Cal, I was experiencing such intense pain from the sheer strain and weight in my traps that they literally changed shape. My traps became hypertonic and overdeveloped, leading to constant neck, shoulder, and upper back pain, plus I’ve started to get literal bra strap dips which I am really not into. I already had scoliosis and low back issues preceding all of this, and the extra load on my upper body only exacerbated everything.
I know this surgery won’t be a magic one-and-done fix and that there are probably some other underlying back issues at play, but I’m hoping it will literally and figuratively lighten the load and help bring my body into better alignment.
The Process
For reference, I’m based in British Columbia, Canada, so this process may differ depending on where you live. But if you’re in BC—or somewhere with a similar system—it was actually a pretty straightforward and accessible process for me to get on the MSP-covered reduction program.
I’ve mentioned this in my stories, but my first recommendation if you’re even considering this surgery is to try and find a general practitioner. I know that’s easier said than done with the current doctor shortages, so if you don’t have one, I suggest consistently visiting the same walk-in clinic to establish some familiarity with a doctor.
I’m lucky to have an incredible doctor who has always advocated for me and never brushed off my concerns, especially when it comes to female-specific health issues. So when I went to her in late summer asking for her support, she immediately put me forward for a referral.
One caveat in BC: you need to meet a certain BMI requirement for your breast reduction to be covered by MSP (which is our provincial healthcare system for those outside of BC). It’s an incredibly outdated and ridiculous metric and doesn’t at all account for actual health, size, fitness, etc, but unfortunately, it’s still part of the approval process. This is why I highly recommend speaking to a doctor early on—if they have any concerns about BMI, you can have that conversation and figure out what needs to be done to qualify for coverage. If you’re paying out-of-pocket, this obviously doesn’t apply; and there are some benefits to doing it out-of-pocket potentially (like more control over doctor selection and the like) but I was definitely happy to do this with MSP.
Once my doctor submitted my referral, about a month or two later I got a call from a plastic surgeon’s office saying they could bring me into their surgery stream. I had my consultation in the late summer, was added to their list, and opted to get put on their cancellation list too just in case anything opened up.
Lo and behold, seven months later, I got a call about some cancellations and was offered two different surgery dates. I said yes immediately—and now here we are! I had my pre-op appointment this past Friday, and other than that, we’re officially off to the races.
What I’m Doing to Prepare
I’m overwhelmed (in a good way) by all the amazing post-surgery recommendations I’ve received—from you guys, friends, and even a couple of family members who have had this procedure.
A few key things that came up repeatedly:
Post-Surgery Zip-Front Bra – Lots of surgeons provide one, but it’s not a bad idea to have backups! Most people recommend getting your usual size or sizing down slightly for better support during swelling. Popular options include the Lululemon Energy Zip-Front Bra, this Amazon Bra or Knix Front-Closure Bra.
Silicone Tape – I actually already have silicone tape because I heard it helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, it’s super affordable and I think I’ve seen improvements when I put it on my face so have high hopes for scar recovery. My surgeon said if I typically heal well I can just let the scars heal naturally, but once my incisions close, silicone tape could help minimize scarring so no harm in using it.
Baby Wipes & Spray Deodorant – Apparently, lifting your arms is not easy in the first week. Having baby wipes on hand will help keep things fresh while recovering and not being able to shower as frequently, and spray deodorant will definitely be easier than typical deodorant.
Pillow Wedge - You want to be sleeping somewhat upright for the first little while and I’ve become a hardcore side sleeper since pregnancy, so am definitely opting for a pillow wedge to help me stay on my back while sleeping and not sink down.
Set Up My Care Station - Keeping an extra long charging cable, Stanley bottle and my slippers in my childhood room at my parents’ place (where I’ll be recovering, safe from Cal’s very sweet but potentially physically painful affection) so that especially in that fragile state first day or two, I’m fully set up.
Button-Up PJ’s - Lots of you guys recommended button-up PJs as it can be really hard to pull things over your head and it’s genius! It’s almost like everything you want for those early days of breastfeeding postpartum - get the bras ready, easy access tops and your comfy cozies.
Laxatives - This one surprisingly came up a lot. I’ve never had an operation/surgery before, so have never had general anesthesia; evidently you really can use support on the digestive front to keep things moving so I’ll stock up. Again, this is feeling very nostalgic for me…so many of the same items I stocked up for postpartum! I’d also probably grab some magnesium too since I’m running low as it is.
Other than getting my care package all set up, I’m also taking a few days to really rest up kid-free, as mentioned above. I love my Cal Pal more than life itself and struggle to even go a day without him, but the fact is, as many other mamas to little boys can attest (or particularly energetic little girls too), there are issues with establishing boundaries and protecting my personal space to put it lightly. He’s the sweetest boy in the world and when he sees me laid up resting he’s going to want to come in bed and cuddle me and hug me and that’s a one-way ticket to pain central for my fresh incisions. I’m taking a few days to just rest Chez Parents, and also trying to do the best I can to train him on being more independent now; whether that’s getting into his car seat or talking him out of “walk hugs” (code for me carrying him for miles). Who knows how much will stick, but he’s definitely getting a lot better already!
Okay this has been a novel! But I’ve had a lot of you message saying you’re planning this for the future so want to lay out all the “before” before I get into the far more exciting “after.” I literally can’t wait to share it all! And as nervous as I am for going under since it’s my first surgery, the excitement is honestly outweighing it. If I’m forgetting anything for my care package or prep work, please let me know!