MUM'S AGONY
I feared my natural 34I breasts would smother my baby – now they’re unrecognisable but cruel trolls won’t leave me alone
A MUM was terrified her natural 34l breasts would smother her baby when she breastfed her.
And the weight of her made it hard for her to carry or play with her children without crippling back pain.
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So when Michelle Heydens went under the knife to reduce her chest to a 32C cup, the mum-of-three was 'absolutely ecstatic' with the results.
But - to her surprise - cruel trolls lashed out, telling her she was disfiguring her body and should have been happy with what she was born with.
Michelle, who has three daughters aged seven, five, and 21 months, had "sagging" breasts that reached her belly button.
Her natural 34l boobs would often leave her in physical pain and remained large regardless of her weight.
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They also meant she struggled to keep up with the demands of motherhood, and couldn't run around and play with her children as she wanted.
"Outside of being able to play and run with my kids, it has been a challenge to even pick them up and carry them.
"Even as a tiny baby, carrying my daughter for any length of time would add even more stress on my back," Michelle, a HR manager from Michigan, US, told NeedToKnow.online.
"Breastfeeding was also a challenge with large breasts. It was very challenging trying to get my daughter in the correct position and I had to use two hands to nurse to ensure that my breast wasn't covering her nose.
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"With each pregnancy, my breasts got larger and never went back down after breastfeeding, they just got saggier, so my desire to get a reduction increased."
Michelle's mental health declined when she noticed she wasn't running around and playing with her children without changing into a very compressive sports bra.
On top of that, finding bras or clothing that fit her boobs was expensive or near impossible.
She said: "Nice bras in my size cost me upward of $70 each and were almost impossible to find in stores.
"I have never been able to buy a single bathing suit – either a two piece or a one piece – that fit my body type and large breasts," she added.
Michelle even lost 50lbs in a bid to shift some weight off her chest - to her dismay, her breasts only shrunk by a single cup size and she continued to struggle with her children's care.
She described this realisation as a wake up call and made the decision to speak to her doctor about a breast reduction.
Michelle said: "Talking to my doctor was the hardest part.
"I had many doubts along the way and almost backed out a couple of times."
To her relief, doctors deemed her surgery "medically necessary" - and Michelle's insurance forked out around $17,000, leaving her with only $2,900 left to pay.
On 3 February, Michelle underwent a three-hour operation using an anchor incision.
Although doctors advised six to eight weeks recovery, she insisted she felt like herself again after just two.
She said: "I am still waiting on my breasts to completely round out and some slight swelling to go down but I should be around a 32C.
"I am absolutely ecstatic with the results and am feeling so much more confident about myself.
"I can already tell that clothes fit me better, I have had immediate relief in my back pain, and my shoulder grooving from the weight of my breasts is already disappearing."
Despite knowing the surgery was the right decision for her, and her husband, Nicholas, being "100 per cent on board", Michelle faced less than savoury opinions from outsiders.
At first, family and friends who were unaware of the crippling size of her breasts were shocked to discover her surgical plans, until Michelle explained the extent of her suffering.
But online trolls were the worst offenders, accusing Michelle of snubbing a “god-given gift".
She said: "Most of the hate that I've received have been people telling me that I was disfiguring my body or ‘slapping god in the face’ for changing what he gave me.
"I've had some women tell me that they 'weren't that big' and that it was an unnecessary risky surgery.
"I had both men and women tell me that I should just accept myself for the way that I'm made and to be happy with what 'god gave me'."
Negative comments aside, Michelle was ecstatic with her results and felt that both her self-confidence ability to be a hands-on mother have drastically improved.
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"I'm so glad that I stuck with it and saw the process completely through," she said.
"My confidence is up, my physical and mental health has improved, and I'm just happier all the way around - and I plan to go swimming with my youngest daughter at swim class in just a few days!"
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