Successful breastfeeding starts with the breasts ability to produce milk and plenty of it. Knowledge of breast anatomy can help you understand how, why and how much milk the breast makes. New research from The University of Western Australia changes century-old understandings of breast anatomy.
Let's start with the outside of the breast- the skin and nipple. The nipple is surrounded by the areola, which has little bumps that are oil secreting glands called Montgomery Glands. They keep the nipple supple and prevent drying out of the tissue.
The nipple is the "drinking straw" for the milk to travel from the breast to the baby. Each nipple has from 4-18 openings or pores.
Inside the breast is a network of branches or ducts that start out small as they branch out from the alveoli. Think about a head of broccoli. The tiny little "buds" or alveoli make up the "flower" or lobule (group of alveoli). These "flowers" bunch together to form a "bouquet" or lobe (group of lobules). The boquet or lobe is attached to a "stem" or duct that connects to a larger "stem" or duct.