How Breasts Feel

Breasts. Boobs. Mammary glands. There are over a hundred different slang terms for them in English alone.

This column is more aimed at those trans women who are not on HRT. For my sisters who are on HRT (or Cisgender women) please chime in on my observations if you wish.

So, am I an expert on the topic? Well, I’m a former volunteer paramedic, but for this piece I speak from the point of view of someone who grew her own natural DD boobs. Yes, I know how lucky I am. I speak only for myself, and my experience. I don’t know what augmented breasts feel like, for example.

I wrote about this topic a few years ago, but I thought an update would be in order. Besides, boobs equal hits on the column. All about the hits. That’s “Hits.” With an H. Not a T.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

I started HRT in December 2012. In a couple of months, my nipples began to itch–a LOT. Soon after, I felt lumps behind them. By May, I had C cups, and no longer needed forms. As I wasn’t “out” yet, I had to hide them. I started wearing constriction shirts. As my breasts grew, I had to wear tighter constriction shirts. They were uncomfortable. I’ll come back to this.

As I wrote above, the first thing I felt was the itching. That was a constant. As they grew, they began to hurt, kind of like a pulled pectoral muscle. This was not a bad thing, as it meant they were growing. Every once in a while, I feel that familiar pain again.

As my breasts grew, they became more sensitive. I’m fond of saying that the difference in sensation between the male chest and the female breast is a whisper to a scream. Seriously.

That cuts both ways. Did I mention they hurt? They did.

Okay, so the nipples are sensitive, and rub against shirts, tops, and things. So a bra becomes quite necessary for comfort. That becomes a balance, as bras aren’t the most comfortable pieces of lingerie. That said, I’ve always felt that I was denied bras as I had a male puberty. The bra keeps my nipples from chafing. That’s a good thing. Think brush burn on a very sensitive area.

As they grew, my breasts began to. . .bounce. At first, I just noted it. Yay! They’re big enough to bounce! To draw a male equivalent, imagine if the testicles move in a non-painful way. Or, if you’re a little heavier, your tummy jiggling while you laugh. As they grew bigger, the bounce became uncomfortable. Now, it hurts.  It’s a pulling sensation, like someone pulling your ear. Once again, the bra is necessary.

Okay. So, now they’re grown. How do they feel? I notice that in a lot of TG fiction, writers say that people feel “heaviness” with breasts. In my experience, that is not the case. Maybe because the growth was gradual and the muscles of my back acclimated. Usually, I don’t even think about them. Weird, right? I dreamed of and desired breasts all my life, and most of the time, I don’t think of them. Kind of like one doesn’t think of one’s “junk” on a normal basis.

Boob sweat is a thing. Think of the undersides of the breasts as two extra armpits. Seriously. I’m not complaining–just explaining.

Most people know what a breast feels like when they touch one: Soft, pliable, warm. So how does it feel when you feel your own, say while doing the monthly breast exam? Okay, without flexing your butt, grab your butt. That’s kind of how it feels. But, as I wrote, the breast is very sensitive. So multiply that feeling a bit. You definitely feel the grip. If gripped too hard, they hurt. Really hurt. Not “kicked in the junk” hurt, but maybe half that.

I mentioned constriction shirts, and how they were uncomfortable. Imagine two hands pushing on something very sensitive–very hard. Breasts are malleable to a point, but only to a point. Once past that point, they hurt. So imagine walking around all day with the half “kicked in the junk” feeling on your chest all day. And binders are far worse. As in torture.

I love my breasts. I still get a kick out of that phrase: “My Breasts.” A symbol of Womanhood.  A dream come true. I waited almost fifty years for them. I love looking down and seeing them there–standing out proudly. When I am showing off my cleavage, (which I often do, as it draws attention away from my Neanderthal face) I still get a smile thinking, “that’s REALLY me!” It’s something cis-women take for granted–it’s their birthright. I don’t–I treasure them.

So there you have it, dear reader. That’s how it feels to have natural breasts, from one woman’s perspective.

Be well.

Moved to make a comment? Login here and use the comment area below.

Tags: breasts, featured, growing breasts, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul