eli5: do boobs actually hold liquid milk or are they like camel humps?
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The breasts are mostly fat tissue, but they also contain milk producing glands called lobules. These are deep in the breast tissue. Lobules are a cluster of small sacs called alveoli (where milk is stored). Moving toward the nipple, alveoli transition to small channels (tubes) called ductules, which form larger channels called milk ducts. These end up in the nipple.
You can think of the milk ducts as individual straws, some of which merge so that anywhere from 8-14 end at the tip of the nipple to deliver milk to the baby.
The breasts produce milk from water and nutrients removed from the bloodstream. The milk is stored in the alveoli. When the baby (or pump) sucks, creating a vacuum, along with the release of a hormone, milk is pushed down the ducts and out the nipple.
If milk is not removed, it is reabsorbed from the body. If there’s a large amount of milk, it can cause engorgement (a really painful fullness in the breast) that can cause plugged ducts. If not treated (usually through warm compresses, massage, etc) it can lead to an infection called mastitis.
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