Hi All The Children's Hospital at Westmead is following up the children they have worked with who have had Leukaemia. One of the professionals involved said that the girls who had been irradiated had significant supply issues when they lactated. Gwen Gwen Moody CNC Postnatal Care Westmead Hospital PO Box 533 Wentworthville 2145 Phone: 02 9845 6964, 0422212774 Fax: 02 9845 8340 Page: 02 9845 5555 - 01135 email: [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 20/01/2010 4:58 am >>> When I was working with a mother considering breastfeeding between rounds of chemo, Dr. Jack Newman told me that his experience had been that chemo reduced milk production. Chemo poisons rapidly growing cells, breast tissue in a pregnant or lactating woman has high metabolism and cell turnover, so it would be more affected than less active tissues. Mom can certainly try breastfeeding, but she might have difficulty between the radiation injury to the breast and the chemo injury, and her having twins... I'm well familiar with working with moms in "impossible" situations. You've done your research, now just keep giving her emotional support, optimize the things you can control, and help her create lots of demand to get the breasts working to their best capacity! Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC NYC ______________________________________________________________________________ This electronic message and any attachments may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this message would you please delete the message and any attachments and advise the sender. Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) uses virus scanning software but excludes any liability for viruses contained in any email or attachment. This email may contain privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the addressees named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this email is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify SWAHS immediately. Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender except where the sender expressly and with authority states them to be the views of SWAHS. *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome