Sorry folks - I just have to let off some steam!

I was just on the phone with a mom who is currently nursing her 3 yr old
daughter. A couple of months ago she started to have some pain in her
left breast, and her doctor ordered a mammogram. They discovered a small
lump which they thought was probably a cyst, and a biopsy was suggested.
When she mentioned that she was nursing he told her to *wean and come
back next week for the test because your milk will make a mess.*

She explained that:
a) it would take more than  a week to dry up,
b) neither she nor her daughter were ready to wean
c) if they really NEEDED her to wean, she would like to continue nursing
on the *good* side.

The dos replied that
a) *of course* it wouldn't take more than a week to dry up,
b) it was certainly TIME to wean!
c) if she nursed on one breast she would continue to make milk in the
other one too.

So the doc went ahead with the biopsy, and found a small cyst about the
size of an eraser. He decided to take it out - but did so BEFORE the
local anesthetic kicked in. This mom gritted her teeth and said nothing
at the time because she was brought up to believe that you didn't
complain about *a little pain.* While this was going on, the doc and the
two nurses ridiculed her about when she was going to wean. She was told
that on no acount should she nurse on that side (or express milk either)
because *we just don't know how that might affect your breast.*

A week later she had not yet heard the results of the biopsy, so she
called the doc.
*Oh,* he said, *the person we sent it to will be away for another couple
of weeks so you will have to be patient, but we are sure it isnt cancer.
It is filled with this white foamy stuff, not sure what it could be.*
She asked if she could resume nursing, or at least pumping, because she
was terribly engorged.
*Oh no! you don't want to give your child that milk - it has been in your
body for a WHOLE WEEK! And if you nurse on the other side you might
develop a cyst there too!*

SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

in despair,
Norma


Norma Ritter, IBCLC
private practice in Big Flats, NY
[log in to unmask]

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