>I have a mom who has ben advised to wean her 14 month old baby by
>her breast
>surgeon for he would like to perform a lumpectomy on a lump located behind
>the areola. He said that the lactational hormones would cause excessive
>bleeding with the surgery. This mom would like more children and
>is hesitant
>to have this surgery for a benign condition, she had aspiration but the
>surgeon wants to remove it anyway. Additionally, she does not want to wean
>her baby. Any thoughts on this?
Maria,
When does the surgeon want to do this lumpectomy? As we know it can take
some time for lactation to cease completely (varies from woman to woman).
Specifically, what hormones are worrying him? Prolactin levels drop to near
normal levels, except in response to suckling, in the months after birth and
presumably she would not be actually nursing during the biopsy! Oxytocin is
released during breastfeeding, but also during sex, physical stress, pain,
etc. People are hormonal. I don't think you can get around that!
I have had 4 biopsies during lactation including one for a lump behind the
areola. I asked for the incision to made *not* on the areolar line which
made more work for the surgeon but, hey, that's his job. I was nursing a 2
year old at the time and he didn't flinch when I told him she would nurse
for at least another year. In fact, his first question at my post-op was
concern as to how quickly she went back to nursing (about 30 seconds after I
walked in the door). She just weaned recently at 4 1/4 years.
I watched some of that biopsy until he told he I was making him nervous by
watching. He did show me the little bit of breast tissue he removed.
Anyway, could she "wean" in the hospital parking lot and "relactate" when
she gets home? ;-)
Kathy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathy Koch, BSEd, IBCLC
Great Mills, MD
mailto:[log in to unmask]
"Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one
determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger
desires."- Marcelene Cox
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