I will never forget a comment by a participant at a La Leche League
conference a while back that proved to me I still needed to learn more!

This mom had been told she could not breastfeed and needed to wean when she
had radiation therapy for thyroid cancer.  However, she asked more
questions and learned that IF she continued pumping and dumped her milk,
she could continue lactating - and when her body was no longer
"radioactive" she could again breastfeed!

She said it was not up to us to tell her what she can't do - it was up to
us to tell her what can be done - and let her decide if that was more than
she could handle. She chose to continue lactating - pumped and dumped, and
after 2.5 MONTHS she began taking her milk to her Physicist-uncle weekly so
he could test the milk for radioactivity.  She actually had to wait longer
than she had been told - but she did get to provide her milk to her baby
(who refused to breastfeed, but did get her milk).

Whenever I have a situation that appears very difficult - pumping for her
NICU baby/cleft lip baby/adoptive baby or whatever -  and it would appear
to be too much stress for this mom - she has an abusive husband, is alone,
is sick, is poor, is homeless, etc.-, I tell the mom this story and then
say to her "Only YOU can decide if this is more than you can handle.  I am
not here to tell you what to do - I'm here to tell you what CAN be done and
YOU decide if you can do it or not."

I've met and had the privilege of working with some amazing women!

Breastfeeding:  It's Too Important Not To!

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
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