I'll bet most of LCs on this net have "been there, done that" in having to endure the ill-informed advice of surgeons that a lactating woman wean prior to surgery. I have approached surgeons in give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt mode (aka: working with informationally impaired). Two reasons are most commonly given by surgeons to defend their advice: (1) they assume there is increased risk of infection because of milk leaking into incision (2) milk-filled breasts make surgery messy. These are pretty easy arguements to address. Logic can prevail. If mastitis is treated with antibiotics, then post-surgical infection can also be treated. There is no getting away from the messy milk, but blood is messy too, right? (Depending on the surgeon, you can delve into the antimicrobial and other properties of human milk that may work to prevent site infection.) I agree that Dr. Love's book is a good source (primarily because it is advice written by a surgeon). And, you can have a laugh reading how little this eminent breast specialist understands about lactation. (At least she advises nursing mothers to contact LLLI.) She does not advise weaning prior to breast surgery. There is good advice in LLLI book, Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (reassuring for moms to read the personal stories). There are other good articles that I don't have on hand this morning--perhaps other Lacnetters will provide references. Breastfeeding-friendly surgeons have the mother nurse and/or pump as close to the procedure as possible. Then, afterwards, baby can nurse--with care given to protect the incision site. Sometimes leaking occurs at the site. And, ****DUH Award Winner**** weaning for 1 week prior to surgery would not "dry up" the breast. It would only make the toddler miserable and the mother more anxious. Margery Wilson, IBCLC Massachusetts Institute of Technology [log in to unmask]