Hello, Pat.
       You suggest the mom has two weeks to wean.  I am wondering why you
suggest that time frame.  Is there some research for this?  (I'm not trying to be
combative, just truly wondering where the recommendation comes from.)
       I get contacted frequently (sadly) by breastfeeding and/or pregnant
mothers who have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer.  The number seems
to be increasing of those mothers who choose to pump and dump during chemo and
then go back to breastfeeding.  At the very least, the mother could
breastfeed as usual until her first chemo treatment, and then use a pump to decrease
her supply *after* receiving chemo, so that baby got as much breastmilk as
possible.  She might choose to have someone offer breastmilk in a bottle a couple
of times, to be sure baby will accept another way to eat once chemo begins.
       Mothers vary in their physical response to chemo.  Some are so
physically overwhelmed that they do not have the energy to pump and dump, especially
knowing that their child might not be willing to return to breast once it is
again safe to be there.  But others can manage it and find it gives them hope
for the future.
       Some doctors feel the chemo medicines can be stored in various parts
of the body for up to a year after the last dose.  Others feel that there is a
researched half-life for each medication, and after an appropriate number of
half-lives past the last dose, it is safe for a mother to offer her breastmilk
to the child once again.  This is something the mother will need to discuss
with her doctor and then make her own decision about.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

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