Dear All,

I am being consulted on a case I wanted to share with all of you. A 31-
year- old,  gravida 1, para 1, lacta 1. Just underwent a modified radical
mastectomy. She is 35 weeks pregnant. She wants to breastfeed! The surgeon
is talking about waiting on the radiation therapy for about 6 weeks
postpartum and no Chem at this point. The surgeon is open to the mom
breastfeeding on the unaffected breast but is concerned about the pressure
of the milk coming in against the post surgical breast tissue and also
concerns about a milk fistula forming on the affected side. I did talk to
him about the possibility of nursing off of one breast only and helping
this mom aggressively suppress lactation on the surgical side. But I too
worry about a milk fistula on the surgical breast as they are so  common
with abcesses ect.. Plus, I've read in The Breastfeeding Answer book that
you can radiate one breast only and continue to breastfeed off the other.
This is a big question for me. Is this true? Can she nurse on one side
while receiving  radiation treatments on the affect side? I do not have all
the details of this case yet but would appreciate your input.
Thanks in advance.
Star Siegfried RN,BA,IBCLC
Arcata, Ca

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