I don't see that the mom with newly diagnosed breast cancer would need to
wean for the surgery;  after all, bathing a wound in breastmilk isn't a bad
thing.  She may find that nursing during radiation is painful, but that's a
bridge she could cross when she came to it.

As to the chemo, Ruth Lawrence opened up a whole new realm of possibilities
for me when she addressed the fact that *chemo drugs, like all others, have
a half-life*.  The woman taking chemo gets a dose of it, feels the
consequences, has some recovery time, and gets another dose.  There are
usually several weeks in between, and for many of the drugs, 5 half-lives
occupy perhaps a week of that time.  She could, if she chose, pump for 5
half-lives to maintain her supply, then resume nursing until the next round
of chemo.  It's a path she could discontinue at any time if she chose.  But
it's certainly an option.

As to it being "too tiring", I understand that Lance Armstrong, the biker
who won the Tour de France a few short years after being diagnosed with
testicular cancer, exercised persistently through his chemo.  In one of the
articles about him, someone pointed out that there's evidence that those who
"tough it through" chemo continuing to exercise appear to be less prone to
chronic fatigue in the years following their treatment.  I'd say one form of
"toughing it through" would be to put energy into lactation.  Without having
any medical background and without knowing about the prolactin issue, I
don't see any good reasons for her to wean now or later, unless the reasons
come from her own wish to do so.

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY

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