Permission to post: a postpartum doula client of mine in NYC has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is nursing her nearly 1 yr old son and her drs have told her to wean immediately. 

I've included more specifics from her below. Here's the question I'm putting out to you all:

She's trying to figure out whether and how to wean if truly medically necessary. She has struggled and worked HARD to breastfeed both this child and her first.

Please respond directly to me <[log in to unmask]> as I'm on digest. Hoping to get good answers for her soon since this is time sensitive. Many, many thanks!, Meema

From client:

"E will be one year old next week.  He has been and is an enthusiastic and exclusive nurser -- he nurses about 8 times a day and only rarely takes any fluid from any other receptacle (bottle, sippy cup, etc.).  I had been planning to start gradually weaning this month (mostly because my constant nursing is getting to be hard on E's big sister) and do it over 3-4 months.  
 
On Wednesday I found out I have two large cancerous lumps in my right breast.  The Petscan shows that it has not spread to other areas of the body although there is "some activity" in my right lymph node.  I got the Petscan yesterday and was told not to nurse until bedtime tonight because I'd have radioactive material in my breast milk for 24 hours and I've followed that advice.  I'm very engorged because, though I've been pumping and dumping, the pump doesn't get out nearly as much as E does. 
 
The doctors have told me to wean right away for three reasons:
 
(1) It's hard to get a clear read on what's going on with the cancer in my breast because the milk clouds the image on Petscan and potentially on MRIs I will have to get in the future;
 
(2) I will have to start chemo or get surgery soon (unclear how soon because I can't get in to see the oncologist to make a treatment plan until next week) and will need to wean before those things start so I may as well do it now;
 
(3) some people (my diagnosing dr included) believe the hormones that are present in abundance in a lactating woman make the cancer grow so the sooner I stop lactating the slower my cancer will grow.
 
Of these three, only the third seems to counsel in favor of cold turkey weaning to me.  If it is just the first two reasons, I can at least start nursing again tonight and gradually taper off over the next week or so.  But if the third one is really right, maybe I should just go cold turkey because however hard that will be for E and me, it is better than having the cancer get worse.
 
If I have to go cold turkey, does anyone have suggestions for how to make it easier on E and also on me?  Is there a pill you can take to slow down milk production?"


Meema



˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Meema Spadola, PCD (DONA), CLC

Certified Postpartum Doula

Certified Lactation Counselor

917-627-9834



Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse inevitable typos!



             ***********************************************



Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html

To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]

Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]

COMMANDS:

1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail

2. To start it again: set lactnet mail

3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet

4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome