Hello all,
I finished all treatment (chemo, lumpectomy, radio + Herceptin) about 3.5 years ago.
I am currently pregnant with twins and really want to try breastfeeding them (did successfully with 2 precancer children).
I know I will not know for sure until I try, but I would love to hear about other people’s experiences as there is so little out there!
Thanks so much
I can’t offer any advice, but would like to say congratulations on your twins!
I’m sure others will be along shortly with something useful, but thank you for making me smile today.
CM
x
Oh thank you CM that is so nice of you! And I’m glad I made you smile…
I have always wanted a third child so I was desoerare to prove cancer wrong!! I was very lucky to get pregnant after all the treatment at 40 and get a bonus baby thrown in too!!!
This is wonderful for you! Congratulations! Inspirational for other women who would like to have a child following bc. I don’t have any answers re. breastfeeding but my gut instinct would be ‘why not’? You had a lumpectomy and therefore retained some breast tissue. However I will bump up and hope that someone who knows what they are talking about come along soon. Once again, congrats!! J.
Bump again (how appropriate!) and also a suggestion to have a chat with the helpliners, they may have some insight for you, and might also be able to put you in touch with others in a similar position - well maybe not the twins thing…
Hi Webmum
Another forum user, Jessgp, has recently started a thread about a brilliant publication for women dx with bc whilst pregnant, for pregnancy after bc treatment and fertility. I have posted the link for you below. If you can’t access it please go onto the category ‘Pregnant with Breast Cancer’ and you will find the thread at the top of the page started by Jessgp.
rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/GTG12PregBreastCancer.pdf
If you go to page 8 of 15 there is a question being asked ‘What advice should be given to women wishing to breastfeed following treatment for breast cancer’. Hope this helps.
By the way, the ‘Pregnant with Breast Cancer’ category may help you anyway if you sift through some of the threads as it deals with women who are pregnant but also is there to help women who have given birth and within 12 months have been dx with bc and it also covers fertility too.
Congratulations on your pregnancy by the way, twins as well hey, wow you are going to be busy! Please keep us posted with how you get on.
Best wishes. Love xxxx
Hello again
And thank you so much for your responses, the articld was very interesting and ingofmative, thank you for the link.
I am planning to talk to a breastfeeding councellor as well but I would lo e tk gear from someone who gas had first hand experience (even if its not twins), at the moment I feel like a bit of ararity if you know what I mean…
I truly appreciate you all taking time to give some advice though and I am actually very touched by your efforts!
A very warm thank you, xxx
And sorry for spelling mistakes, I’m on my phone…
Big congrats . I had my 19mth old girl 3.5 yrs after mast,recon,chemo,and rads. I breastfed her for the first 2mths. I had to stop due to mastitis. I loved it while it lasted and wished it could have lasted longer(I had fed my son for a year). I was so thrilled to be able to do it after everything that had happened. It made me feel sort of normal, yet very special. With only the one breast the mastitis brought things to a swift end, as i couldn’t keep the milk going. There was a degree of guilt as my daughter has been ill often yet my son is rarely ill. All in all a wonderful experience that I thought would never happen, but she’s here and it did. So very pleased for you.
Nicci xxxx
Thank you Nicci, what a lovely post! Its great to hear you managed as long as you did, mastitis is awful I had it twice with my first daughter.
I think you did great to exclusively breastfeed for 2 months though! Some friends havd told not to bother, why should I put myself through this, byt as you say it is about feeling “normal” again isnt’t it? Slso being able to give these babies what their sisters had…, well I dong think I’ll be able to breastfeed exclusively with having twins and nit sure how much the affected breast will produce. But I will certainly give it a try.
Thank you for sharing your story with me, take care xxx
Hello all,
I thought I’d come back to give you an update and most of all in case someone else comes on here looking for the same info, hoping it might help!
Ther twins were born on 8th february, the boy a bit on the small side and the girl a good weight.
We got off to a bad start, mainly because he was kept in neonatal unit under observation because of low weight and fed formula at regular intervals. I thought my chances of breastfeeding had been well and truly screwed, but once we were home my milk came in and they started feeding well, so I am now mixed feeding with breasfeeds followed by top ups! And this is from one breast only.
I reckon I could fully breastfeed, but it would mean doing virtually nothing else all day, and having 2 other children to look after it is just not an option.
I am still chuffed that I can feed them as much as I do, as hadnt hoped it would go this well, theyhave brought so much joy to all the family and hopefully I can now put all cancer ghosts tor est and concentrate on my family.
Thank you all again for taking time to spend some kind words even if you didnt have any experience to share with me.
Take care
xx
Well done, you! You are amazing and congratulations on your twins. Hope they thrive and bring you the joy you deserve.
Moya xx