Hi Twoandabump
Sorry you have to join us on here but we welcome you and your bump and you have definitely come to the right place for advice and support.
It is hard enough having to deal with a breast cancer dx but when pregnant as well it turns into a very isolating experience. Although numbers are increasing slowly, it is rare but it still sends a shiver down my spine when I read a new post.
Midge, Lucy and Squeak have been kind enough to point you in the direction of the pregnant with breast cancer thread and it is really worth having a look in there. There are ladies who have been through this at all different stages in their pregnancy, some in the first trimester, some in the second and in the third. Treatment varies depending on the pathology of your cancer and the stage of your pregnancy. Some ladies do have to have chemo whilst pregnant but have gone on to have healthy babies.
I do hope that your oncologist has experience of dealing with ladies who are pregnant but if not then please do not be shy in asking to be referred to someone who does have experience. Same goes for your obstetrician. At this stage you really do have to have all your medical team working together. Having said that it sounds like you have a good plan so far.
I was in a similar situation to you in that I was 30 weeks pregnant when dx and had my surgery. I was then induced at 37 weeks although they did try at 35 weeks but baby was staying put! My onc was hoping for a normal delivery rather than a c-section because like you I was going to be starting my chemo two weeks after baby was born. I went to the wire because baby wasn’t coming out and in the end I had a c-section booked. However, on the morning of the c-section they tried one last time to break my waters and it worked! The reason they would prefer a normal birth rather than a c-section is because of healing time afterwards and risk of infection especially as when you start chemo your immunity will be wiped out.
Chemo isn’t nice. Some people have bad side effects but some don’t, we all react differently to it. It also depends on what chemo you are having as there are so many different ones. You will find from this forum that treatments vary from hospital to hospital. Your pathology results/onc will determine what chemo you have.
If you want to breastfeed your new baby then you may still be able to do that with your other breast but I am not very knowledgeable in this area but there are ladies on this forum who are so hopefully they can answer any questions for you.
Hopefully you will have other family members and good friends around to support you. Take up any offers of help. It is scary but you will find that with the love and support of your family and your new baby you will get through this.
The forum is normally quiet over the weekend so you may not get that many responses. Also, most of the ladies who have been in a similar situation don’t come onto the forum as often, they are busy with their families and trying to move on and although the fear of living with this disease doesn’t go away entirely they are trying to put it behind them.
I hope the surgery goes well for you and baby, who you will be meeting a bit sooner than you thought! Take care and keep us posted with how you are getting on.
Love xxxx