Here’s a story that touches on what I wrote about breast cancer treatment options that preserve a woman’s ability to breastfeed.
When 26-year-old Paula was diagnosed with stage 1, intraductal breast cancer, she opted for a single mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. She went on to get married and have two children, each of whom she was able to breastfeed exclusively for several months!
At first she wondered how it would feel to be different from the other mothers because she was feeding her baby on one breast. But it soon felt natural, and she recalls, “Sometimes I’d see mothers who …read more

Is it even safe for a woman to breastfeed after breast cancer? A medical journal review answers a resounding “yes”:
After breast cancer treatment, there is no evidence that breastfeeding increases the risk of breast cancer recurrence, nor that it carries any health risk to the newborn. Women previously treated for breast cancer and free of recurrence are allowed to breastfeed their children. Beneficial effects of breastfeeding for the mother and the newborn should lead physicians and midwives to encourage prolonged breastfeeding in their medical practice.
Furthermore, another review states:
A frequently named reason not to nurse is the discouragement by the health …read more

On the latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” entitled “Oh, the Guilt,” Dr. Miranda Bailey helps a young mother work through her anger at a breast cancer diagnosis. Bailey confides that when she comes home from a long day at work and her baby is fussing, she picks a fight with her husband for not settling the baby. She goes on to say:
If I’m really tired . . . I blame the baby. I mean, if you hadn’t been breastfeeding, you never would have thought the lump was a clogged milk duct. You would have gone to the doctor as soon …read more