I worked as a lactation consultant team intern this past summer, and I have learned so much about how little the true struggles of breastfeeding are talked about. To name one of the biggest struggles I have observed is after a mother has breast surgery to take out their breast cancer, oftentimes the surgery will have to reduce the number of milk ducts, take out their milk ducts entirely, or remove their nipples entirely.
Something you have to understand is that breastfeeding is different from one mother to the next. A mom can be super successful on her first try, and for others, it may take weeks, even months for their babies to fully learn the process. When you add the unfortunate aftermath of breast cancer, it makes the mother’s job that much more difficult. If a mom is lucky enough to have just a little bit of her milk duct removed, one breast will make significantly less than the other, but in the long run, it is doable. However, her breast that is doing most of the work will be sore, swollen, large and leak more often than not. If a mom has two breasts that are in good “condition,” then it makes her job much less painful because she can switch them off during feeding sessions.
If a mother is newly diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoes radiation treatment, breastfeeding isn’t recommended by most doctors. Most medications are also not recommended to take while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is something that can be a personal preference due to certain factors such as their expectation of increased bonding and increased nutritional content. Recommendations like these could lead to more stress on the mother if her ultimate goal was to breastfeed.
Radiation treatment before having a child may damage a woman’s lobules (milk glands), so there is a chance they will be unable to produce milk. Sometimes, their breastmilk is a different color and texture. While there is no evidence that this would harm a child, some mothers prefer not to feed their baby breast milk after radiation.
Supporting a mother who had or currently has breast cancer is very important. They may feel like they are losing a part of motherhood they have been looking forward to their whole lives. There are ways to feed your baby breastmilk after pregnancy without using your own, and may still satisfy a mother’s hopes to take care of her baby. There are milk banks where moms who produce too much can go to be screened for disease and can donate any extra milk. While this may not be everyone’s first choice, some moms do not go through milk banks and often sell their milk for much cheaper. Talking about these challenges is another way to support these moms because they could be feeling alone in their situation. Some communities also have support groups for mothers who have a variety of breastfeeding struggles. I have been to many support groups during my internship, and I find them to be an amazing resource.
Breaking the stigma that surrounds talking about struggles like these can help reduce stress and anxiety for a new mother. In addition, it could help females everywhere who battle insecurities about their appearances and body functions. It could be a female who had just gotten her breast surgery and now may feel insecure and less of a woman, a female with heavy periods who has to go to the bathroom every hour, or even a female with iron deficiency who has to get iron infusions to avoid migraines and losing more iron during her periods. Breaking this stigma is one of the biggest steps in bringing awareness to situations like these.