Breast Cancer
Breast cancer has a specific impact on feeding your baby for the obvious reason that boobs produce & deliver the milk. It’s also the cancer that affects most of the Mums we speak to. The information below provides some basic information on what to expect in relation to your infant feeding options if you are diagnosed with breast cancer.
We are not the experts and recommend speaking to your health care professional for further advice.
Can I breastfeed if I’ve had breast cancer?
If you’ve had breast cancer, the type of treatment you received, and how long ago you had it will determine whether or not you are able to breastfeed. Many women are able to breastfeed after breast cancer treatment, but for some, the treatment they received means that breastfeeding is difficult or impossible.
Women who have had breast surgery, especially where breast tissue has been removed, may struggle with milk supply, depending on how much tissue was removed. Women who have had radiotherapy to the breast may also not have enough functioning breast tissue to be able to produce milk. Sometimes lactation post surgery and radiation can be painful. Sometimes it can be difficult for the baby to latch due to scar tissue. However, if only one breast was affected, it is still possible to feed from the other breast and many women find they feed well from one breast.
Can I breastfeed if I have a new diagnosis of breast cancer?
It is very likely that breastfeeding your baby is not going to be an option if you have a new diagnosis of breast cancer.
Your treatment is likey to include one or more of a combination of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and hormone therapy. In some cases, medications used during cancer treatment can be unsafe for your baby if they get into your breastmilk.
Radiotherapy to the breast can affect the breasts ability to make milk, but some experts also suggest that breastfeeding while undergoing radiotherapy can damage the breast tissue by increasing the effect of the radiation in areas being suckled.
What are my options if I can’t breastfeed?
While it may feel like you have little choice, there are some options you might be able to explore depending on your circumstances. If your diagnosis has occurred once breastfeeding has already been established, there may be an option for you to express breast milk and store it prior to treatment starting. This would allow you to have a small stash to help with the transition to another feeding method.
Depending on where you live and the age of your baby, donor milk might be an option. Formula feeding is another good option for infants under 12 months of age, when they reach 1 year old they can be moved onto cow’s milk.
You can feed your baby any combination of your own expressed milk, donor breastmilk or formula milk. Starting with one option and changing to another is also completely okay for your baby.
Will breastfeeding stop my cancer coming back?
There is no one factor that can prevent breast cancer. Having a baby reduces your risk by 7% and breastfeeding has been associated with an overall reduced risk of developing breast cancer; the risk of developing breast cancer reduces by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding. However, there is less evidence when it comes to reducing the risk of cancer reoccurring.
Where can I find out more?
Your oncologist will be able to give you more details about your feeding options based on your individual treatment regime. However, not all oncologists will have specialist knowledge in infant feeding. Likewise, lactation or infant feeding consultants can support infant feeding but, like us, do not have specialised knowledge on breast cancer.
You can seek more specific information from specialist organisations.
Mummy’s Star is an independent organisation to help women with cancer who are pregnant or who have babies, and their families. Their website has lots of peer support and facts on aspects of your care. Mummy’s Star also provide information for healthcare workers who are supporting Mums living with cancer.
Macmillan are a cancer charity who work with Mummy’s Star and provide information on infant feeding while living with cancer.
Pharmacist Wendy Jones provides excellent information on taking medication while breastfeeding. Although her factsheets do not cover chemotherapy drugs specifically, Wendy provides information on many additional medications you may take during your treatment.
Our thanks to Dr Jim Parry, Specialty Trainee in Medical Oncology.