A common question that most breast cancer survivors and mothers have is --can a woman start after surgery and or during the remission. Well, the answer to this query is not a simple 'Yes' or 'No' because it depends on your current state, medications, therapy and how well have you recovered post surgery. And to give you an idea about when can a woman post surgery or during remission can breastfeed with minimum risk to the growing infant, read what our expert Dr Sidharth Sahni, Senior Consultant, Breast and Oncoplastic Surgeon at Apollo Indraprastha Hospital has to say.
1. Surgery/mastectomy: If a woman undergoes double mastectomy or surgical removal of both the breasts, then it’s not possible for her to breastfeed. In the case of a mastectomy, when there is partial or complete removal of the cancerous breast, breastfeeding from the unaffected breast is advised, only if the woman doesn't have any preexisting medical condition or infection of the breast. A woman can nurse with the other breast if that is not affected and there is no chemotherapy/ radiation post surgery. Also read about if a breastfeeding mother has breast cancer, can she pass on cancer to the child?
2. Radiation therapy: If a woman is not recommended radiation therapy, then she can nurse the child from the other breast (and not the affected one). If the breast is conserved, a technique in which a part of the breast containing the cancerous tissue is removed, then radiation therapy post surgery is advised. Once radiation is done, the affected breast fails to produce milk. Breastfeeding from the other breast is advised, when on remission.
3. Chemotherapy: If a woman undergoes post-operative chemotherapy, then breastfeeding is not allowed as there is a high chance that the active ingredients in the drugs can pass on to the infant through breast milk. However, in the absence of chemotherapy, breastfeeding is possible without any restrictions. If a woman has had chemotherapy in the past and conceived when in remission, then it is advised to breastfeed the baby. If a woman is receiving chemotherapy during pregnancy and has delivered, then she should be off the drugs for at least a month's time before she starts with breastfeeding. Read more on what is chemotherapy and what are the side effects of the treatment?
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