breastfeeding and biopsy

Pleroma, I was 36 weeks pregnant when my biopsy was done and was allowed to breastfeed from both breasts until I started chemo. I was not lactating at the time of my biopsy, so I am not sure if they will have you not feed from it for a few days. It will be sore from the biopsy and am not sure if you could stand to pump and dump from it, if needed. Of course, I had to pump and dump on various occasions due to medicines for surgery...but usually not for more than 48 hours. I had a mastectomy 8 days after my daughter was born and was able to breastfeed her (from other breast) for 5 weeks until I started chemo. It worked well and I am very glad I did it. Another thought, if they want to stop feeding from one side, you could pump from it to wean yourself on that side and let the baby continue nursing normally from the "good" side. I would hope they don't require that until they know the biopsy results.



I am so sorry you are having to go through this with a newborn. Believe it or not, they help you through the rough days more than you know. I finished chemo in Feb and am two weeks into rads. I do hope your results are B9!



Thoughts and prayers are with you!

Hi Amy,

I had an excisional bx while breastfeeding and read all I could about it prior to undergoing the procedure.  My surgeon said it wouldn't be a problem to do a biopsy on a lactating breast, but that I might experience some leakage through the incision while it healed (I didn't, though). I would suggest that since your baby is so young, that you take your baby with you to the hospital so you can nurse as close to your surgery as possible.  That way your breast will be as "empty" of milk as possible going into surgery.  (I had surgery (not on my breast) when my newborn was 2 months and he stayed with me so he could nurse as much as possible until they wheeled me into surgery.  The nurses loved it.  lol)  After my biopsy, I nursed on the other breast the rest of the day and night, then nursed from the biopsied breast in the morning.  It didn't hurt at all, which really surprised me.  You can also use a pump or hand express milk to stay comfortable if you don't want to attempt nursing on that side.  Don't worry about the anesthesia or pain meds affecting your baby.  They tell you to pump and dump to protect their behinds basically, but very little passes into your milk.  When I had my other surgery, my anesthesiologist told me to dump my milk, but instead I latched my son on as soon as I was out of recovery and back in the outpt post surgery area because he was hungry and refusing the bottle of expressed milk I'd left my husband.  He wasn't affected in the least.  The last thing you want is to develop mastitis because you suddenly quit nursing as often.  

Good luck and I hope you find a lactation consultant or LLL Leader to help you through this.  I hope you get B9 results, too.  

Cynthia