breastfeeding after surgical breast biopsy?

Hi I am 29 weeks pregnant with twin boys and had a surgical breast biopsy done in December. Praise God everything came back benign. I had a rash on my breast that was spreading so they wanted to check it out. The rash is still there and I have edema in the skin and areola. I am wondering if I will be able to breast feed and if everything will be healed in time. Has anyone else had surgery and still breastfed their babies. I really am praying that I will be able to.
Thanks!
Jen

 

Hi I am 29 weeks pregnant with twin boys and had a surgical breast biopsy done in December. Praise God everything came back benign. I had a rash on my breast that was spreading so they wanted to check it out. The rash is still there and I have edema in the skin and areola. I am wondering if I will be able to breast feed and if everything will be healed in time. Has anyone else had surgery and still breastfed their babies. I really am praying that I will be able to.
Thanks!
Jen

 

I've never had surgery there, but I would think it would be possible, especially if everything is healed!

 

I think as long as the incisions have healed and they didn't disturb your milk ducts that it wouldn't be a problem.

 

I would like to share a funny story; back in the 1950's when my mother gave birth to my twin sisters she developed an abcess that had to be surgically incised and drained. The doctor tried to discourage her from breastfeeding but she was bound and determined to do so. She told me that, until the incision healed, every timed she nursed on that side a little bit of milk trickled out of the incision! I admire her determination, esp. because she says she felt that NO ONE else was breast-feeding - this being the 50's.

I know a breast abcess is different than a biopsy but I really hope (and think) that you will be fine!

 

I had a breast biopsy on my left breast, but that was almost 8 years before I had the twins. I seemed to have breastfed ok, but I have to honestly say that the twins liked the right breast better.

I don't know if it produced more milk or what.

So I would say, you can definitely bf, but I don't know if it will be as efficient as your other breast.

Bridget

 

I had a biopsy on my right breast done in 2002 and was worried about not being able to breastfeed on that side - it turned out not to be a problem! My girls were born on January 4th and I have tons of milk in both breasts, and I haven't been feeding them as often as many people on this board (started to supplement with formula in the hospital per pedi's orders, BF them every 3-4 hours at home, pumping in between.)
The side of the biopsy has a little less milk, but I am not sure that has anything to do with the surgery, since a lot of women have said it is normal for one breast to produce more than the other.

I had asked my OB if BF would be a problem, and she said it depended on how close the incision was made to the nipple and that I would have to wait and see. The internet research I did suggested that women who have had breast reduction, or major surgery in which the nipple was moved/detached and re-attached, would have issues with BF, but if you incision was small and on one side (as mine was - and mine was right at the nipple), you will most likely be fine, because there are milk ducts all over in your breast and they prob. weren't affected.
Good luck!