Two photographs of an unidentified woman—who is pictured breastfeeding a newborn boy after reportedly having undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy to treat her stage-3 breast cancer—have gone viral on the Internet.
“She really wanted to breastfeed after having many of her birth choices and preferences taken from her, if only for a short time because cancer treatments resume when she is discharged from the hospital,” the Florida-based Gentle Birth Options midwife center posted on Facebook along with photos of the woman.
Though leading cancer institutions recommend a mother not nurse her child after chemotherapy, some experts insist there is no solid scientific basis for that guidance.
Breastfeeding is known for reducing an infant’s risk of developing asthma, childhood leukemia, childhood obesity, eczema, and a range of other health ailments, according to the federal government’s Office of Women’s Health.
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