"I Thought It Was Just My Milk Ducts" – A New Mum’s Unexpected Breast Cancer Diagnosis

For most new mums, postpartum recovery is a blur of sleepless nights, feeding schedules, and adjusting to life with a baby. But for one mother, the early months after giving birth took an unimaginable turn.

At seven months postpartum, she discovered a small lump under her nipple—something she assumed was a lingering change from breastfeeding. But after seeking medical advice and tests, the real cause became clear: stage 2 breast cancer, with a 6cm tumour spanning almost her entire breast.

What followed was 13 months of grueling treatment—chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy—while navigating life with a baby. 

Here, she shares her story anonymously, in the hopes that it might help other mothers spot the signs earlier.

"When my son was 7 months old, I discovered I had stage 2 breast cancer. You hear that breast cancer is so common but you never think it will happen to you.

My breasts had always swollen around my periods and I had found it difficult to pick a time when they were free of nodules so had never really felt comfortable or familiar with what I was looking for. Looking back on it now, if I had known that pregnancy can bring on or accelerate breast cancer, I probably would have been more alive to the signs. As it was, I can’t even remember whether I raised any of these issues with the midwives/health visitors who did home visits. I believe I mentioned that one breast was producing less milk than the other, but no one said to get this checked.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding was never easy for me but particularly on the right breast (the breast with cancer) – it hadn’t produced that much milk from the outset. Then when my son was around 3 months old I stopped feeding from that breast completely, substituting (as I had from the start), with formula.

I continued feeding on the left breast and the right breast started to take on a strange shape. It started to dip in at the nipple (now I know this is called ‘tethering’) and started to take on a kind of heart shape. I thought at the time that this was due to the milk ducts. I thought it would take a while for them to settle down so went about my life ignorant that there was something more sinister afoot.

Stopping breastfeeding

I stopped breastfeeding altogether when my son was 5.5 months old – almost making the 6 months I was aiming for! Then at 7 months it occurred to me that it was strange that my right breast was still an odd shape. Still convinced it was the milk ducts, I thought I had better have a feel just in case. I could feel a very small nodule under the nipple and I thought… I better go to see the GP to check this.

When I went to the GP, she immediately referred me for an urgent hospital appointment and scans.

It wasn’t the small nodule under the nipple that was of concern but a big mass across almost my whole breast which she thought was cancer. In my naivety, I thought that this was muscle holding my breast up so firmly because I hadn’t breastfed as much as I had on the other breast!

My diagnosis 

It turns out that I had a 6cm tumour across almost my whole breast and the cancer had gone into my lymph nodes under my arm pit too.

What followed was 13 months of treatment – chemotherapy, operations to remove the lymph nodes and breast tumour and radiotherapy. I had:

• over 5 months of chemo
• 3 weeks of radiotherapy
• 4 operations (the final one being a mastectomy and implant)

In hindsight, I may have chosen a mastectomy from the start, but I was initially told that removing the tumour alone was an option. The chemo had been successful in shrinking it, making a lumpectomy seem viable. But each time they operated, they failed to get a clear, cancer-free margin—leading to multiple surgeries. I was one of the unlucky ones, apparently.

I had an amazing surgeon and managed to save the nipple and still have some sensation – which is very unusual.

Cancer and motherhood 

I often think how I was pleased that I didn’t find out about the cancer during the first 7 months of spending time with my son as it would have tarnished the early days of motherhood.

As a good friend pointed out, I hope to have a complete cure—but for others, a later diagnosis could mean the difference between life and death. If I’d spotted it earlier, I may have avoided chemotherapy or needed less of it. Managing treatment with a young baby was brutal—the chemo schedule (four rounds twice a month, then weekly for 16 weeks) was relentless. Every weekend for nearly six months, I felt awful. There were dark moments, but we got through them with strength and the unwavering support of our friends and family.

Six months of our lives, it feels, were stolen from us. So whilst ignorance was ‘bliss’ during the first 7 months…. The next 6 -13 months were not!

Life today 

They hope they have removed it all but I’ll be on medication to stop it coming back for 10 years and they have some side effects of their own -I didn’t realise there are a number of different types of cancers and the one I have is receptive to oestrogen and progesterone – the medication stops the oestrogen from feeding the cancer.

Adding to our family

I had our son by IVF and my partner and I are of an age where we probably weren’t contemplating another child but others in my position would be disappointed to know they may not be able to get pregnant again …

For me, my periods stopped and I also would not be able to go through IVF on the medication I am on. If I came off the medication there would be a risk the cancer would come back.

Living with a cancer diagnosis

There is still a lot that I don’t know about cancer and more I’d like to learn.

It didn’t even occur to me to get my breasts checked whilst I was pregnant or breastfeeding which was naive in hindsight.

My advice to expectant mothers and in fact all women is to feel your breasts regularly; familiarise yourself with how they feel. If you feel anything, or aren’t sure what to look for (like me) go get it checked by your GP and get some advice on how to examine your breasts properly.

Also, if you are one of the unlucky ones who are diagnosed, make sure you have a genetic test to find out if it’s genetic, as this wasn’t offered in the first hospital I went to. Genes are a big player in contracting cancer.

I hope I’m one of the lucky ones having a complete cure. I’ll have annual scans and I hope with living a healthy lifestyle and taking my medication, it won’t come back. Others are not so lucky.

Being aware could save your life.