My Mother bottle fed all three of us.....My Granny bottle fed her (she's an only child)... I bottle fed my daughter...25 years ago... not sure why I had breast cancer last year....but you know what., this is a great question....I am hoping & praying some other poor young woman won't have to endure a mastectomy. It takes a lot to look in the mirror again and tell yourself you look sexy. Just glad God has allowed me to overcome this! Looking forward to hearing what others have to say!

I have often wondered what the feeling would be to nurse your own child...I believe, without knowing, that there would be such a special bonding as you fed a child from your own body....But mine was another time and another place...We were taught by our Mother's...They didn't, so we didn't...And we listened, because they knew best......We did not feed them canned type of formula like they do now...Ours consisted of evaporated milk with I believe a dextrose powder that we purchased...Some water was then mixed with it...It was all sterilized in a sterilizer and the milk was pure..Our home was like a hospital....Smelled wonderful and was rich and the child loved it....But, I still wonder....

Last night I searched the Internet trying to reach out and find if there is a possibility that I could be right about this assumption...Maybe the words of a doctor long ago with a "good" or the knowing that I had made the top of the list around here with women that will now judge me as putting my husband before my child in breast feeding...Either way, after being married 9 months and 17 days when she was born, I have no regrets...If this has held this special closeness that we have had over the years as close as it is, she and her two brothers, were just put on the back burner at that time in their life...I guess this may have gone along with my promise to myself after marriage that he would also think that I loved him more even though I loved the children...It was the thought that counted...Now in my later years in life, I wonder if this was part of the invisible chain that bound us together....

I sat up and read until three o'clock this morning of this subject...In fact it is late in the afternoon now as I touch it up...This bothers me...Why is it happening?...Why were wet nurses employeed years ago?..I have seen younger and older women's bodies stripped clean by an ugly surgery that possibly should have never been....Life changes...Our bodies change...I believe if there was any part of a study done that could cause any hesitation in a woman with breast cancer that she should put the brakes on rather than take a chance....They do this with HRT which is such an important addition to their body after and during menopause, but not with breast feeding...As far as bonding, sure we do it now...But, does this make the child love us more?....Does it makes us love them less?...Give these angels a few years and they will turn on you just like the new bred that we are seeing out in the world....A breast means nothing to them as far as closeness, but it may to us....Especially in our years ahead and the possibility of both being disfigured and/or losing our life.....

I know of Phil and Amy Michelson...They do a lot for kids and education...Knowing them, they will do more for this disease after this happening then people will ever know....Phil and Amy are in love as we are in love...Maybe this is what has touched me so deeply...I can see it in their eyes...And I can now feel the hell that they are going through as I write these words....

There is no cancer in either of our families...Our only daughter breast fed all three of her children...Our only daughter had thyroid cancer and I pray to God is doing well...She is my sorrow of life....I wonder how it is that a child can be both your pride and your sorrow?....Maybe someday if I can write through my tears, I will speak of it........

Caroline

P.S.This probably will be filled with errors as it is one of my "pound it out" specials...It is going on as I type it....I guess this is either when I am dangerous or make sense....So, what else is knew?....

At the Colonial Tournament in Ft. Worth, Texas, all the players have gone to pink today in honor of Amy...Pink shirts on the players as well as many of the staffers...Many in the crowd are in pink...An announcer is pink from head to toe...They are still doing the tests on her to determine which route to take...I have voiced my opinion to a couple very knowledgeable people...I can tell you this, a lot of research will be done on this....I wish her well....

I adopted my children, so I did not breastfeed. I just had a lumpectomy for breast cancer. Fortunately, it had not spread, so I will only need radiation therapy. No history of breast cancer in my family.