Breast Cancer, Ta-Tas, and a Giveaway

As part of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Save the Ta-tas Foundation invited bloggers to write a post on breast cancer. Their foundation was created as a way to fight breast cancer using “laughter and fun”. And as a pretty big supporter of those two things, I am excited to get to write a blog post. The Ta-tas website donates a portion of all sales to the fight against breast cancer. Keep reading and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a one of their onesies. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO COMMENT USING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU'D LIKE TO WIN.

I have never thought about boobs more in my entire life. As a new mom, they are constantly on my mind. In the past, they were just two things I had to contain in a nice, little, lacy bra. Okay, fine, I'll be honest…. A nice, not-so-little, comfortable t-shirt bra. But then I got pregnant. And things…intensified. They were huge. And hurt. I bought bigger, uglier bras. Then I had a baby and bought bigger, uglier nursing bras. Boobs were all over my life and I had better get used to it. After I gave birth, the hospital offered me a crash course in this new way of thinking when I had about 5 nurses pulling and positioning my breasts trying to help me breastfeed. A lactation consultant calmly examined my nipples and told me they were great for latching. I'd go to a mommy and me class and women were whipping them out and breastfeeding their newborns. Breastfeeding was, at first, quite a trial. Why in the hell don't they tell you how difficult it can be? So many books and classes made it sound like breastfeeding was the most magical, natural thing in the world and a newborn would latch on minutes after being born and angels would sing and bells would chime and there would be a pixie dust glow about the room. Maybe that's what it's like for some women, but not for me. It was a skill that both my son and I had to learn. But once we did we were off and running. I am now one of those women who breastfeeds in the mommy and me class and who casually nurses my son for an entire cross-country flight. I can certainly complain about some aspects of breastfeeding (and do) but only to my husband. And, well, maybe to the whole world wide web…the saggy boobs, the humongous size increase, the feeling like a human pacifier, the fact that your husband can't substitute for you at 3am, etc. All downsides to nursing. But most days I think of my friend and I am extremely grateful for this gift, saggy boobs and all.

Jenny is exactly one week younger than me. We've been to Italy together, we've thrown joint birthday parties, we've worked together for years. She's tall, I'm tall. She likes food, I like food. She's funny, I'm funny. So when she told me right after our 31st birthday that she had breast cancer, I was floored. 31 years old? My age? Impossible. She was so healthy! Way healthier than me. She would describe her 10-mile hikes, her yoga sessions, juice smoothies, and her exercise classes and I would shudder in horror. Yet suddenly I was pregnant and bemoaning my aching boobs, and she was about to have a mastectomy. And a few months later I had this tiny little being that I loved and, by some miracle, I could feed and nourish him all with my boobs. In the blink of an eye, our roles could have been reversed. I easily could have been the one who, early on a Saturday morning in the bathroom, found a lump rather than a positive pregnancy test. But here I was breastfeeding my newborn and I thought about what I would do if that opportunity were taken away from me. If these boobs I'd been complaining about and that nurses had been poking and prodding were no longer. And I was so sad. Then I was pissed. And then I was full of admiration for Jenny. She got her diagnosis and then refused to be a victim. She researched, she read every article and website about the subject, she fought her cancer with surgery, with Western medicine and with Eastern acupuncture and diet changes. She handled it about 100 times better than I ever could have. Breast cancer, like all cancers, is so damn unfair and cruel. And it doesn’t discriminate based on age. I could have easily been the one diagnosed in the middle of my 30s. I know women with double mastectomies certainly go on to have children and bottle-feed their newborns and I think that's so amazing. But to want to breastfeed and not have the option because of breast cancer… It breaks my heart. So even with my saggy boobs, stretched out nursing bras, bouts of mastitis, breast pads, engorgement pain, pumping sessions, and a teething infant, I'm forever grateful for this experience.

Learn more about donating to the fight against breast cancer by visiting Save The Ta-Tas. Ta-tas is helping me give away one of their baby onesies. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment. For an additional entry and chance to win, you can follow my blog. Once we've picked a random winner next Wednesday 10/19, I'll email that person to get the desired size and address. Good luck! Contest valid for residents of the U.S. only. Must be 18 years or older and remember to provide a valid email address. We can't have an ANONYMOUS winner because I won't know how to contact you. Thanks!