When I found out in September 2014 my cousin had been diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently found out in January 2015 that I am positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, I felt like time was not on my side. At the time my daughter was four years old and I had dreams of a second child. However, my husband and I didn’t feel it was the right time to try. Fast forward to early 2016, the time was finally right, and we began to try for baby number two. We tried for two years with no success. We even saw a fertility specialist and confirmed that we had all the right parts in all the right quantities to have another baby, we just needed more patience and persistence: pregnancy post-DIEP – part 1.
By Spring 2018 I was wrapping up a Master’s degree and decided I just couldn’t wait for a second baby that may never come in order to have the prophylactic bilateral mastectomy I had been planning to have since the day I found out I was positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. So, I filled out an online consult request with PRMA in San Antonio, Texas and got the ball rolling. At the time I was living in Tucson, Arizona, but really wanted to have an in-person consult with Dr. Peter Ledoux at PRMA before jumping into this surgery.
Fortunately for me, three of my family members had great experiences with mastectomies and DIEP Flap breast reconstruction with PRMA. They were able to answer many of the questions I had before I even met with Dr. Ledoux. The one question I didn’t have an answer to yet was, “Will I be able to get pregnant after having this surgery?” To my surprise, Dr. Ledoux assured me PRMA has had several patients deliver healthy babies after going through DIEP Flap reconstruction. The only question remaining for me was whether nature would be on my side!
In June 2018, I travelled to San Antonio for my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with DIEP Flap reconstruction. Overall, my recovery went smoothly with only a few small wound healing issues. Just four months later, in October 2018, my body was ready for phase two fat grafting and scar corrections. Dr. Ledoux did an amazing job with both surgeries. I couldn’t be happier with my results, but I still yearned for a second child. Throughout my recovery I had ample time to think about the future and ultimately begin to think about what the future would be like if we weren’t able to have another child. Slowly, I began to heal physically and mentally, and to plan our future with only one beautiful, full of life child.
By January 2019, I was physically healed and had decided it was time to move on with life. I started going through all the baby stuff I had held onto for years and decided it was time to part ways. Our family was making plans and excited about what the future held. Then one day in April I realized my clockwork cycle wasn’t on schedule. Trying not to hope too hard, I took a pregnancy test and was shocked to see the positive result! Three years of trying and two surgeries later and it looked like my dreams were finally coming true. Immediately I had so many more questions, and thoughts, and fears.
How will this pregnancy be different than my pre-DIEP pregnancy? Will there be lasting effects on my body? I just went through major surgery with the one bonus being the nice flat belly I ended up with. Would this pregnancy ruin all of Dr. Ledoux’s hard work? Then I mourned at the thought of breastfeeding. I successfully breastfed my daughter for 12 months and was always hoping to breastfeed this second child. Now that I don’t have breast tissue, I’m dealing with the mental anguish of not having that option this time around.
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m taking it one day at a time. I’m focusing on me and the growing baby inside me. I’m celebrating the proactive decision I made to take my health and future into my own hands. I am working through the grief as it comes. This baby girl is developing right on track in an attempt to be born on her sister’s birthday this December. It is an exciting time to wait and watch this development. I know having a baby after DIEP Flap reconstruction is possible and doesn’t pose a danger to myself or the baby. Having a strong support system in place to support and encourage me along the way is something I feel fortunate about. I guess we’ll all have to just stay tuned to found out the answers to some of those other questions.