How This Breastfeeding Mom Found Out Her Inverted Nipple Was a Sign of Breast Cancer

When a mom from Wales named Ruth Taylor noticed that her nipple was puckered and inverted, she chalked it up to being pregnant while breastfeeding her first child Anni. "I couldn't feel a lump, so I wasn't overly concerned," Taylor told Mercury Press. "If I hadn't pestered the midwives to examine me while I was in hospital giving birth, chances are I would have just gone back to my busy life and ignored it for even longer."

It's a good thing she spoke up, because the day after her second baby, Harri, was born, Taylor's midwives actually found a lump, and scans and bioposies confirmed the mom of two had an aggressive form of breast cancer. (Warning: Graphic images of Taylor's cancer surgeries ahead.)

"So, to say the diagnosis rocked our world is an understatement – we were in shock, petrified, it felt surreal," Taylor explained. "Cancer was definitely something that happened to other people. We couldn't believe we were holding a newborn and a toddler feeling completely vulnerable and uncertain about our future."

Taylor had her first round of chemotherapy when her newborn was just five weeks old and shaved her head in front of her daughter after her hair began to fall out.​ 

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"Having two children under the age of two and dealing with the side effects of chemo was a struggle and there were days I felt so unwell it was hard to get out of bed," Taylor admitted. "I made it through by focusing on one hour at a time. I had to; there was no other choice. Being a new mum with cancer could be quite a lonely place to be, but the children definitely encouraged me to focus on getting better. They kept us busy, sane and positive, and I am really proud of how our family got through it together."

Taylor also had two operations — the first to remove the cancer in her lymph nodes:

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And another to remove her lymph nodes, during which her nipple was cut out and lowered, leaving it crooked and pointing outward. ​

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In retrospect, she says she's proud of her "wonky nipple," explaining, "I'm grateful I have a healthy wonky nipple – that's more than good enough for me."

After 20 rounds of radiotherapy, which were ongoing since October 2014, Taylor has been told she's cancer-free.

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