Alex Cheshire-Round, 29, discovered she had breast cancer while expecting her second child. She noticed hard breast tissue at 24 weeks and assumed it was early milk production, as had happened with her first pregnancy. After her husband suggested a check, a biopsy in early June revealed cancer. A month later, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Diagnosis and Surgery
Scans showed the cancer had not spread to her heart, liver, or lungs, but a full-body CT scan was not possible due to her pregnancy. On July 14 at Coventry Hospital, a 5cm lump was removed from her breast, along with lymph nodes from under her right arm. Five minutes after the operation, her baby showed signs of distress, leading to an emergency caesarean. Her daughter, Lexi, was born at 1.57pm weighing 4lb 13oz at 33 weeks.
Mother's Reaction
Alex, from Nuneaton, who works in sales, said: "This is very scary and was a huge shock. I just shrugged it off at first - you go through so many changes when you're pregnant. It's so rare for someone my age to get breast cancer. I just thought it must be something to do with pregnancy and hormonal changes." She now faces chemotherapy and worries about bonding with her children during treatment. She urges others to get any unusual changes checked, even during pregnancy.
