A mum-to-be who beat breast cancer but lost her breasts says dozens of women stepped in to help feed her miracle baby
Claire Scott was given just a 30% chance of survival after doctors discovered three tumours in her breast that had already spread to her lymph nodes.
She underwent gruelling chemotherapy before fighting for a double mastectomy, determined to do everything possible to stay alive.
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Last month, the 44-year-old gave birth to son Finlay, weighing 9lb 4oz, by planned caesarean section after four rounds of IVF.
During her pregnancy, Claire says she was heartbroken at the thought of never being able to breastfeed after cancer treatment.
But after posting in a local Facebook group, around 20 women offered to donate their own breast milk and colostrum free of charge.
Now, instead of worrying about whether her baby will receive breast milk, Claire says she has had to turn away offers because her freezer is already overflowing.
“I thought I’d have a few pouches from a few ladies, but I literally have bags for life full of them,” Claire, from Leeds, West Yorks, told Need To Know.
“I have had to turn down donations as we have almost filled our freezer with breastmilk.
“I didn’t quite know what to expect, but these girls had bags of the stuff, all dated, and frozen ready to go.
“It’s amazing.
“I spoke to the midwives at the hospital and said I had colostrum and donated breast milk, and they thought it was amazing.
“I was just pleased that my boy would benefit from a stranger’s generosity and desire to help.
“It’s a totally altruistic thing to do and comes from a place of purity.
“These women are mums who all wanted the best for their babies and were touched by my story and wanted to help.
“So giving my baby milk from a human with that amount of love to share their milk is actually very humbling.”
Claire shared a post on social media asking fellow mums for their help and was inundated with responses.
The expectant mum met each of the women personally before accepting their donations.
Claire said: “I put a post in a Facebook group explaining my situation and there’s an underground world of amazing women who will donate breast milk completely for free.
“I’ve collected some colostrum from someone’s house almost straight away.
“I feel so much better and my faith in humanity has been restored.
“Having personally met all the ladies that donated and seen their gorgeous babies, I had no doubts about giving my boy their milk.
“No cash changes hands, and this is important as it’s done to help, not to capitalise.
“This means there’s no gain to come for the ladies donating other than knowing they’re helping someone else.
“It means that there’s complete honesty and transparency.”
Even Claire’s husband, Alistair, 40, who was initially unsure about donor milk, has completely embraced the idea.
Claire said: “My husband thought it was a bit gross at first; he was asking if they’d been blood tested, but these women are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts and they sent so much personal information about themselves, like how much caffeine they consume and if they’ve ever smoked.
“Now, Alistair has been really happy to give the donated breast milk to Finlay.
“He can see, having met one of the ladies himself, that it’s a beautiful thing that they are doing.
“It’s strange because I’m sure some people might find it weird or gross but we are quick to drink another species milk, like cows or goats and find it strange to give a baby human milk that we were designed to consume.
“But I guess that’s just how we’ve been conditioned to think.”
Finlay received donated colostrum immediately after birth and is now being fed on a combination of donor breast milk and formula.
Claire says two women donated colostrum before the tot arrived, while another four have already stocked her freezer with breast milk.
She added that another six mums have offered to donate once the current supply runs low.
While recovering from her caesarean section, Alistair was able to take over overnight feeds, giving him precious bonding time with his son.
Claire said: “I can’t stop picking Finlay up and looking at him.
“There’s another benefit as Alistair has been able to share some of the feeding.
“He’s taken on the night shifts to let me get rest and recover and this has given him the chance to bond with his boy too.”
Claire was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in April 2013 after noticing a shooting pain and a pea-sized lump near her right nipple.
The diagnosis came just a week before she was due to marry Alistair.
Claire says the reality of her situation truly hit home when doctors warned that chemotherapy would likely destroy her fertility, at just 31.
Six rounds of chemotherapy successfully shrank the tumours, but Claire then pushed doctors to remove both breasts.
She was declared cancer-free in November 2013.
The couple delayed trying for a baby for five years after Claire lost a friend she met during chemotherapy to secondary breast cancer.
After the pandemic delayed their plans, the couple began IVF using eggs Claire had frozen before treatment.
It was their fourth attempt and final embryo that worked and, in November last year, she finally fell pregnant.
Since becoming a mum, Claire is adamant she made the right decision by choosing the surgery – despite not being able to physically feed her son herself.
She added: “I questioned my decision much in the run-up to the birth.
“Should I have just done a lumpectomy or single mastectomy?
“When I chose the surgery, I was in survival mode.
“I just wanted to live; I was so firm in my convictions – I fought for it.
“But when I was pregnant, the breastfeeding issue hit me.
“You really want to give your baby the best start in life, and you have it rammed down your throat that breast is best.
“I wanted to say, ‘I’d love to, but I can’t.’
“It’s an experience and a sensation, and being able to nurture your baby as nature intended.
“I’m grateful to be here and I’m so lucky to be pregnant, but there were those moments when I realised I wouldn’t have that.
“Whilst I’ll never know what it’s like to have breastfed my boy, don’t feel sad about it; knowing I can give him the goodness from breast milk that others have donated has really helped me heal my grief about it.
“I didn’t feel any grief about not breastfeeding him.
“Holding my baby close whilst bottle feeding was and is the most joyful experience.
“When I look at my baby now and think back to when they told me my prognosis, I’m so glad I fought as hard as I did to beat my cancer.
“They say everything happens for a reason, and he’s my reason
“I know I made the right decision.
“Now he’s here; the most important thing is that I have my life and have been able to bring him into this world.”
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