'I was so shocked. The lump had been there for three years. My doctor thought it was a cyst. But it had grown during my pregnancy. Still. I never suspected cancer. I worried about the baby.' Karyn Bailey said. 'My doctors. F.A. Moore and Gerald Miletello. worked closely together and came up with a treatment plan to keep us both safe. I started chemo on Jan. 17.'
'Fortunately. we don't see very many pregnant patients.' Miletello said. 'However. there is data to show that the drugs we gave Karyn (cytoxan and adriamycin) are safe when administered in the second and third trimester. She had a great response.'
Four chemo sessions delivered three weeks apart brought Karyn Bailey to within two and a half weeks of her delivery date and put her into remission. She suffered fatigue and nausea. as well as leg cramps and muscle spasms. She also lost her thick. blond hair.
Comprehensive biophysicals were conducted weekly to ensure that the baby was OK. While the sonograms and other tests were reassuring. the couple still worried. Obviously pregnant in the chemo room. Karyn attracted attention from other concerned patients and staff.
'I consulted with a breast cancer specialist about her case and communicated frequently with her obstetrician.' Miletello said. 'We had every reason to believe she and the baby would do well. but it still makes you nervous.'
Both parents shed tears of relief when Jordyn Reese Bailey was born weighing 6 pounds. red-headed baby girl was declared perfectly healthy. Her mother has hardly put her down since and only reluctantly shares her.



Pregnancy