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(PITTSBURGH) – A breast cancer survivor created a unique solution to alert hospital staff that would not be breastfeeding her newborn due to a double mastectomy.
Meghan Koziel, 29, of Pittsburgh, Pa., Is gaining attention on social media for the banner titled "No Breastfeeding Zone," which featured the following poem:
Breastfeeding is a very special task.
Please be aware before you ask.
Our miracle baby will formula fed,
And it will not affect her future ahead.
"I wanted to be ashamed and sparkly because that's how I am, and I thought it was less intrusive," Koziel told "Good Morning America." "To tell them, 'I do not have boobs.' They'd read the sign and laugh. "
Koziel was diagnosed with breast cancer on Oct 12, 2015 when she was 26 years old. She underwent chemotherapy, has double mastectomy, 33 rounds of radiation, and two breast reconstruction surgeries, she said.
Soon after, Koziel married her husband John and the two began family planning. Koziel said she did IVF for an egg retrieval to preserve the couple's luck to have a child.
"It was so much because chemotherapy damages your ovaries," she said. "I always dreamed of being a mom."
With the advice of a fertility specialist, the Koziels tried to have a baby naturally for six months and succeeded. In January, Koziel learned she was expecting.
"It was the best day of my life," Koziel said.
Koziel has been cancer-free since July 2017. She's documented her journey on her page where she and her "breasts" empower one another.
Koziel said that when she was preparing to give birth, she said that she had a baby in her mouth. Koziel then decided to make one of her own.
Fellow moms praised Koziel for identifying the fact that not everyone can breastfeed. But there were also a few negative comments about her formula for feeding her child, Koziel said.
"I do not have milk ducts," said Koziel said, adding that it was going to be milked, but it was not affordable for her. "[The banner] was not meant to be aggressive. It was meant to say, 'This is my history, just move on.' "
Elizabeth LaFleur, a registered nurse and lactation consultant, at Mayo Clinic, St. Mary's Campus in Rochester, Minnesota, said she's seen similar situations where a mother was not able to breastfeed.
"It's also the mother's decision," LaFleur told "GMA." "If it's going to be the most secure."
LaFleur added that prenatal shopping is a good place to help you or not breastfeeding.
"The education is there, should [expectant mothers] need it or desire it, "she said.vb
On September 15, the Koziels welcomed a daughter, Kendra Jane – named after Koziel 's Oncologist, Jane Raymond.
"I want to know that you can be sick, but you can still live a beautiful life," Koziel said. "If your dream is to be a mom, there are options … you can find that love of life."
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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