I was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 33 years old and about six weeks postpartum, after the birth of my second child.

I had some symptoms during my pregnancy which were put down to pregnancy issues (constipation, blood in stool, heaviness) and advised to get it checked if things continued after the baby was born.

I’m so lucky that I listened to my gut and did get to the GP, who took bloods and sent me for a colonoscopy.

No one expected to find cancer - the GP and specialist presumed it would be an inflammatory bowel disease and even started me on steroids to treat the suspected IBD.

When I woke from the colonoscopy, I was told they had found a mass. The first 48 hours was hell. We didn’t know where or how far the cancer had spread and therefore what the treatment would look like.

Having two small children and my husband - all I wanted was to make sure I was here to look after them all for as long as they needed me.

At 8 weeks postpartum I had surgery to remove the mass. My baby came with me to hospital, and I had so much support to ensure that I could continue to breastfeed him as this was very important to me.

I was so fortunate to find that we had caught it early and I did not require further treatment after surgery, just surveillance to ensure things continue to travel well.

My one piece of advice for others:

It is scary having a colonoscopy or it can be awkward discussing your symptoms but trust me - it is sooo much better to know and to be sure. I’m so, so grateful I was able to act quickly and as a result had a good result.

Do it for your family. ❤️