A mum-of-three has opened up about a "weird" symptom that led to a shocking cancer diagnosis just days before she gave birth.
Kate Grainger was 32 weeks pregnant with her third child when she noticed her colostrum - the first milk produced by the body - was a reddish pink colour instead of yellow.
The woman, who is a teacher and is also a mum to Leo, four, and Iris, two, was not concerned at first and thought the strange colour was due to her pregnancy.
The 31-year-old said she "didn't think anything of it" as she thought "weird things happen" during pregnancy.
At 35 weeks pregnant, the mum, who lives in Newman in Western Australia's thinly populated region of Pilbara, where no birthing facilities are available, packed up and travelled 1,400km with her family to South West region, in the South West.
After travelling another 50km to see her obstetrician in Bunbury, Ms Grainger mentioned the discolouration in her colostrum and was sent for an ultrasound of her breast.
It was then that the family was shaken by the tragic news that doctors discovered a mass the size of a walnut, reports 7Life.
Ms Grainger said: "Nothing they could say would reassure me that it was okay. It was just pure fear, pure terror and shock and horror.
"(It was a like) death sentence just game over - it felt like my world had been crushed."
Doctors also discovered a swollen lymph node as well as dilated ducts throughout her breast.
The mum said she and her husband Joel, 35, tried to stay positive but when she was 37 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with Grade 3 triple negative breast cancer - which is described by Macmillan Cancer Support as "a less common type of breast cancer".
It develops in about one in five women with breast cancer (15 to 20 per cent) and is more common in women under 40.
Ms Grainger said the diagnosis "flipped everyone's world upside down" and the following day, she was told she needed to have a C-section.
The woman and her husband welcomed their baby boy, Heath, on February 25 - and the third-time mum said it was "the most beautiful experience".
In the week after giving birth, the woman was brought back and forth between the maternity and cancer wards to undergo further tests and determine what kind of treatment she will need.
Because she needed to start chemotherapy, Ms Grainger and her husband missed their son Leo's fourth day, which she said was "devastating", even though the boy still had a nice day after the family arranged a beach party.
The woman will now need to have up to 20 chemotherapy sessions as well as surgery and radiation.
She also arranged some sessions with a psychologist who specialises in perinatal psychology to support her through the process.
Due to her treatment, the family will be forced to stay away from their home for about a year - and their friends have created a GoFundMe page to support the parents and their three children with the costs of accommodation, flights, food and care.
Friend Holly Smith, who organised the fundraiser, said Kate is "a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and all-round fantastic human".
So far, $70,055 (£38,100) of a $100,000 (£54,400) goal has been raised. In an update earlier this week, Holly said little Heath is doing well and only has a sore tummy while he adjusts to baby formula.
You can donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.
