My ‘morning sickness’ ended up being cancer: Mom-to-be, 24, is diagnosed at five months pregnant after covering up ‘weird’ nausea and a lump the size of a golf ball in the neck

An expectant mother is diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy has told how she covered up her ‘weird’ symptoms.

Caitlin McAlinden, from the Wirral, suffered severe morning sickness in her ‘rocky’ first trimester and vomited at least once a day.

The 24-year-old, who discovered she was pregnant in September 2023, fell asleep intermittently due to her extreme fatigue.

Fatigue and nausea are common in pregnant women, especially during the first twelve weeks.

Mrs McAlinden, whose due date is in May, noticed a pea-sized lump in her neck on Christmas Day. She also realized that she had lost the 2nd.

Still, she did not immediately seek help, but believed that the lump and painful neck were another “weird” consequence of the pregnancy.

When Ms McAlinden’s fatigue worsened in early 2024 and her lump tripled in size to that of a ‘golf ball’, she went to the GP.

Tests showed that the primary school teacher had done so stage one Hodgkin lymphoma.

Unintentional weight loss and swelling in the neck can both be telltale signs of the disease, says Cancer Research UK.

However, Mrs McAlinden, who was diagnosed in March, will not start chemotherapy until after her son is born.

She said: ‘This is not the pregnancy I was hoping for.

‘I haven’t felt well the whole time.

‘Everything I want to do after my baby is born has to be put on pause because of chemo.’

Mrs McAlinden added: ‘My chances are very good – but having a baby will be a good distraction from everything I’m going through.’

Ms McAlinden discovered she was pregnant on September 16, 2023 – after feeling sick at her birthday dinner the week before

Her partner, Connor, 27, (pictured) a purchasing manager, urged her to have the lump examined by a doctor

She is expected to make a full recovery, although she will need to take a steroid injection and a blood-thinning pill every morning as part of her treatment.

Cancer Research UK says chemo ‘can usually be given’ to women who are fourteen weeks pregnant, but not earlier, as it could harm the baby or cause a miscarriage.

The advice states: ‘You can sometimes postpone chemotherapy until the birth of your child, but that is not always possible.’

Ms McAlinden found out she was pregnant on September 16 after feeling sick at her birthday dinner the week before.

As morning sickness usually goes away after 16 to 20 weeks and can last even longer, Ms McAlinden did not find her vomiting unusual, according to the NHS.

It wasn’t until Christmas Day that she first noticed pain in her neck, which led her to find the lump.

Ms McAlinden, who is originally from Northern Ireland, said: ‘I went back to County Armagh to visit my family at Christmas.

‘I remember Christmas Day, falling asleep on the sofa and waking up with a really sore neck.

‘I thought I had just slept strangely, but I started massaging my neck. Then I found a lump about the size of a pea.’

Ms McAlinden described her first trimester as ‘rocky’, vomiting at least once a day and falling asleep intermittently throughout the day. It wasn’t until Christmas Day that she first noticed the pain in her neck and after weighing herself she noticed she had lost two stone, which could be a sign of cancer.

Speaking about how her symptoms worsened, Ms McAlinden added: ‘I was so, so tired.

‘If I walk up the stairs alone, I would have to lie down.

‘One day I felt my neck again and the lump was the size of a golf ball.’

Her partner, Connor, 27, a purchasing manager, urged her to have the lump examined by a doctor.

On January 2, she visited her GP and was referred for an ultrasound scan of her neck.

On January 16, she had a biopsy and the doctor asked Mrs McAlinden if there was a family history of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

She told them that one of her second cousins ​​had experienced it years ago and they urgently sent her for more blood tests.

“My doctor’s whole attitude changed when I mentioned I had a family history of it,” she said.

“I went for blood tests the same day.”

Two months later she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The mum-to-be says her partner Connor has been her ‘rock’ through the whole ordeal – and the couple have since found out they are having a baby boy, but will keep his name a secret

Hodgkin lymphoma is a form of cancer that starts in the white blood cells.

A painless swelling in a lymph node is the most common complaint. According to Cancer Research UK, this swelling can occur in the neck, armpit or groin.

If you have an infection, the lymph nodes usually swell, but usually return to their normal size after a short time.

However, in lymphoma they often grow slowly and can last for months or years before being noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly.

Around 2,000 Britons are diagnosed with cancer every year.

It can also cause shortness of breath and fatigue due to anemia due to low red blood cell counts, an increased risk of infections due to low white blood cell counts, and bleeding problems such as nosebleeds and heavy periods.

Like Ms. McAlinden, many people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma also suffer from unintentional weight loss.

When she was diagnosed in March, she immediately began steroid treatment to reduce the mass in her neck.

She was told she does not need surgery and doctors are confident she can start chemotherapy after her due date on May 8.

Cancer Research UK explains that the placenta acts as the barrier between expectant mothers and the baby, and only some medications can cross this barrier.

Chemo will prevent Ms McAlinden from having a baptism or breastfeeding, which is not recommended because the powerful drugs can pass through the milk.

She said: ‘In Catholic culture, we are expected to baptize our baby within the first few days of birth.

‘But that coincides with chemotherapy, so that is not possible.

‘I really wanted to breastfeed, but chemo is preventing me from doing so.’