Monday, March 14, 2011
Mastitis which means tmi... a lot of tmi
Let me tell you how frustrating mastitis really is. I got back to feeding her on my bad side for two days, then it all went to hell in a hand basket. For instance look at the time I'm writing this right now. Yes two am and we are awake. Why are we awake mind you? We were in bed but after an hour of her fervently trying to eat from me I made her the 3.5 ounce bottle that took me four pumping sessions to make her today. Mind you I'm pretty sure she's still hungry and is WIDE awake right now sitting in her bouncy chair. So why wont I feed her on my bad side you wonder? I did feed her on my bad side today for about a minute. I had worked on my bad side for a good half hour in the shower that would melt a normal persons skins off and I felt around and thought it would be fine. I had her latch on and the intense nipple burning and pain was off the charts and so all I could last was a flippin minute. So I think I'm going to be destined to become a pumping queen for the next week or more. I'm not going to make the mistake of trying to feed her before I'm fully healed again. I hate the peer pressure I feel to "suck it up" and feed her on that side. I dont really care about the after burn I get from feeding her its the extreme nipple pain I get from it. I have to do whats right for me. So I'm going to go lop sided for a while and see how it goes. Today I've decided that since I woke up engorged and I couldn't express it out into a bottle or in the shower that I would just let it leak. So I have had a towel under me and have just been letting it go unhindered today. Is it wasting milk that I could be stock piling for her when she decides she wants to be a pig? Probably but my breast wont cooperate and let me catch it so blah... This is SO irritating I cant even put it into words. Telling me over and over again that tons of mothers have gotten it and I should just suck it up just makes me angry so if I hear it one more time I might hurt the person who says it... at least I haven't thrown my hands up entirely and switch to formula which I've been very tempted to do...
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2 comments:
Janell, I have been following your "adventures" in mastitis on here and on facebook and it in no way sounds as though people are saying "Hey we've all had it! Just suck it up!" It sounds like what they are saying is "Hey, it's very common in breastfeeding to have this problem and yeah it REALLY sucks and is horrifically painful. We know. We sympathize. However we also know that this is the best and quickest, albeit, the most painful way, to make it better." Now whether you can deal with that pain or not is your call (I'm kind of a baby with pain at times so it's likely that I couldn't if I were dealing with it) but it doesn't change the fact that it very well may be the BEST way if every person who has done it is telling you it worked for them. Still not saying "suck it up!" They are simply passing on information as to what WORKS and sympathizing with how painful they know it is and how much they know it will hurt if you do follow their advice. Also, are you supplementing with formula at all when you say she's still hungry but you can't get any more out? That could help tide her over until you can pump again or have more available in the good side. It's just temporary. Anyway I hope everything gets better soon! And I'm working on those wedding pics ;-)
Also, my mom is curious as to whether or not you got her text about neosporin, bag balm, hard nipple shields and using a heating pad on the infected breast? I remember her pretty much living with a heating pad on her breast for several days when she had mastitis with one of the girls but she says it definitely helped. It could at least be worth a try...
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