Hi all,
a quick selfish post for me today, as i dont have time to read all the news.
Sadly i've been in hosptial for the past few days with a bad breast infection It came on really suddenly on Friday night after an awesome dinner out with DH while his parents minded T. I felt a twinge in my breast about 9 and thought 'thats strange' and by 11pm i was freezing cold, shaking uncontrolably. Progressed to vomiting and awful headache and went to the hospital. I had a fever of 40 degrees by 1am so stayed all night with my lovely MIL while DH went home to get rest for the next day. I left emergency in the morning, but was back in by Sunday morning with a really swollen red breast and fevers, eventually getting out on Tuesday afternoon. It was not fun at all, but DH really stepped up and looked after T so well when i couldnt. We're back home now (after thankfully a good 6 hr car trip) and trying to get feeding going again, but its hard work with both nipples cracked and bleeding every 2nd feed, not enough milk and poor T getting sore tummy from antibiotics. Trying to stay positive! Wish us luck, will check in with you all soon.
Kelly & Tadhg
God, you guys are soooo motivated to keep up the B feeding after all you're going through. I honestly don't know how you all cope, I cringe just READing your posts.
If I had to deal with any of the stuff that you guys are, I think I would be an absolute nut case and a useless mother.
Givin' all you ladies props, You all deserve medals!!
Well it's been a not so great week. I've always found BFing a bit painful, but until recently have found the pain manageable and have been able to tolerate it enough to keep going because everyone says it gets better... when?! Early this week however, I had an increasing pain in my left breast, which felt like a nerve sort of pain that shot through my breast and all the way down my left arm to my wrist and was unbearable, then I started getting a similar pain in my right breast, probably not quite as bad. The last time I BF emily was Tuesday morning, when it was so excruciating I was in tears the whole time and had to take her off early. I didn't have a proper let-down because I was so tense and she wasn't getting much milk because of that. So I pumped a bottle of EBM for her next feed. I asked some advice here on BB and also called the ABA, both of whom said it sort of sounded like thrush or a breast infection so I figured a trip to the Dr was in order to get something to make it better again. Mum came over and off we toddled to the GP who checked out my rack and after some prodding and examining determined there to be NOTHING wrong. She said it sounded like a nerve ending that Emily must hit when she feeds, as expressing doesn't hurt at all. I went to see a child health nurse for a 2nd opinion who said the same thing to which I burst into tears and she said to give it a few days and try her again, and if it's still that painful I'll either have to continue expressing, or make the switch to formula. She told me I needed to get more sleep, stress less blah blah blah, or I wont make enough milk to express as it's hard to keep your supply up expressing full time and I wont make any if i'm stressed. I was also screened for PND I think, she was asking me all these questions, I think it was because I was so upset, tired and stressed. I know i'm not depressed, i'm just exhausted.
Since then i've been expressing every hour and have been making enough EBM to have 2 bottles in the fridge at all times, but can't seem to build up any more than that. My biggest problem is that I want her to have BM, but I don't want her on my boobs... the thought of it makes me anxious and I have alot of guilt over the fact that I just don't want to. Even if the pain stopped today I think I still wouldn't want to. I don't really know why either. So i'm going to attempt exclusive expressing and see how long I can do that for until I decide where my heads at and what I want to do. DF flies back in this arvo, can't wait to see him... he has a knack for making everything better.
This prob all seems silly, a couple of you have had way more issues with BFing than I have and have come through it all, and here I am ready to give up after my first hurdle.
Hope you're all doing well, Kelly i'm sorry to hear about your breast infection Will come back soon to read what the rest of you guys are up to and do some persies, have to get Emily up for a visit to Pooley and master Frazer.
Pooley - amazing how hard this feeding business can be isnt it! My mum keeps being so supportive of bottle feeding i almost feel like she is trying to get me to stop BFing! She means well, and just doesnt want me to get sick again. We'll see how we go. I think my problems started when i tried to get T off the nipple shields on advice of my health nurse saying it was better for him to be skin on skin. I think we'll stick wih shields now and hope the cracks go away!
Janine - not to scare you, but my breast infection felt like shooting nerve pain at the start - so just keep an eye on it and if you get flu symptoms, fever, headache etc go back to the Dr for antibiotics. I think your plan of expressing is a good one for now, you will probably feel much better about feeding after your nipples have had a break
We had 6 week jabs today, and it went quite well really. Tadhg only cried for about 30 seconds - but man he went red and had a tiny tear in each eye - the first i've seen from him. The nurse said he is the bravest baby she's seen in a long time, as he was quite happy with a cuddle and dummy within a couple of mins, and asleep in about 10 mins for the ride home. Good luck to all of you about to go through the same!
K
ps. for those expressing - are you washing and sterilizing your pump etc after every time? I am currently, but finding it really time consuming and wonder if its necessary?
Last edited by kellynz; October 9th, 2009 at 11:42 AM.
: added question
Kelly, I know in my hospital we don't sterilise anything anymore. Warm soapy water and drip dry, thats for all pump equipment and bottles. I think the World Health Organisation came out with new research that all the sterilising wasn't necessary. I have a pump and i don't even have a steriliser - I just do the above.
Oh Janine - i was cringing with sympathy pain. You poor love. Do whatever is best for you.
I too am wondering when the nipple pain will go away. My nipple pain is ramped up at the moment because my baby Lucifer will not sleep. She is still feeding hourly I have no idea why. I have become slightly snappish of late with DH baring the brunt of my attacks!
I did take her for her 4 week weigh in - she has put on 1.1kg from birth. I was happy with that.
Taurean - i have tried expressing post feeds and get nothing pretty much. I think maybe i need to pump more to produce more - hard when she will only settle on my chest.
Whats with all the boobie issues?? You think that for something that is supposedly so natural, we wouldn't be having so many problems.
I have been keeping quiet on my issue, as it isn't as big as some of your issues. I really feel for you all.
But it seems like my supply is dwindling, and I can't make enough for more than 1 feed a day. I'm expressing for half an hour to get as much out of each boob as possible, but I have gone from 100 mls plus (give or take) each express to 50 mls... I can for the first express of the day get up to 80mls.
Ava is up to drinking 150mls each feed, and its just too much for me to keep up with. I was topping up with formula and now I'm using formula and doing 1 feed of EBM a day now. I was hoping for at least the first 6 wks I would be able to EBM feed Ava, but I'm struggling to keep up and trying to get ahead is now just a dream.
But Ava is happy and healthy and thriving, so I can't complain too much. And like I said before, my issue is really a non-issue compared to what some of you are going through.
On a seperate note, was watching the new ep of ghost whisperer this morning. Catching up on my programs...
So she gave birth to a bub and it latched straight away with no issues.... no wonder we all think that BF'ing is supposed to be the easiest thing in the world! Makes me so mad and frustrated, when Ava wasn't interested at all from the get-go.
Big non booby squishy hugs to you all. (don't wanna hurt the sore boobies y'all have).
Well we are the broken boobs brigade, aren't we?! It's quite unbelievable really but at least we can all share the pain and advice.
Janine - keep an eye on your symptoms hon. Sounds exactly like what I had which was severe thrush and a staph infection. I really feel for you. The thrush was causing the shooting pain though. Actually, the thrush was causing most my symptoms which are exactly what you have described. I'd be getting yet another opinion if I was you. Izzy and I are both taking probiotic supplements (me tablets and Izzy has powder in one bottle each day) and Izzy still has Nilstat drops 4 times a day and I have just finished my third Diflucan tablet (one tablet every second day for three tablets only). I did get doctors and my lac consultants approval to do this but it's a very normal remedy for breast thrush. I think (and hope!) that it's finally working now. I'm eating lots of really good yoghurt too for the extra good bacteria. Good luck honey and hang in there.
Kosi - I agree! Damn TV shows that make BF look easy. My god it is far from it! Give me labour any day!! Glad to hear Ava is thriving though but such a bugger about your supply.
Sanchez - big hugs honey. At least I'm getting decent breaks in between feeds (besides Izzy's two random days this week) so I can express. You really are doing it tough. Have you tried formula tops ups to give your boobs a rest and give yourself time to express? Izzy is having a formula bottle each day (as recommended by both my lac consultant and health nurse) and she loves it. We are using S26 Gold. I still have bloody nipple pain too. All this talk of 'breastfeeding shouldn't hurt' is a load of crap!!! Everyone I've spoken too lately said they experienced a lot of pain initially too!! So I think it is normal but it really doesn't make you want to stick with it, hey?!
Kelly - hope you're feeling better hon, sounds like it. With regards to sterilising - nope, we aren't either. Both my lac consultant and health nurse said it's no longer necessary and a waste of time. Like Sanchez, we just use hot soapy water and let them air dry or I use a tea towel if I need them sooner.
Pooley - you're a smart cookie formula feeding. I never thought BF would be so damn difficult!! But I am determined as I have invested so much time and energy into it now (not to mention $$$!) so I'll keep trying for a bit longer at least. I think we'll hire our pump for another month and then see where we are at. Frazer is doing so well, you must be wrapped! He's almost twice the size of Izzy!!
Hi Art, Nicola, Sangie, PB and who ever else I've missed.
Us - we are back to the drawing board as Izzy has only gained 100gms this week I had been trying to cut back on her comp feeds since Sunday and obviously it didn't agree with her so after speaking to my LC today, we are back to the original plan - 10-15 mins on each side then a top of EBM and feeding three hourly. Bugger!!! I'm disappointed but not really upset this time as I know she will gain weight with the comp feeds. I guess I also know what to expect and know I'll be permantely attached to the couch so I'm inviting someone over each day for the next week so I at least have some contact with the outside world as the process definitely doesn't allow much time to leave the house. Wish me luck
Oh, a positive comes from all this though as my LC doesn't think Izzy has colic, she reckons she has just been hungry which makes perfect sense as her unsettled times coincide with the drop in comp feeds. The LC reckons she'll be back to her settled self in no time and judging from today, she's right.
I'm off to bed to get some rest while I can. DH is getting up with us throughout the night to give Izzy her comp feeds while I express. I wouldn't normally express through the night but I want to get a really good start on this process again so we'll do the 'overtime' tonight.
Have a great weekend girls and I that all our boobies, BF and weight gain issues are resolved soon.
It came on really suddenly on Friday night after an awesome dinner out with DH while his parents minded T. I felt a twinge in my breast about 9 and thought 'thats strange' and by 11pm i was freezing cold, shaking uncontrolably. Progressed to vomiting and awful headache and went to the hospital. I had a fever of 40 degrees by 1am so stayed all night with my lovely MIL while DH went home to get rest for the next day. I left emergency in the morning, but was back in by Sunday morning with a really swollen red breast and fevers, eventually getting out on Tuesday afternoon. It was not fun at all, but DH really stepped up and looked after T so well when i couldnt. We're back home now (after thankfully a good 6 hr car trip) and trying to get feeding going again, but its hard work with both nipples cracked and bleeding every 2nd feed, not enough milk and poor T getting sore tummy from antibiotics. Trying to stay positive! Wish us luck, will check in with you all soon.
that all our boobies, BF and weight gain issues are resolved soon.
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