You may recall that I have been facing difficulties with a breast - mastitis, to be precise. I hadn't been able to kick this problem, despite three courses of antibiotics, massage, continued feeding on the breast in question, and a goal of drinking massive amounts of water. Perhaps my attemps at these activities weren't as strong as they could have been, or there was a problem with my breast to begin with. Whatever the reason, my mastitis seems to have progressed into an abscess - a pocket of infection that needs to be drained. It's red, sore and difficult to feed with, and the nipple is looking slightly skewed. (ok, really skewed, red and swollen - my husband refuses to even look at it. Nope, no second baby for us anytime soon!) Were I not so completely dedicated to breast feeding, I would have easily given up.
My doctor has referred me to have an ultrasound so that the doctors can see whether the mastitis has progressed to an abscess. If it has, I believe the solution will be to lance it and let it ooze. Sounds lovely. Pregnancy and breastfeeding continue to make my body into a punching bag for my own body. It's like an internal version of Fight Club - it's just as secretive and serious, but no one on the outside can see the pain.
As a temporary measure, I've begun steadily expressing from the affected breast and feeding James a bottle. He had difficulties with the Medela bottles, but loves the Mimijumi bottle I was given as a gift. It looks a bit odd - it's shaped like a breast to make the experience better for the baby - but it seems to work well. I'm hoping that using this breast-shaped bottle will make it easier for James to return to the actual breast when the situation has improved. If I can go through the added hassle of pumping, surely he can go through the added hassle of latching to the breast!
No comments:
Post a Comment