...And then she woke up with mastitis.
May. 4th, 2005 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaI woke up to feed the baby at 5am, and one of my breasts felt hugely, painfully engorged. I couldn't wait for her to go back to sleep after feeding, so that I could go downstairs and pump off the excess. But as I lay in bed encouraging her to quiet down, I started shivering - and then shaking, and then having my teeth chatter painfully. By the time she went back to sleep, I was shaking so badly that I could barely hold the pump. Michael piled blankets over me. They didn't help. He brought me some hot water to drink. That didn't help either. And for all that I felt so engorged, I was only able to pump about an ounce.
I tried to convince him that he should go to work and not worry about me. I pointed out that sleep deprivation led to problems regulating body temperature. For some reason, though, he was having none of it.
I got back in bed, still shivering so hard my muscles ached, and promptly threw up the small amount of water I had managed to drink. I took a couple more sips and threw them up too. My temperature was close to 100, and it wasn't even 8am. At that point, I didn't argue when Michael wanted to call the on-call midwife instead of waiting for the office to open.
The midwife confirmed what we'd both suspected: mastitis, or infected milk ducts. She called in a prescription for antibiotics and directed me to nurse as often as possible and to put hot compresses on my breast. Mercifully, once I started to warm up (huddled under a big pile of blankets), I was able to drink some water and keep it down - I had visions of going to the ER for IV fluids, and I didn't like them at all. Nursing doesn't really mix well with not drinking fluids. But I was able to drink some water, and then take my antibiotic and a fever reducer, and eventually I even felt like eating something.
Michael stayed home from work to take care of me and Alex, thank heaven. Also thank heaven, she's been unusually easy to care for today. She and I took a long nap curled up together on the couch, and now she's sleeping on her Papa's lap. I'm trying to nurse regularly, but I'm not doing anything else at all. Michael changes her and dresses her and brings me drinks, bless him.
I feel like death warmed over. I can't remember the last time I had a fever - I'd forgotten how awful and debilitating it feels. And the infected breast hurts like hell when I nurse. The midwife says I'll feel better in 24 to 48 hours. God, I hope so.
I tried to convince him that he should go to work and not worry about me. I pointed out that sleep deprivation led to problems regulating body temperature. For some reason, though, he was having none of it.
I got back in bed, still shivering so hard my muscles ached, and promptly threw up the small amount of water I had managed to drink. I took a couple more sips and threw them up too. My temperature was close to 100, and it wasn't even 8am. At that point, I didn't argue when Michael wanted to call the on-call midwife instead of waiting for the office to open.
The midwife confirmed what we'd both suspected: mastitis, or infected milk ducts. She called in a prescription for antibiotics and directed me to nurse as often as possible and to put hot compresses on my breast. Mercifully, once I started to warm up (huddled under a big pile of blankets), I was able to drink some water and keep it down - I had visions of going to the ER for IV fluids, and I didn't like them at all. Nursing doesn't really mix well with not drinking fluids. But I was able to drink some water, and then take my antibiotic and a fever reducer, and eventually I even felt like eating something.
Michael stayed home from work to take care of me and Alex, thank heaven. Also thank heaven, she's been unusually easy to care for today. She and I took a long nap curled up together on the couch, and now she's sleeping on her Papa's lap. I'm trying to nurse regularly, but I'm not doing anything else at all. Michael changes her and dresses her and brings me drinks, bless him.
I feel like death warmed over. I can't remember the last time I had a fever - I'd forgotten how awful and debilitating it feels. And the infected breast hurts like hell when I nurse. The midwife says I'll feel better in 24 to 48 hours. God, I hope so.
