first thing first,
if you're a woman, you can read,
if you're a woman who's had breastfed before and like to see see my sharing of experience, you're welcomed,
if you're a woman, who, in the near future, intend to breastfeed your baby, you're welcomed to read too,
AND
if you're a man, who wants to busybody, be my guest then,
if you're a man, who wants your wife/future wife to breastfeed your baby, you're welcomed too,
if you're a man, who's having a wife who's breastfeeding, you're most welcomed to see see my sharing of experience,
BUT
if you're a man, who's just a man of your own, then, stop here.. don't bother
ok ok...
the journey starts...
i'll skip all the sore nipple, crack nipple part, which is too common,
and i'll start with those common but not too common first, which is my first encounter, and also my first hurdle in my breastfeeding live, since 25th March 2009
after a week plus we came home... (with me curi-curi shower with normal hot water...)
as i was having a very sore nipple, i subsconsciously cut shot the nursing with one of my breasts...
that time, i didn't know the severity were to come... (arrgh!!)
that night, i felt a bit engorged, but then, i ignored... and i started to feel feverish... i thought, oops... is that because of me taking normal water shower??? and i was looking for excuse to tell him (as i insisted to take shower due to the bloody hot weather, despite what everybody said)
i really felt the fever is coming up on me, and that i started to gulp down more water, to try to stop that...
next day, i still kinda ignored, and still conveniently kinda didn't insist baby to feed long on that breast
on the same day too... the stupid condo has power supply problem, no fan, no aircond, and i still have to nurse baby... HOWEVER, maybe due to the extensive sweat, i thought my fever got better...
THAT night, when i looked into the mirror in the bathroom... TO MY HORROR!!! (seems like i've had many horror experiences after 25th March) THAT breast was RED, the bottom half was red, and soooooooooo sored!!!!!!! this time it's not the nipple, it's the breast, damn bloody painful...
and because of this,
i got super tensed,
super stressed,
and super duper irritable...
as i was struggling with the painful breast, and engorgement, yet milk not coming out even when i was expressing, the milk-expressing just seemed too long, and yet no milk... AND what more to say, baby was crying!!!
(oh, she's still very cute even when she cries, sometimes, i purposely wait for her to cry first, then only attend to her, haha!!)
i thought, due to the sore nipple, in the mean time, i'll just express milk and let baby have it,
BUT under this type of condition, ie. milk not coming out effectively when expressing, baby crying to be fed...
i gave up...
i heard him saying, "baby, you don't cry, don't test papa's patience, else, i give you formulae you only know!" haha, i thought that was cute!!
i gave up...
i gave up in expressing..
i told him, "give me"
ya, nipple pain, still have to feed...
the next day (3rd day) the problem seemed to subside..
then, i suddenly feel like flipping the book i bought, maybe there's some clue (cos, he was flipping the other book, tracy hogg's "baby whisperer" and it does not really offer much direct resolution to my problem)
i found this page, with all the symptoms that i've just had - engorgement, fever, redness, etc.
exactly what i was experiencing and ahh...
it's called MASTITIS...
now, i've a lead...
and now, i know, my fever is not because of the shower, it's due to the breast infection (mastitis)
and in fact, i was supposed to rush to doctor and take antibiotic, but, well... it's subsided...
again, i don't know if it's true or not,
but they (i mean, those who so support, so gunho, so diehard fans of breastfeeding) keep saying this and that problems, that may happened to newborn baby, to the mother, will only be solved by breastfeeding, and bla bla bla...
and for my engorgement... which later evolved to mastitis...
yes, the best resolution, is still plug the baby... to my breast..
(ha!! i know, the proper way of saying is, latch the baby and let her/him continue to suck and suckle.. but i thought plug is pretty straightfoward too, of describing the situation)
so, in a way, my problem was resolved...
AND the ironic thing is
the engorgement happened it's because of me breastfeeding the baby, milk supply, bla bla bla...
ie. it's because of the baby right??
but to ease the engorgement, i need the baby's help...
ya, i kinda find it a bit ironic... and in a way cyclical...
anyway... forget about the painful part...
after 1 month, i brought baby to SJMC to see this dr. khoo... (she's like the dr. tan version in the pediatrician department)
she actually mentioned that, baby was a bit overfed... wow!!! 100%of my breastmilk, and yet, overfed, am i doing a good job, or bad job???
@_@
and yes, she's put on weight from 3.16kg to 4.35kg - 1 month, and length, 46cm to 57cm...
she's going to be tall isn't she??
hehe...
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