Monday
Jul052010
Breastfeeding is Overrated: Part II
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 6:40AM
I had finished most of this post several days ago, but have decided to go back and redo it. I received several comments from people who gave breastfeeding WAY more of a chance than I did. All of these people were supportive of whatever I chose, however, and did say how awful it was for a while. Also, I wrote my post when I was in the thick of “breast/bottle-feeding panic” where I was freaking out about the pain of breastfeeding, how I didn’t want to do it, how I felt like a bad mom for even THINKING of trying a bottle, topped with what I found out when I started to pump both breasts. Not that the post is changing much, just less panicky, I suppose.
And, I’m sorry, but there’s going to be a Part III! It was just too long to do a single post! But it’ll be up soon.
So, I left off mentioning that we decided to give Sailor a bottle of pumped milk.
She had started her semi-regular night routine of crying around 6pm. We did the bottle around 8pm. She continued to cry until around 10pm when Tom suggested I just “put her on my boob,” which I did and 10 minutes later she was out. Guess she needed a little more to eat.
The next morning I tried to lay down for a quick nap while she slept after her breakfast. I started to notice the chills coming on. And my body started aching. It was like I was getting sick. Oh, no, no, no. I am NOT about to get sick. I need to be healthy to take care of my little girl.
I was also worried that my child might have…oh, God, I didn’t even want to THINK it let alone say it out loud, but it was looking like it might be true…colic. (gasp!) I Googled it and saw that it was crying that couldn’t be soothed for 2-3 hours, usually evening hours, three or more times a week. Well, that’s what was happening. Oh, no…. I didn’t want to believe it.
The chills stayed all day and progressively got worse. My mom started to think I might have mastitis - when one of your boobs gets a clogged duct or two and starts to be painful, possibly get red and you get, YES, the chills and a fever! She had it and was worried that I had it.
When I woke up on Friday and the chills were stronger than ever AND my left boob was painful to the touch in a few spots, I took my mom’s advice and called my OB. They got me in that day and, YES, I had mastitis. Treatment is antibiotics and continuing to breastfeed and/or pump.
Not awesome.
But something awesome DID come out of it. Because my boob hurt, my nipples were cracked, I dreaded breastfeeding and at any given point I was either shivering or sweating, I started to pump bottles for all of Sailor’s feedings the day before the doctor.
Important side note: My RIGHT boob (not the mastitis boob) had a super hurty nipple so every once in a while I would skip feeding on that side and just pump it, opting to feed her on the left side for several feedings in a row. That’s what I had done the night she cried for almost four hours.
When I started pumping her bottles last Thursday, I noticed that for every twenty minutes I pumped I got about 2.5 oz out of my RIGHT side (not mastitis, but the one I would skip feeding her on due to pain) and ONLY ONE OUNCE out of my LEFT (mastitis)! AND, because I was using bottles, I had started to realize that Sailor eats FOUR to FIVE ounces at each feeding! No WONDER I had a fussy girl! She wasn’t getting NEARLY what she wanted and needed! Now I REALY felt like a bad mom! How was I to know? She had a zillion dirty diapers and was gaining weight like Kristy Alley. I thought we were good. Ever since we’ve been doing bottles (both pumped milk and formula), she hardly ever cries. And when she does, it’s not for very long.
So, in my next post, I make the case for bottle-feeding. Not OVER breastfeeding, but just that I think it should be made an equal.
Read Part III
And, I’m sorry, but there’s going to be a Part III! It was just too long to do a single post! But it’ll be up soon.
So, I left off mentioning that we decided to give Sailor a bottle of pumped milk.
She had started her semi-regular night routine of crying around 6pm. We did the bottle around 8pm. She continued to cry until around 10pm when Tom suggested I just “put her on my boob,” which I did and 10 minutes later she was out. Guess she needed a little more to eat.
The next morning I tried to lay down for a quick nap while she slept after her breakfast. I started to notice the chills coming on. And my body started aching. It was like I was getting sick. Oh, no, no, no. I am NOT about to get sick. I need to be healthy to take care of my little girl.
I was also worried that my child might have…oh, God, I didn’t even want to THINK it let alone say it out loud, but it was looking like it might be true…colic. (gasp!) I Googled it and saw that it was crying that couldn’t be soothed for 2-3 hours, usually evening hours, three or more times a week. Well, that’s what was happening. Oh, no…. I didn’t want to believe it.
The chills stayed all day and progressively got worse. My mom started to think I might have mastitis - when one of your boobs gets a clogged duct or two and starts to be painful, possibly get red and you get, YES, the chills and a fever! She had it and was worried that I had it.
When I woke up on Friday and the chills were stronger than ever AND my left boob was painful to the touch in a few spots, I took my mom’s advice and called my OB. They got me in that day and, YES, I had mastitis. Treatment is antibiotics and continuing to breastfeed and/or pump.
Not awesome.
But something awesome DID come out of it. Because my boob hurt, my nipples were cracked, I dreaded breastfeeding and at any given point I was either shivering or sweating, I started to pump bottles for all of Sailor’s feedings the day before the doctor.
Important side note: My RIGHT boob (not the mastitis boob) had a super hurty nipple so every once in a while I would skip feeding on that side and just pump it, opting to feed her on the left side for several feedings in a row. That’s what I had done the night she cried for almost four hours.
When I started pumping her bottles last Thursday, I noticed that for every twenty minutes I pumped I got about 2.5 oz out of my RIGHT side (not mastitis, but the one I would skip feeding her on due to pain) and ONLY ONE OUNCE out of my LEFT (mastitis)! AND, because I was using bottles, I had started to realize that Sailor eats FOUR to FIVE ounces at each feeding! No WONDER I had a fussy girl! She wasn’t getting NEARLY what she wanted and needed! Now I REALY felt like a bad mom! How was I to know? She had a zillion dirty diapers and was gaining weight like Kristy Alley. I thought we were good. Ever since we’ve been doing bottles (both pumped milk and formula), she hardly ever cries. And when she does, it’s not for very long.
So, in my next post, I make the case for bottle-feeding. Not OVER breastfeeding, but just that I think it should be made an equal.
Read Part III
Copyright; 2011, Blahggy. All rights reserved.
Reader Comments (6)
FYI - You're probably pumping WAY less than the kid is getting on her own. (Babies are the most effective breast-pumps - Too bad it hurts like the devil for the first while! =)
When I pumped, I got less than a teaspoon. Literally. No wonder Nate screamed bloody murder for nearly a whole day. :( I have to say, I still hate bottle feeding but it is what it is. I can't deny there are advantages to bottle feeding, though. I'm looking forward to what you have to say.
No, I know. My doula said that babies get about double what a pump will do. I was just trying to make the point that the one boob I was feeding her on more often clearly had way less milk due to the mastitis and I didn't realize it until I pumped.
I am glad that it is working out for you better now. Are you planning to keep pumping or are you going to transition to only formula? Nola would never take a bottle so the boob was our only option. I almost got mastitis once when she was about 8 mos old but I had her nurse like crazy on the sore boob for a day and she unclogged the duct. Breastfeeding is crazy.
There is so much pressure to BF...it's terrible really. Babies just need to be fed, it doesn't really matter how :)
I had mastitis, twice. 104 degree fever, chills, ugh. Engorgement can sometimes do that and sometimes it just happens. I feel your pain, though!
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