our little man

12.31.2007

on the mend

i spent yesterday battling a case of mastitis. i was able to deal with the blocked duct before it developed an infection, thankfully, but it was still a pretty uncomfortable day. i felt the soreness starting friday evening and tried to nurse ben more on the affected (right) side during his night feedings, but i was feeling worse by morning and knew the blockage still hadn't been freed. with the help of the pump, a hot shower, and extra time nursing, the duct was eventually cleared. by yesterday evening, i could tell that it was getting better. i'd developed a low-grade fever that lasted most of the day, but that was gone by the time i went to bed and despite some residual soreness, which can be expected to linger for as much as a week, i feel as good as new now.

i did a bit more research on mastitis and blocked ducts and found that beyond the primary causes (which include missed feedings, pressure on the duct, etc), you are also more likely to have this issue when you are suffering from stress, fatigue or a weakened immunity. considering that i just got over a 24-hour flu bug wednesday/thursday, it guess that was probably a factor in this case. i also read that once you've had experience with blocked ducts or mastitis, you're more likely to have it again. i did have a blocked duct once before while nursing ben, back when he was 2 months old, and it was on the same side... so i guess that's a factor as well.

now if i can just convince ben to do more nursing during the day and less in the middle of the night, we'll be doing great!

posted at 7:54 AM by aimee // 0 comments