Ouchie

Breast infection:

Red.
Hot.
Swollen.
PAINFUL.

My right breast looks like it has a sunburn and it is very sore, especially when anything touches it (like a bra or a cute baby boy's mouth...too bad those are things that touch it all the time!). Even the bouncing when I walk makes it hurt.

It is crazy how quickly a bacterial infection like this can happen. Yesterday morning I was fine, just SUPER tired since Eddie decided not to go to sleep until 2am and even then only slept for a few hours. Around 10am I noticed a sore, "full" feeling in that breast but figured it was from Eddie suckling on me for way too long the night before. The more babies suck, the more milk you produce the next time around--it is the ultimate supply/demand system. But by 3pm when my mom and I were eating out at a Mexican restaurant I began to feel feverish and generally icky. And my right breast was super sore.

When we finally got home the UCD health center was closed and that also means the advice nurse is off duty. My temperature was at 100.2F. So I phoned Eddie's doctor to get his opinion on the severity of a breast infection--could it wait until morning when I could get an appointment on campus? Or should I go to urgent care at the local hospital? Could I still nurse him on that side?

I also asked my friend Kristin, who is a doctor, via text message. I heard back from her first and she said I'd need to get antibiotics, do hot compresses, and definitely keep nursing him if I can stand it. Apparently "static milk" just worsens the condition.

By 9pm my temperature was up to 101.7F and I was alternating between being too cold and being too hot. Blah. Taking Motrin helped break the fever.

So I just got back from the campus doctor, who put me on medication. Since it will get into the breast milk she just warned me to keep an eye out for any adverse reaction Eddie might have. I'm just glad I can continue breastfeeding.

If it weren't inappropriate, I'd post a picture of my red boob so you could see just how red a boob can be. It is creepy. Don't worry...I won't. (I may have the guts to post a picture of my placenta on Facebook but not my boob on my blog!)

=)