I had previously posted about breastfeeding complications. And while I stand behind the information I shared, I was simply sharing it to offer knowledge and support to those either interested in these topics or dealing with these situations. I had not experienced the majority of these complications, aside from nipple confusion.
Now I have experienced a few additional issues first hand and wanted to share about my experiences. When I went back to work I had no plans on stopping breastfeeding. I returned armed and ready to go with my Medela pump in style breast pump along with all the necessary accessories. It took a while for me to gain the confidence I have now in pumping at work. I was apprehensive about my pumping schedule at work and where I would pump. It helps to be versed in the Laws associated with your state. Here in CA they must provide a lactation room, not a bathroom, in which the female employee can express breast milk for her child as needed. The female is not obligated to work for or otherwise compensate for the time spent on this task. This can be done until the child is one year old. While this is great and all my situation is a bit different. First off my employer has less than 50 employees and is not required by law to follow this. My second issue was that I was given a considerable time off for maternity leave and my baby was almost a year old by the time I went back to work {yay for making it to a year of breastfeeding!!}. So ultimately I was banished to the nasty bathroom to pump. I do get enough breaks during the day though to keep up my supply, so it all worked out nicely.
Now before I had returned to work I built up a stash in my freezer for my baby. My stay is about 3 months worth of breast milk. (I cannot tell you how proud of myself I am for that.) So my small freezer is filled to the max and I have problems finding space to store the milk I pump at work. When I am home I still nurse my baby without a problem. But pumping seemed to be a bit of a headache using all my breaks and part of my lunch every single day. Lugging around this big pump. I had it in mind to cut back my pumping by reducing it by one pumping session. Well my boobs and milk supply had other plans.
I had skipped my second pumping session for 2 days. On day 3 as I arrived to work I noticed that one breast was very full. Engorged even. My guess was that the baby didn't nurse from that side during the night, which sometimes happens. Well I go to pump thinking I'm going to get immediate relief. Not so much. After I pumped I still felt a very large and very hard lump. It was very sore to the touch. I had expressed all I could and had to go back to my cubicle and back to work. As the day progressed things got worse. By noon time the throbbing was almost unbearable. I didn't even have to touch it for it to hurt. By 1:00 I was feeling flushed and nauseous. 1:30 came around and I just knew I couldn't make it the rest of the day at work, I had to leave early. On my drive home I went downhill quickly. I got very dizzy and almost blacked out a couple times. It scared me half to death. The pain from my breast quickly spread to pretty much my whole body and the aches and pains in every joint was incredible. My neck instantly got stiff. I got home safely only to find that I now had the chills and desperately wanted to take a scorching hot shower even though it was 98 degrees out. That shower felt oh so good and afterwards I promptly fell asleep on the couch nursing my baby in the hopes that it would dislodge the clog. An hour later I woke up with a temperature of nearly 103. 103 PEOPLE! I put in a call to my OB and just knew it was mastitis. She usually needs to see a patient before giving a prescription but I was so ill by this time that I couldn't even get off the couch let along drive 45 with both kids and wait in a waiting room to be seen. Thankfully she did call in some antibiotics for me. I took that and my Advil as soon as I had it in my hands but again by this time I was very ill. I had a hard time keeping my meds down, or really anything. After a day or so I was finally able to keep things down. The antibiotics kicked in and broke my fever. A day and a half later of nursing, pumping, massaging and warm compresses later the soreness was still there. I went in to see my OB and sure enough she felt the lump. There were no visual indicators on my breast that something was wrong, nor was it hot to the touch. Just the lump and the soreness. She did an ultrasound on my breast and sure enough we saw that pocket of trapped breast milk. She said that most of the time they drain it with a needle but at this point she thought it may cause more trauma. She suggested that I keep doing what I am doing and if its not better in a few days we will have to drain it so that it doesn't become an abscess. Well after a nice long 3 day weekend of nursing, massaging and warm compresses, I am happy to say that I am back to normal. I am still in shock of how fast mastitis came on and how hard it hits. Previously I knew that it was a problem that many women deal with and that it wasn't easy and even causes many women to stop nursing all together. However, having gone through it myself really has changed my outlook on it. I sympathize on a personal level with all those who have suffered and are suffering with this illness. I am also better equipped to help my clients deal with this type of complication. And the end of this ordeal and I happy to say that not only am I more knowledge in this aspect but I also did not give up on breastfeeding. I am still going strong...14 months now, and don't plan on stopping any time soon. If I could get through it, so can you.
