The Bean-a-thon

Grr. This is now the second time that I’ve gotten mastitis. Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast tissue. It affects the fatty tissues, so there is no danger to the baby or your milk. It just hurts a lot and can lead to infection, which REALLY sucks.

Symptoms of mastitis

• Breast soreness
• Redness in the skin
• Hard lumps in your breast
• A fever
• Flu-like symptoms, feeling like total crap

Treatment -

1. Give yourself breast massages to loosen any clogged milk ducts (which cause the mastitis in the first place)
2. Soak affected breast in warm water and epsom salts 2x a day
3. Wear a good bra - I cannot believe the difference a good bra makes!!
4. Okay, so some people think it’s better to wear no bra at all. Do whatever you need to reduce the pain.
5. Don’t sleep on your breasts or smoosh them in any other way
6. Try this homeopathic remedy: Take a dose of phytolacca. Three hours later, take a dose of Hepar sulphuris. Three hours later, take another of phytolacca and continue alternating on three hour cycles. I’m trying this for the first time and will report back.
7. Of course if you get really sick, or you don’t feel like dealing with all this other stuff, you can go to a doc and get some antibiotics. I did that 2 weeks ago, though, so I’m trying the homeopathic way instead.

My friend S who has a 5 year old son says she got mastitis a gazillion times. So it’s not one of those infections that leaves you alone once you kick it, alas.

Okay not the most glamorous of topics, but the one thing you learn early is that motherhood is all about managing effluvia.

We measured Ruby’s length last week - she’s was 3″ longer than she was when she was born. Amazing - three inches in three weeks. Plus as I mentioned, she’s eating like it’s going out of style.

She’s also become much more vocal — gurgling and sputtering and grunting. She’ll lie in her bouncy seat and riff on for a half an hour. Sometimes it escalates into crying; most of the time, she ends up falling asleep. Sometimes she gurgles IN her sleep. I think we have a talkative one on our hands. :)

I am really sleep-deprived. I am also starting to need alone/quiet/sanity time. Are these factors related? Perhaps.  After being relatively patient for the better part of the last month, I finally hit my limit. I went to a play last night with my friend M, and it was SOO MUCH FUN to get out of the house, go see a performance and talk about it! No kids, poo, diapers — no whining about sleep-dep, or sore nipples. Yes, yes, it was FUN!! ANd I came home with such a gratitude for my little family. :)

So I have made a pact with C to ensure I get regular outings. Phew.

I am a mother! Wow.  This is such an amazing thing to realize, to really absorb. There were many many years that I thought I would probably not ever be a mother in this lifetime.  Mostly, I was just afraid…of losing my independence, or of totally breaking the kid, or being too young or too old, or some combination of the above.

But now here I am.  I have so loved bonding with her.  Especially in the middle of the night when we’re nursing.   We’ll settle in, listening to classical guitar, or solo piano, or sacred choral music. I rock her in my comfier-than-believable glider.

As she eats, I whisper to her how much I love her, how strong and healthy and smart and beautiful she is.  And she keeps on nursing with her little mouth so assiduously sucking away, until her breathing slows and she falls into a post-nursing reverie.

I treasure these moments.  I know they won’t last - and I love love love them.

To all the mothers out there - happy mother’s day.