Thrush
if you are a male reader, please know this post contains graphic information about a woman's body - mine. stop reading now if you a: don't want to be grossed out, or b: don't want mental images that may harm you forever...
okay, so we noticed a few days ago elliot had what looked like a yeast infection in his diaper area. we knew what a boy-type yeast infection looked like since ethan has had two in recent months. we pretty much were like, okay, so he has a yeast infection. we've been treating it with this VERY expensive, but effective stuff called triple paste that is OTC but you have to order it from the pharmacy. so that was about a week ago. well, just so happens about a week ago i began to have trouble nursing elliot. my nipples began to get really red and started to hurt like crazy when he latched on. i just assumed it was because he was nursing SO MUCH that they began to just get raw. well, that did happen (the rawness), but a few days ago i noticed my milk was pink - there you go, i was cracked and bleeding. i really thought i would throw in the towel and stop nursing. but i was so conflicted. he's so little still and i did not want to be a quitter. that's when i decided i would give him two more weeks to "right himself" before i made any rash decisions. turns out the reason for all the breast pain (i'm having stabbing pains in both breasts as well) and nipple soreness/cracking was because he has thrush and passed it to my breasts. FINALLY! a reason for the insanity. i'm now on some antibiotics - i know what you are thinking, antibiotics can cause a yeast infection, but i had to have some relief and antibiotics are the only thing (i guess) that clears up infection. **allow me to edit - i'm on an antifungal medication, not an antibiotic.** dan is picking up elliot's medication to treat his thrush this afternoon. hopefully within a few days i won't be crying every time i nurse him.
it's no secret with those of you who know me well i never wanted to nurse; not ANY of my kids. i ended up nursing emily for 13 months and ethan for 8. he self-weaned at 8 months. i don't now, or at any time have felt a desire to nurse. why do i do it? because of pride. some people in my life have guilted me into nursing by telling me how selfish it is NOT to nurse, and scream about all the benefits. well, i've never been convinced about all the benefits. i flat out told dan if we did have a third i would see how breastfeeding went and then I would decide whether or not to continue. why am i going on about this? because i want to quit, but i can't get over myself to do it. if elliot does not nurse well after all this thrush nonsense is over i'll feel better about quitting. what do i need from my friends? permission to quit. please, someone give it to me and tell me it's okay. but really, when i heal it won't hurt anymore and i won't want to quit (so much)... but if he continues to nurse all day long i'll have to quit for my sanity. i know, i'm rambling.
**to be fair to dan, i'd like to point out he has already told me he supports any choice i make. he's seen firsthand how hard things are and how time consuming it has been sitting in a chair for the majority of the day. he's told me several times i can quit whenever i want.
okay, so we noticed a few days ago elliot had what looked like a yeast infection in his diaper area. we knew what a boy-type yeast infection looked like since ethan has had two in recent months. we pretty much were like, okay, so he has a yeast infection. we've been treating it with this VERY expensive, but effective stuff called triple paste that is OTC but you have to order it from the pharmacy. so that was about a week ago. well, just so happens about a week ago i began to have trouble nursing elliot. my nipples began to get really red and started to hurt like crazy when he latched on. i just assumed it was because he was nursing SO MUCH that they began to just get raw. well, that did happen (the rawness), but a few days ago i noticed my milk was pink - there you go, i was cracked and bleeding. i really thought i would throw in the towel and stop nursing. but i was so conflicted. he's so little still and i did not want to be a quitter. that's when i decided i would give him two more weeks to "right himself" before i made any rash decisions. turns out the reason for all the breast pain (i'm having stabbing pains in both breasts as well) and nipple soreness/cracking was because he has thrush and passed it to my breasts. FINALLY! a reason for the insanity. i'm now on some antibiotics - i know what you are thinking, antibiotics can cause a yeast infection, but i had to have some relief and antibiotics are the only thing (i guess) that clears up infection. **allow me to edit - i'm on an antifungal medication, not an antibiotic.** dan is picking up elliot's medication to treat his thrush this afternoon. hopefully within a few days i won't be crying every time i nurse him.
it's no secret with those of you who know me well i never wanted to nurse; not ANY of my kids. i ended up nursing emily for 13 months and ethan for 8. he self-weaned at 8 months. i don't now, or at any time have felt a desire to nurse. why do i do it? because of pride. some people in my life have guilted me into nursing by telling me how selfish it is NOT to nurse, and scream about all the benefits. well, i've never been convinced about all the benefits. i flat out told dan if we did have a third i would see how breastfeeding went and then I would decide whether or not to continue. why am i going on about this? because i want to quit, but i can't get over myself to do it. if elliot does not nurse well after all this thrush nonsense is over i'll feel better about quitting. what do i need from my friends? permission to quit. please, someone give it to me and tell me it's okay. but really, when i heal it won't hurt anymore and i won't want to quit (so much)... but if he continues to nurse all day long i'll have to quit for my sanity. i know, i'm rambling.
**to be fair to dan, i'd like to point out he has already told me he supports any choice i make. he's seen firsthand how hard things are and how time consuming it has been sitting in a chair for the majority of the day. he's told me several times i can quit whenever i want.
posted by Michelle at 2:39 PM
7 Comments:
when andrew was probably 3 weeks old i got mastitis. good CRAP! that stuff hurts. i was running a fever of 103 and was miserable. nursing was the pits too. so i feel your pain...well, thrush isn't the same, but you get my point.
anyway, i had a hard time nursing andrew and my milk started drying up at 5 months so i quit. i struggled w/ nursing the whole time. he couldn't get enough milk so i was nursing, then bottle feeding him, and then pumping. my feeding sessions were so long b/c of all of that i felt like i couldn't ever leave the house. i hope w/ my next baby it's easier for me b/c i will say that andrew didn't get sick until he was 9 1/2 months. i know nursing is the best for them, but some days i just didn't care!
so with all that being said...do what you feel you need to do. if you don't enjoy it...then quit! it's not worth you being miserable. you need to enjoy your time w/ your little one!
if they think your mastitis is due to the thrush, i would think they would give you diflucan instead of an antibiotic that would cause a yeast infection. are they letting you breastfeed while you and elliot are taking your medicines? i assume they are giving him some oral antifungal medicine too. i'm pretty sure you didn't expect me to be one of your friends that was gonna let you off the hook about breastfeeding. even if i wasn't a doctor i'd still probably tell you to since my mom didn't breastfeed me...i tell her that's why all my life i've been a human petri dish! even if you don't do it for 8 mos or 13 mos, do it as long as you can. would making 6 mos your goal be more bearable???
i was incorrect on the meds, stacy. i am on three days of diflucan. i'm to take one every other day for three days. i hope being on that gives me some relief soon. i think a 6 month goal would be reasonable. maybe i need to think more in terms of shooting toward seeing a light at the end of a tunnel...
shandra - if i had mastitis, I'D QUIT TOMMORROW!! how did you nurse through that?! every woman i've known to have it threw in the towel!
If you don't want to nurse quit! You shouldn't have to explain yourself to anyone. I nursed Hannah, but I didn't produce enough for Sarah..she was failure to thrive at 2 months! I found out my mom and my grandma couldn't nurse their second child. I think you have enough on your plate to worry about feeding your child.
Bottles aren't as convenient but they give you some freedom!
Michelle - from an Old lady and and Old friend - QUIT, QUIT, QUIT - I nursed all 3 of mine & LOVED IT, Amy wanted to nurse all 4 of hers, had mastitis with the Tyler, Jared & Ally - at least twice with Jared & Al. Tyler was a pain to nurse, wiggled & squirmed the whole time - was a real pill. So-o-o when Brody came along it was bottles all the way - she was not putting up with the mastitis again. He is a healthy, happy, kid - and she was a MUCH healthier, happier mom - she had more energy - not run down from nursing and tending to older kids, losing sleep because Carl could help with night feedings. I am now, and have always been, VERY pro nursing, but sometimes for the sake of the family some things just have to give! It sounds like this is one of those times!!!!
girl, it did kill to nurse w/ mastitis, but it cleared up in a few days.
hope you are doing better!
Michelle - I've been thinking about you - hope you are feeling better!!
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