Anyone who has talked to me since Alli's birth has no doubt had to listen to me complain about breastfeeding and has heard me threaten to quit more than once. In fact, just over a week ago, I told Garrett I couldn't take it much longer and if Alli didn't get better at it I was going to quit and switch to formula. Well, the day after my little temper tantrum, I started to feel really sick - in a lot of pain and had a fever around 103. Turns out that I had
Mastitis. My OB put me on antibiotics that night. Unfortunately, the antibiotics did not work. They did, however, diminish my milk supply and upset Alli's tummy so we were both miserable. Now, many of you know that I have actually had a rather unique problem of having an overabundent supply of milk and have been trying to diminish the supply so that I am not producing for twins or triplets. I did not however expect to go from having way too much to not having enough in just a matter of a couple of days. My OB switched my antibiotic but my supply still seemed very low. I was terrified! Suddenly I realized how much I really want to be able to breastfeed. All this time I have been resenting this part of motherhood. Now I realize what a gift I have been given that I am able to nurse my daughter. Fortunately, my supply has come back full force, the antibiotics have begun to work, and Alli is much happier again. Best of all, I now look forward to our feeding sessions. I am even excited to get up at 3 a.m. to feed Alli! What a blessing to be able to feed and bond with my daughter like this. While I would never wish Mastitis on anyone, for us I think it was a gift from God. I like to think that God was giving me a swift kick in the pants to remind me how blessed I am to be able to breastfeed Alli. I guess blessings come in all shapes and sizes - even painful ones! I do not know how long I will be able to nurse Alli, but I will appreciate it for as long as I can!
