#mastitis

Protect those who feed you

Hey! 

This is interesting! As you can imagine, even when Regina is sick, her first concern is always Emma. 

The first time Regina got really ill was when she got mastitis. One Saturday morning, she felt an incredible burning soreness in her left breast, with the skin immediately around her areola tinged a painful crimson colour. Logically, the woman knew that she had developed a clog in one of her milk ducts, given the hard lump that raised the skin in the hot, painful area, but she just knew she didn’t have time to be sick. 

She looked over at Emma, who was still asleep, snuggled on her side with her pacifier in her mouth. 

If Mommy was sick, who would take care of her baby girl? Who would make her food and make sure she was behaving herself? Keep her out of danger? 

“No, I’m fine,” Regina convinced herself silently, before attempting to get out of bed to go and make pancakes for their traditional Saturday morning breakfast. 

It felt like an utterly Herculean task just to stand up from their bed. Their home was always kept warm, so Regina could always comfortably walk around in thin silk pajamas shorts, and a vest without feeling too cold. 

That morning, she found herself violently shaking - freezing and shivering. Her body ached as she located and dressed herself in thick, warmer clothes before shuffling, slowly out of the bedroom. 

The next order of what was quickly becoming self-inflicted torture was beginning to prepare breakfast. Regina wanted to move as quickly as possible, as if she could feasibly deny to herself how awful she felt if she could do all of her normal daily tasks at a normal pace. 

The woman quickly exhausted herself attempting to race around the kitchen. Feeling even worse than previously, she leaned her hand against the counter to rest for a moment, her head drooping down in almost defeat. 

She didn’t know how long she was positioned like that, until a concerned little voice spoke from the entrance of the kitchen. 

“Mama?” 

Looking up from her position braced against the kitchen counter, Regina offered the bravest smile that she could muster. Unfortunately, the smile looked as weak as the woman felt and just caused the worried frown on Emma’s face to worsen. 

“Morning, baby girl,” Regina forced the cheeriest voice she could. “Pancakes will be done soon—” 

“Are you okay?” Emma interrupted as she approached her Mommy. 

Regina’s ability to deny how terrible she felt was slowly slipping from her, but still, she lied with that same forced smile. 

“I’m okay, angel. I just woke up feeling a little off.” 

Emma didn’t believe it for a moment. Once she reached Mommy’s side, she said simply. 

“You’re shivering.” 

Which Regina countered. 

“It’s a little chilly in here.” 

Emma’s head tilted to the side, and her eyes compared Regina’s clothing choice - a thick hoodie and joggers, with fluffy blue socks - to her own; a pair of plaid men’s boxers and a t-shirt. Given that Emma was certainly thinner than Regina, she was always the one out of the pair who would complain of feeling cold. 

“No, it’s not,” Emma responded, deadpan. 

When the girl reached up to press her wrist against her Mommy’s sweaty forehead and physically grimaced when she felt how warm it was, Regina knew she couldn’t deny it anymore. 

“I think I have mastitis…” she admitted quietly. 

With a shake of her head, Emma pressed a kiss on the same area of Mommy’s forehead that she felt her temperature. 

“Come on, let’s go back to bed, Mommy.” 

Allowing herself to be manoeuvred back to the bedroom and into bed, Regina found herself cuddled up in Emma’s arms - her head resting on her baby girl’s chest. Emma was so warm, and Regina allowed herself to be wrapped up in the protective embrace, the soft, slow thump of Emma’s heart singing her back to sleep. 

The young girl had researched the potential risks and complications of long-term breastfeeding to the point of almost obsession for the last two years. She always worried about her Mommy getting hurt from the intimate act they both loved so much. As a result, Emma knew exactly what to do and how to make everything better. 

“I’ll get you a piece of toast and some Advil in a second, and then you can go back to sleep. When you wake up the Advil will have kicked in, so we can use a warm compress and try and nurse to drain out the milk.” 

“What are you going to eat for breakfast?” Regina asked sleepily, nuzzling her cheek into the soft fabric of Emma’s pajama top. 

“That literally couldn’t matter less right now,” Emma chuckled. “You know I function at my best for hours with a coffee and a cigarette for breakfast.”

“I’m supposed to be taking care of you,” Mommy grumbled when Emma leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. “You’re my baby, not the other way around.” 

“I’m a good girl who stops her silly Mommy from driving herself into the ground when she’s unwell.” 

As much as Regina insisted on being the one protecting and catering to Emma, the woman knew that Emma would do literally anything to make sure her Mommy was healthy and happy. 

This adorable little lady almost killed me yesterday. Still only pumping for her and it’s not easy. Last week had a clogged duct which was 90% healed but went and treated myself to a massage (so sore and achey) but laying on my stomach was stupid.

Yesterday after hanging out with a friend, I came home and was having cold sweats, headaches, pain in my left chest and feeling very “loopy”. Checked my temp, was 40.6C (105F) and I was home alone with the baby. Great. Mastitis. Had to wait over an hour for the wife to get home, had to feed the baby and the animals, wash pump parts and just...ugh.

Wife came home, I had a long absence seizure, so off to the urgent care. IV antibiotics, meds to lower my temp (it didn’t break after 2 hours), me not remembering anything/not lucid, I had 2 more seizures which is very unlike my normal. So then off to the ER by ambulance 😑🙄

Blood tests ruled out sepsis, which surprised the dr with such a high temp, but I’m on a week of antibiotics. Between sweating profusely for hours (I literally soaked my robe, the blanket, sheet, stretcher and everything caught in between) and not really remembering to drink water, my supply is shot. Pumping galore, drinking tons of water, and taking my necessary drugs has been exhausting. But....

I learnt recently that a lot of women have not heard of mastitis.

I figured it could be nice to just share a little bit about my experiences. I had it twice with my first born which I was told ment I would likely get it again.

Mastitis starts due a blocked milk duct or nipple which makes you boob turn into a red hot rock! Causes a lot of pain and you feel like flu hit you you faster than ever before, fever and all the aches and pains in your joints.

Unfortunately the only way to unblock is to keep on working very hard to get the milk out of your incredibly sore breast. Heat is amazing to help you soften the hard lumps and massaging as you either breastfeed or pump. I used hot water bottles, showers and had Antibiotics are normally given if you get mastitis. I did actually use cabbage leaves the coolness was lovely and it actually helped with pain in my nipple and helped with engogment.

A few reasons can cause mastitis from misshapen milk ducts, pumping and not getting all the milk out each time and also engorgment. (Breast tissue overfills with milk)

Wow can't actually believe that I have made it to 6 months the breast feeding when I only managed 2.5 months with her sister. So so proud of this journey and everything we have achieved. Let's see how far we can take it. Never give up. Breastfeeding is hard guys but so worth it.