My poor husband has been amazing through the entire birth/recoup phase of this baby-thing (as he call this time in our lives). During labor, he was right in my face helping me breath and stroking my back and face to help me feel better. Now that the baby is here, he jumps to help me get something, brings me whatever I need, and lets me sleep as much as I can. He even offers to change dirty diapers!
Unfortunately...he let me sleep too long.
Yes, it is possible.
He didn't realize that as a breast-feeding mother, I have to empty on a regular basis or I will become engorged and HURT! Since we were having to supplement with formula due to the Jaundice, he decided one night to let me get a good night's sleep and he would stay up all night and just bottle feed her when she got hungry rather than waking me up.
I woke up in PAIN!!
I tried to nurse but my breasts were too full and hard that Reagan had a hard time latching on. I tried to hand express it and finally made Hubby go get me a breast pump that we had seen on Craig's list (The hospital gave me all the tubing I would need already so all I needed was the actual pump.)
I pumped and it felt better but since then one breast has been really really tender and I think the other is a little clogged.
Today, Hubby was sleeping and I was watching Reagan. I got a cramp in the area near my ovaries. It didn't go away and seemed to be getting worse so I got up and took some Motrin. As I got to the kitchen, I doubled over in pain and had to yell to Hubby to wake him up. He helped me to bed and when I said I was freezing, he looked at me funny.
"It's 77 degrees in here! You can't be cold!"
But I was shivering. He fetched a thermometer and sure enough, I had a temp of 101.3 so he called my OB for me.
She had me go get lab work done and then come into her office immediately. She put the lab work in as stat so she had the results pretty quick and diagnosed me as having mastitis...a breast infection caused by being engorged.
Apparently the skin stretches to accommodate the extra milk and allows bacteria and an infection in. So my well-meaning husband caused me to have an infection.
I nearly didn't tell him what it was, I know he would feel awful, but I also knew if I didn't tell him he would get aggravated as he was so worried about me.
I still have a slight fever but I have my antibiotics so hopefully I should be feeling better soon! I can still breast feed as the infection is in my breast tissue, not in the milk. In fact, she said it would be worse if I didn't nurse or pump.
Now my wonderful husband is setting an alarm to remember to wake me up ever 2 hours (the suggested time set by my doctor - no matter if she wants to eat or not) to feed or pump so this doesn't happen again!
I love him...I really do!!
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