Thursday, January 19, 2012

6 months old; the next chapter in our lives

Last night around 4:45 AM, I had a huge "A-HA!" moment, and it all started with a burning breast duct last Friday night.

You see, I've tried to be as non-dramatic and whiny as possible with this whole nursing experience. I know I've complained some here and there but the absolute bottom line truth? My life has been miserable for the last 6 months. The MSPI diet has been brutal for me. I eat a small variety of things and I am constantly reluctant to put anything at all in my mouth. I stand around at parties and functions out with a glass of water and smile and act like I don't mind that I'm not able to eat anything. My body has been in complete and utter revolt. I've lost 30 lbs in 6 months with zero exercise. My hair is coming out in clumps. I'm having bizarre skin issues. My digestive system has been so screwed up, I've worried if I have somehow created my own food intolerances or if I've damaged myself. I have had so many blocked ducts and milk blisters, and no one can tell me why.

Beyond me, baby S has just never been right. We had good days here and there, but generally speaking, she has always been fussy, cranky and sleepless. I haven't had more than a few hours of sleep in a stretch for as long as I can remember. In fact, I'd say that my average sleep each night for the better part of 6 months has been 4 broken hours, at best.

This is not a life that benefits anyone. Anyone.

Just for the sake of "breast is best."

Friday night I started feeling an intense searing in my right breast. I had no idea why and hoped it would just go away. It persisted the entire weekend, but I had no fever, no lumps, nothing to indicate mastitis. The pain got so great Saturday that I actually caved and called my ObGyn's emergency line. He was kinda shocked because I never even called his emergency line once when I was pregnant. (Either time) I suggested to him that I maybe had thrush but there were no classic symptoms on me or the baby but I didn't know what else it could be. He suggested ibuprofen and heat and call him if it didn't get better.

Nothing helped. It didn't get better.

But I rode it out until Tuesday and went to see him. He told me he couldn't believe how frail I looked. He checked me over and said there was no obvious explanation for the pain and called the hospital lactation consultants to ask for their advice. They said it could maybe be an early case of thrush, to take the baby to her pedi and have them check her. If she was positive then we both probably had it and he could treat me as such. He looked me in the eye and said he was really concerned for me and wanted me to consider switching to formula.

Pediatrician visit went exactly as I expected. Baby S showed ZERO signs of thrush. But she did show signs that she has been dropping in weight percentile... AGAIN. She's in the 25th percentile for weight. She is so skinny. Pedi suggested maybe the crazy every-hour-on-the-hour night waking is related to acid reflux and she needs TWO full doses of preva.cid a day.

I sat in the parking lot after this visit and cried. I was so sick with a sinus infection, I could barely talk, and my breast was burning and my baby was crying in the back seat and I just felt... really hopeless. For the first time in a long time I felt broken.

And I came home and I told my husband that I wanted to try formula.

And we did.

I won't say that it was easy. I have been beyond emotional the past 2 days over this. Last night when she woke to eat at 4:30, I could tell she wanted nothing more than to snuggle up in bed and nurse. And I wanted the same. But I knew it would only serve to confuse her. So J gave her a bottle while I lied in bed and quietly felt hot tears running down my face (and lots and lots of snot running down my throat--ugly crying + sinus infection=VILE combo) and after she went back in to her bassinet and he got back in to bed, I laid there and cried for another little bit... and then it happened.

A-HA.

I love nursing. She loves nursing. But it ISN'T WORKING this time. We are happy together for those 15-20 minutes while she's eating. After that? She's miserable. I'm miserable. I feel like I have no life. I have no ME. I have no time to give my husband. I have less time to give little L than I can stand. I'm constantly holding a fussy baby who won't nap and whose tummy is bubbling and I'm up all night long, groggily fighting my way through all of this, all for the sake of keeping up nursing. I've spent HOURS and HOURS of time on my phone (while nursing or holding a fussy baby) googling allergies, MSPI, thrush, burning breasts, milk blisters.... MAKING MYSELF SICK with worry over what the best thing to do for her is and what will happen when she turns 1 and how much longer will I have to nurse her and WHEN WILL MY LIFE EVER GET BACK TO NORMAL?!

The noise of all of this has been utterly deafening.

And I realized at 4:45 AM that what I've been doing all this time has NOT been working. It is time to try something else. For every one's sake. At the very best, for her to be less fussy and my family to get back to normal and enjoy life again and at the very least, for me to be ME again.

Today? She laughed and smiled and played for 2 solid hours without fussing one time. She went down for a nap without screaming and she has been asleep in her crib for 2 hours.

I don't know what is to come. 24 successful hours on a hypoallergenic formula doesn't mean things will be perfect. But it does mean that it is time to press ahead on this chapter and close the other one firmly behind me.

10 comments:

  1. Bless your sweet Mama's heart!! I'm crying reading this. You are a wonderful mother no matter how long you breastfeed and I think 6 months is a long time! I only made it 3 months. :) I didn't realize how much weight you've lost and how sick you've been. I'm happy to hear you've moved to formula and will pray the result will be nothing more than happy/healthy baby and Mama from here on out.

    Take care of yourself, friend.

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  2. i am soo proud of you for nursing for SOOO long!! i couldn't have done it! when i got pregnant with Glitter Ayla's nursing was too painful and Ayla didn't love the flavour change, so I just switched to formula, she and I were much happier! do whats BEST for YOU and the fam, it does not matter what others say, you know what to do because you are a AWESOME mom! HUGS! hope things get easier around there for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm proud of you, you're the best advocate for you girls AND yourself. We're just on the very last bit of nursing (in fact, as I sit and type this right now, I don't know if we'll actually ever have another nursing session and that feels...weird/sad/happy) and while it's been a nice ride, I'm thrilled that he's growing up and we're enjoying each other for reasons other than me being his sole source of nutrition.

    Hoping you start to feel more like yourself, and soon. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are a very strong chica! You did great and I know how hard it is to change ones feeding habits for a nursing babe, but it does sound like the switch to formula is going to be a good move for both of you. You are awesome and please don't feel like you failed at all. You did an AMAZING JOB! Praying that life will get back to normal - or as normal as it can get with 2 kiddos, working, etc. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really do think 'breast is best'...but only when it is working for both mum and bub. And I think it is awful that informed, loving, educated mums feel horrible guilt about making the switch.

    Honestly, it sounds like you tried everything you could, and you stuck it out for far longer than most people would. We all have our breaking points (I remember when you sent me the info about the TED, and I looked at that, and thought, "If we hit that stage, he's going to formula".) It sounds like S. never was quite right, despite your very very best efforts. Well done you for both trying so hard, and then recognizing when it was time to do something else.

    xoxoxo
    T.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Also- I forgot to say yesterday- please eat some brie for me! And some ice cream!
    xoxo
    T.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had the hardest time nursing. It hurt soooo bad. Even pumping hurt. But I was so torn and had the hardest time giving it up because of the whole "Brest is Best." In the end it turned out to be better for all of us that I gave it up. It helped that I got a case of mastitis that made it not worth even trying anymore. But if it isn't working, like you said, try something else and move forward. Especially with how miserable you are. What you are describing is not healthy for either of you. For what its worth, formula these days is pretty good. Its almost as good as breast milk. Its also super easy.

    Upward an onward!

    ReplyDelete
  8. you are one strong mama, don't ever forget that.
    But I hope this works so that YOU can be you again, that is so important. And that S can be happy, healthy and growing.

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Deleted my other comment because I put your name in it.

    You should be so proud that you did this for SIX MONTHS! WOW!!! You gave her antibodies and the best food for her (even while sacrificing so much on your part) for half a year. That is amazing and you should definitely be proud. Your sweet S is a unique little girl with a special diet; you're not broken and she's not either. Not saying that you think that but just wanted to put that out there. My heart was breaking for you as I read how you cried while hubby gave her a bottle that first night but I also know that while it is hard to wean the benefits of seeing a happy, content baby outweigh the rest. Formula is a great alternative and sounds like it's really doing S AND YOU so well! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

    ReplyDelete