Update...

Motherhood is not for wimps

Last week nursing became suddenly very painful after a couple weeks of comfortable nursing. Then I noticed Caleb had a very white tongue, so when I looked up both symptoms, yeast infection and thrush was what I found. Yesterday Jake stayed home from work to take care of us and took us to the convenient care at the boys' doctors office so Caleb could be checked out. He also has had a lot of gas and a little diaper rash. The doctor there, who was 7 feet tall... no joke haha, confirmed that Caleb had thrush. I called my doctor that same day and told her my symptoms and she said it sounded suspicious and that it most likely was a yeast infection. So I took an antibiotic pill and that should do the job, along with supplement vitamins I'm taking and a special cream. Caleb is taking an antibiotic ointment that we swab in his mouth, he doesn't seem to mind, he just sucks at it like its food, he's a little oinker like Jonathon was and is already 9 pounds :) Completely adorable I must say.

I was lucky to talk to a lactation specialist at the hospital where I delivered and she gave me some great websites with very helpful treatment remedies. To say nursing was painful when it really started on Thursday is to put it lightly. On most of the websites other women said it felt like glass in the nipples or like your nipples were on fire, sorry for the bluntness. But it is true, that's how it felt to me the last couple days and I thought I would die! In the moment it was worse than labor pain I swear.

Finally, after Jake got all my vitamin supplements (grapefruit seed extract, garlic capsules, and probiotics... all to help build the immune system naturally and fight yeast) and creams, I am feeling much better. I got the courage to try pumping so I wouldn't dry up, I thought it would be horrible, but after Jake gave me a blessing I knew it would be ok, and it was. Although Caleb took formula fine for a day, not only was it extremely relieving to pump because I was extremely engorged (sorry again for details) it is so much better for babies to have breast milk, especially at this time of year with sickness all around.

So long story short, baby and I are doing better and hope it all goes away completely soon so that I can nurse normally and pain free. What's funny is that my mom had this with me when I was an infant! She got it twice and had to stop nursing because it kept coming back. I'm so grateful for her, I really know the love she has for me, experiencing it myself. If by Monday things haven't cleared it could be something else.... which I won't think about right now.

Oh, the joys of motherhood! ;)