Breastfeeding, Round Two: Part Boo

Eric came home last night wanting to do something nice for his family. Considering he is usually very tired when he gets home from work, I was surprised. Although I had woke from a nap a half hour earlier not really feeling the greatest, I was not about to deter this man who actually had some motivation to take his family out to eat after a long day in 100 degree heat indices.

So we went out to eat. It was the perfect storm.

Thanks to 100 degree heat indices, coupled with the fact that it had also rained the night before, so the ground was nice and soggy, James had not been outside to play. At all. So our little bundle of energy wasn't able to burn off any steam. He was not about to sit still for 20 minutes while we waited for our food.

Beyond that, while we were waiting for our food, Catherine got fussy. Because I wasn't feeling well, I had completely forgotten a pacifier. Yes, for those of you that know me, I said pacifier. I am completely against them and after about 2 months, James didn't take his any more. I'm hoping that's the way it is with Catherine. But going on, I had to leave to go back to our house to grab a pacifier as Catherine was not about to calm down without a boob, or a pacifier, and I wasn't about to whip it out in public.

When we came back 5 minutes later, James was drinking out of a kiddie cup and everything was off the table. I mean, everything - even our centerpiece. Apparently, our little bundle of energy wanted to not only remove everything from the table, but wanted to do so by throwing it. Eric looked like he was going to lose it.

Luckily, our food came in the knick of time and James was distracted for about 2 minutes. Then he went back to throwing things on the floor, or begging for things. All in all, (and I don't say this often) our son was a terror. Finally, I, starting to feel even worse, took James out to the car and sat while Eric finished eating and paid the bill.

When we got home, Catherine was not having it with the pacifier anymore, so I took her upstairs to nurse. Considering I had worn my Columbia fleece inside the restaurant and was still having chills in this 100 degree heat, I decided, on a whim, to take my temperature.

101.5! What???

Then I put it together. I had woken from my nap with what I thought was a plugged duct. When I exclusively pumped with James, I would get those every so often. Luckily, we have a three-pronged back massager that I would massage the plug with while pumping and every time, the plug would dissapate. So I tried that, but there was no lump to massage. My boob was just incredibly tender.

I went to Urgent Care, where they told me I had mastitis. *Cue the horror music*

Luckily, I caught it really early, so it wasn't too terrible, but I now know what people mean by how terrible it could be. Just those few hours, with  fever in this heat, a horrible headache, and an achy boob was enough to put me over the edge. I was run-down, tired, irritably and just did not feel like myself. Not to mention, I have two children. Ugh.

So here I am on anti-biotics. The kind that you have to take religiously - can't eat two hours before I take them or one hour after. So I have to carefully plan my day in order to take four daily. Ugh.

However, I'm feeling better. I'm lucky to be able to say that with James, I never dealt with mastitis and even more lucky to say that with Catherine being a month old tomorrow, this is the first time I've got it and in all, it really wasn't that bad. Hopefully, I don't get it again!

Thank God for Urgent Care, antibiotics and babies that nap so you can nap. Away with you, breast infection! :)