The continuing difficulties of chronic plugged ducts



I have never had the terrible difficulty of low milk supply.  I've seen friends struggle with it and have not wanted to change places with them in the least.  I don't think this means, though, that the struggles of overabundant supply are insignificant in comparison.  The truth is, we all need help and support no matter what our difficulty with breastfeeding is, and although the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, if we actually go to the other side of the fence, we'll see the weeds, bare spots, and piles of poo that exist in any field.

One of the surprising difficulties of abundant supply is the fact that, even though I'm nursing a 19-month-old, I still have to be extremely vigilant about plugged ducts.  In the last month, I've had two serious ones (one had probably developed into mastitis) that meant that I had to spend a day  in bed and several days taking it easy to recover -- no small task with four kids.

This morning, as my 19-month-old struggles with a cough and stuffy nose, she doesn't want to nurse.  She's cranky and feels terrible and nursing is harder than usual because of all the mucus, and she doesn't want to put in the effort.  Because of my history, I am worrying on many fronts this morning: first, the baby front:  will the baby get dehydrated from not nursing?  How can I get her to nurse?  Maybe she'll drink some water?  Is she developing another infection?  Then, the nursing front:  should I be pumping?  How am I going to take care of a sick baby (and three older kids) if I get a plugged duct? 

Over my breastfeeding career, I've figured out tricks for dealing with the difficulties that accompany the abundant supply, and I'll talk about those in another post.  My baby and I will work our way through this particular bout of trouble, too. 

I have had to accept, though, that as long as I'm nursing, I will have these challenges -- I remain vigilant at all times.