Old pro

KNOCK ON WOOD as my blogs have been cursed hexed and jinxed, but I have never had Mastitis. Mastitis is a hideous breats infection that ALL of my nursing friends have had: It comes on horribly and suddenly, and within hours you are immobilized with intense pain, chills, fever, flu like body aches and can barely move. "They say" it can be caused by doing too much, running around too much, not treating yourself like a nursing mother...but then everyone would probably have it.

Today I feel like crap, and have breast pain. But just a little. I haven't had anything but smooth sailing for so long in the nursing department that I have gotten really, really lax with the whole thing. I would feel bad but why? My children are thriving, all seems well...but this little twinge of pain served as a reminder to me. I am a nursing mother. No matter how old the babies are, no matter who might think something of it, this is who I am, and I didn't even think before I popped vicodins, alieves, motrins, tylenols, coffee, beer, wine.......and the worst of all, antibiotics. I could have a little case of thrush kicking up, although more often it is from the baby being on antibiotics that does it (they get thrush (yeast) in their mouths, give it to you on your breast, and you are in for a painful battle that can last months--last time I had this was christmas 2000/knocking on the wood again)

Charlie just started sleeping through the night last week. This can be a BIG deal for a nursing mom...your milk needs to readjust, it can oftentimes signal the return of predictable fertility again...but I felt no different. I am happy to get the sleep, don't get me wrong, its just that the whole thing was so smooth and casual, it is kind of amazing.

I am not sure what my point is. I know I am beyond a veteran breastfeeder by now, and I guess I am just amused and intrigued at how things go with a fourth baby than a first baby. Also, with an "older" baby rather than like a five month old or something. the whole journey has made me more mellow, more patient, and I cannot fathom motherhood without the nursing. Do I need to write some sensitivity clause about how plenty of people are mothers who never nursed? Nah. This is about me, and my experiences along this journey of almost TEN years. June 9th my baby girl will be ten. I add nine months to that to say how long I have been mothering and it is almost 11 years. Fall of '96 I got pregnant with Greta. Sheesh. Im an old pro with the body to show it. Lately, I feel that I have gotten some of the wisdom, too. Im gonna take a hot bath once the kids are in bed, tonight, and then I am going to take some acidophilus with about a gallon of lemon water. Old pro doesn't have room for mastitis today.