breastfeeding issues after oral surgery

[Cheeseburger]

Ok, #1... MIL forgot that I told her not to microwave bm!! So all my milk was microwaved while Katherine was at MIL's. Does anyone know if this could hurt her?? There is nothing I can do about it now. MIL feels badly about it and I know it wasn't on purpose.... It was only about 3 bottles or 12 oz. of my expressed milk.

#2 serious plugged ducts. I haven't been able to bf since the surgery because of the meds the doc has me on. I have been pumping & dumping but my pump isn't getting all my ducts I guess, because I had like 3 major huge hurting bumps on my left breast. It took me an HOUR to get them unplugged in a hot shower!! And finally one like, blew up or something, and squirted across the bathtub (lengthwise) and hit the wall for like 3 minutes... that's how much milk was backed up in there (gross I know)! How can i prevent this from happening again? Having to stay in the shower that long and work it out was horrible b/c I was feeling yucky from the meds I am on and in pain from the surgery. Just not a good time overall really. Hurting breasts on top of everything else! ugh! it took forever to get them reasonably drained using the pump and hand expression...

#3 Everytime I pick up katherine she cries and tries to bf. She isn't hungry as she gets bottles but I guess she wants the comfort and I have tried to cuddle her but she isn't happy with just cuddling. She tries to pull down my shirt or latch on above my shirt. I feel awful about it :cry: She does fine with dad but when I am holding her she gets very upset. She also is upset that I won't let her touch my face anymore b/c my jaw is hurting so bad from the surgery... she normally is allowed to nicely touch my face/nose etc.... she does not understand why she cannot do this or bf... she is fine with her dad or just laying on the floor but if she sees me pumping she gets all upset and tries to get at my breasts while i am pumping. I feel like I am teasing her so I stopped pumping in front of her... I don't know what else to do... I feel mean for not letting her b/f but she can't until all the meds are out of my system. [crytantrum]

ARGH i have 1 1/2 more days of this until I can b/f again.... I am quitting the pain meds early... as well as the precautionary antibiotic... the doctor said since it's all to prevent an infection as long as I keep the surgical site clean it doesn't matter, and it doesn't matter if I don't want pain meds as long as I can handle the pain, so go ahead and quit and breastfeed. So I will try just tylenol and hope that works (although it is rather painful.)

OK thanks for letting me get all this off my chest. Any any advice on the plugged ducts is welcome!!

[luvmy4sons]

Ouch! Sounds painful How frustrating too. Lots of prayers for you! FYI:

If you are simply taking Tylenol you can breast feed! A lot of drugs don't pass the blood brain barrier anyway and by the time they get to breast milk it is so small in concentration it is harmless. I understand your caution though. :) Antibiotics won't hurt her...I think it is like 2% that gets to her anyway. Personally, I would nurse and just take Tylenol if you can handle it! Otherwise it sounds like you are doing all you can...and hopefully the remaining time will pass quickly! Hugs! :)

[Dede]

Ohhh....I can imagine how you feel....will pray the time passes quickly...dd

[~Tara~]

Oh sweetie :(
I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is right now.
**big hugs**
Just know this will all be over soon.

Now to see if I can answer any questions::

Microwaved bm...not damaging to baby as far as I know, but it could have killed a bit of the nutrients. So, not *bad* but not as good as it ordinarily would have been (my guess anyway)

Plugged ducts...try to hand express frequently. Use a warm compress (warm wet washcloth) over any sensitive/lumpy areas especially, but on the breast just in general. Then express what you can, get a flow going, then pump. See if that helps you pump more efficiently. Try your best to think happy thoughts while pumping to further encourage that milk flow.

Fussy baby..oy..that one's just going to be hard. Do your best to cuddle her as much as you can. I'm sure it could be harder to get her to take a bottle from you, as she associates you with nursing and knows that's just better hehe So, let her eat with dad, get her fill, then you move in for those quick snuggles while her belly is full and hopefully not thinking quite so much about 'nums' (as it's been affectionately named in dh's family) As for the face touching, maybe you could let her pat the top of your head instead. When she reaches for your face, just tell her "no, no, that hurts mommy right now, but we can play like this instead" and tilt your head down to let her play with your hair. Or whatever else you can think of to substitute for that play.

And I'm all for stopping the antibiotic and pain meds as soon as feasible. I'd deal with some pain and pop some regular Tylenol when deemed absolutely necessary in order to nurse my baby again.

I know this is just so hard because baby doesn't understand. And momma wants nothing more than to be able to nurse the baby. Hang in there, it will be over soon and baby will be back to nursing like nothing ever happened.

Oh, just thought of something else...when you pump, are you trying to pump as much as she would eat? Or just enough to relieve some pressure?

If it were *me* I wouldn't worry about quantity. I would just express and/or pump to relieve pressure. If I got a lot, great, if not so much, no big deal. I wouldn't sweat it. Just do so frequently. You won't be away from baby so long that your milk supply will drastically (if at all) diminish. Once baby is back at the breast, things will likely pick right back up.

[imported_rachel]

Can the Doc switch meds?

[Cheeseburger]

I am not trying to pump as much as she would eat. that would be crazy especially since I can't save it. LOL I just try to pump enough to get rid of the pressure. That ends up being like 5 oz. on each breast before I feel comfortable again!! :shock: I am pumping about every 4 hours. She must eat a LOT or something... b/c even after pumping my breasts are not empty... the milk is still flowing after i stop. she is a big baby though maybe she just needs a lot? I have been giving her smaller bottles more frequently, and she seems to drink more than they say babies need, but she seems to get really hungry/upset... maybe growth spurt??. I have dumped like 50 oz. of bm down the drain... it seems like such a waste!

The doc will not switch meds... he said just don't bother with them.... he said to take extra strength tylenol instead of the tylenol w/ codeine he gave me. I want to make sure ALL the codeine is out of my system before b/fing because this article really freaked me out:

http://66.230.33.248/discus/messages/39/12571.html?1150810846

Also, my milk is greenish. I am not sure from what. It has never been this color before though. :?

[myjoyoverflows]

When I had my gallbladder removed I was put on Vicodin and told that I could still breastfeed while on that (surgeons don't know a lot about that kind of thing I've later found out!) and Maddy started acting up...anyway, her doctor said that it was effecting her and that I could take Motrin instead...that it would be just as effective but not harm Maddy in any way...and it was...and Maddy stopped being cranky....boy was I upset with that surgeon though...should have looked it up on my own..but didn't *slaps own hand*. So, if the Tylenol isn't cutting it for you..try Motrin...

[Cheeseburger]

The surgeon just said take only extra strength tylenol and not anything else...

which means he probably didn't bother looking anything up for alternatives or whatever. Or even look up to see if the drugs he gave me were safe. I told him I had frozen milk for 4-5 days so he was just like "ok, whatever, if you run out give her formula, or just quit the drugs and use just tylenol for pain" didn't even bother discussing it, and didn't discuss what might happen if i stop taking the antibiotic, like what my chances for an infection might be since i am quitting it early. That is annoying. :evil: I guess he probably doesn't deal with that too often.

thanks for the info on the motrin.

Oh well they said today would be the worst so I hopefully I will feel better tomorrow! I have just been keeping it extra clean... make sure any food bits are rinsed out etc.

:)

[buttercup_97140]

I'm so sorry you are having a hard time! Like I told you before, I went through gallbladder surgery and only had to pump and dump once...right after surgery, but Dd was nursing a few hours after surgery, and everytime after that. She was only 3 months old at that time, and even with antibiotics and very strong pain meds, she never showed any signs of problems. I think she maybe spit up a WEE bit more, but we are talking like minimal. I am NOT pressuring you to bf if you don't feel comfy, but maybe you could talk to a lactation specialist...most doctors really have no clue as to what to do with nursing moms...most don't care about the benefits of bfing..and most of the time they waaaay out number the small probs of not...KWIM? kellymom.com is a great website too.....

If you are trying to wean off of the meds so you can bf again, I would try warm saltwater rinses too....it will help with healing, and also help with any infection that might think about starting......also clove oil is awesome....when I worked in the Dental school here, I could always tell who had dry socket because they smelled like cloves...LOL!

I pray this time goes by fast for you!! My Dd is 16 months now and I have never gone a day without bfing her....I don't know how I would do it...it's just "our thing" KWIM? I pray you will be feeling better soon!!!

Amber

[luvmy4sons]

Also, my milk is greenish. I am not sure from what. It has never been this color before though.




That is normal, is my understanding. Mine often had a greenish hue to it when I had to pump and store it!

[ChamomileFriend]

on #1, microwaving bm can kill some of its helpful nutrients, but the reason you are not supposed to microwave breastmilk (or formula) is bec microwaves don't heat evenly, so that even if you test the milk on your hand before giving it to the child, the milk in the center could be much much much hotter than the sample you tested and the child's mouth/throat could be scalded.
It seems like Katherine is fine - PTL - but MIL shouldn't do that again bec K could get burned. I had to talk to my own parents about that more than once, but they *finally* got it. I know it is unlikely you will need to do this again, but maybe one distant night in the future MIL can watch K while you and dh go on a date.

Hugs and prayers for issues #2 and #3 [hug] [prayer]

[Cheeseburger]

on #1, microwaving bm can kill some of its helpful nutrients, but the reason you are not supposed to microwave breastmilk (or formula) is bec microwaves don't heat evenly, so that even if you test the milk on your hand before giving it to the child, the milk in the center could be much much much hotter than the sample you tested and the child's mouth/throat could be scalded.
It seems like Katherine is fine - PTL - but MIL shouldn't do that again bec K could get burned. I had to talk to my own parents about that more than once, but they *finally* got it. I know it is unlikely you will need to do this again, but maybe one distant night in the future MIL can watch K while you and dh go on a date.

Hugs and prayers for issues #2 and #3 [hug] [prayer]

Well MIL said she always shook the bottles and then tested them - so hot spots would not have been a problem. Which is a relief.

Yeah next time I leave her with MIL I will put a big sign on her microwave LOL!! One thing I am learning : ALWAYS leave written instructions! (that was my mistake. i thought a hands-on demonstration would do it. Nope.)

[ChamomileFriend]

Well MIL said she always shook the bottles and then tested them - so hot spots would not have been a problem. Which is a relief.

Yeah next time I leave her with MIL I will put a big sign on her microwave LOL!! One thing I am learning : ALWAYS leave written instructions! (that was my mistake. i thought a hands-on demonstration would do it. Nope.)

God was looking out for your little girl! Grandparents can be frustrating sometimes, but they really are such a blessing. I don't know what I would do without my parents (dh's parents are not in the picture). I hope I can help my children with their babies as much as my parents have helped me, although I am sure I will not always do everything exactly the way they want me to either :wink:

I hope that you are feeling better - can you bf today or not until tomorrow?

[Cheeseburger]

I hope that you are feeling better - can you bf today or not until tomorrow?


I am BFing now! Of course she just wants to hang off my boob all day now if she could. She probably needs to though because i think my supply went down a little bit, i don't feel as full as I normally do, but she's still getting plenty. :)

We are way happier over here now! :D MIL said she wishes she kept katherine through the night, so maybe we will leave her with her again later on so I can get a break.

[love2bmom]

PTL.. I just caught up on this thread... OH SWEETIE.. it was breaking my heart. Doc's don't seem to get it sometimes. If you ever have a question about meds/herbs.. whatever while you are nursing, call a lactation specialist or a pediatrician. The lact.spec.'s have a little book they carry with meds that are safe & unsafe while nursing. I was just sent to the ER for my migraines & they gave me a slew of meds. I called the lactation specialist as soon as I was put into a room. She was so helpful!!

I am so glad to hear you are nursing again.. nothing better than happy mommy & baby!!

[ChamomileFriend]

I am BFing now! Of course she just wants to hang off my boob all day now if she could. She probably needs to though because i think my supply went down a little bit, i don't feel as full as I normally do, but she's still getting plenty. :)

That is so great to hear!!!!!!

[stephwhiz]

I'm glad everything is going good for you now!

Stephanie :D