A plugged duct or a sore spot on your breast may be the first sign that you are trying to do too much. You would be well-advised to heed this warning and get lots of extra rest for a few days after you’ve experienced a plugged duct.
-The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Last week I had my tenth plugged milk duct since Luke was born. This time, however, the painful red spot didn’t subside after a day. I felt flu-like symptoms coming on. I couldn’t ignore the clear warnings my body was sending anymore. The plugged duct progressed into mastitis (a breast infection).
I am on antibiotics and the infection cleared quickly. I know, however, that it won’t stay away unless something changes. On any given day, my list of things to do looks something like this:
- Read scripture/complete Bible Study
- Make breakfast
- Clean up after breakfast
- Get Meghan dressed, teeth brushed, etc.
- Drive Meghan to preschool
- One or more cleaning tasks (depending on the day: dust, vacuum, toilets, etc)
- One or more blogging tasks (answer emails, respond to comments, take and edit pictures, write and edit posts, etc.)
- One or more household management tasks (meal planning, grocery shopping, organizational tasks, etc.)
- Laundry, laundry, and more laundry
- Pick Meghan up from preschool
- Prepare lunch
- Clean up after lunch
- Prepare snacks
- Clean up after snack preparation
- Put Luke down for naps (X 3-4)
- Feed Luke (X 6)
- Play with Meghan
- Play with Luke
- Run/exercise
- Prepare dinner
- Help Tim clean up after dinner
- Bathe Luke
- Bathe Meghan
- Put Luke to bed
- Put Meghan to bed
- Spend quality time with Tim/focus on my marriage
Doing all of these things is so much more manageable when I’m well-rested, which I’m not right now. Luke is either going through the typical 4-month sleep regression I hear other moms talk about, or he is having difficulty sleeping because of his digestion issues. (And we didn’t get much insight at his GI appointment, unfortunately) Either way, he’s up every 2-3 hours at night, which of course means I’m up every 2-3 hours at night. I’m a sleeper. I love sleep. I need sleep. So my current sleep debt is taking its toll.
I tell you all of this not to complain or as an attempt to garner your sympathy. I know I’m not the first or only mom who has a lot to do and tries to do it on little sleep. I will survive. What I have figured out, however, is that
something’s gotta give.
I wish I could be Super Mom and do it all on a few hours of broken sleep, but I can’t. So this is my lengthy way of telling you that I’m stepping back from the blog for now. I just need a little time to get my head above water.
I’m not going to completely disappear and I promise you, I will be back. For now, however, I can’t put the time into posts that I would like, and the last thing I want is to provide watered-down, not-my-best work just for the sake of posting something.
I can’t say how long this break is going to last. It may be one week or it may be three weeks. I hope not longer, but maybe longer. In the meantime, I will be seeking out guest posters (please email me if you are interested!) with quality posts so there will be some new content when I’m not creating my regular posts.
I will be doing some blog work, but it will be mostly behind the scenes. I never have time to do behind-the-blog work when I’m trying to create new recipes and write posts, so during this break from that I will get some tasks done that have been on the back burner for ages. I have a fun blog makeover already in the works, so be ready for a new look coming soon!
My biggest fear is that I will lose you, my readers, by stepping back for a time. All I can do is hope that you’ll have confidence in me and know that when I come back, I will be able to provide better recipes and better posts. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I love blogging and adore my community of readers. I’ll be back soon!
For the plugged ducts, do you have a good nursing bra? Do you nurse frequently (no long stretches without nursing)? I made a huge mistake with my 1st and used a cotton sports bra to nurse when out and about. I’d just pull up the side and nurse… found out later that I was plugging a duct because the bra would rest on the top part of my breast while nursing and while let-down happened. After I got good nursing bras, I didn’t have that problem anymore.
Is your hubby willing to help you with laundry or toilet cleaning or kitchen cleaning? One thing that makes me fall in love with my husband more and more is his willingness to serve me by doing those things – he acknowledges that raising babies/toddlers is draining and I need help! He won’t have to pick up the slack forever.
I do wear nursing bras. It’s funny that you mention that because with Meghan I never did, yet didn’t have these problems! Luke nurses every 3 hours round the clock, so I guess that’s frequently, right? 😉 Tim does help me with cleaning the kitchen. Other cleaning tasks he’ll help with if I ask…I just am not always that great at asking. I’m working on that.
Oh Maryea… sounds like you made a good decision. So happy that you will be able to have a few more minutes each day to focus on yourself and your beautiful family. Glad you are feeling better, my mastitis got so bad that IV antibiotics and several days in the hospital were the only way to clear it up!!
I agree with Katie, enjoy these moments with your little ones as much as possible. Time goes by so fast and Meghan is at such a fun age!! I hope Luke’s tummy is feeling better soon. Maybe you will be able to catch a nap during one of his nap times? 🙂
And no worries, everyone will be here when you decide to blog again…..even if it is once a week or every other week. Whatever works best for you!!
Amy
I got to take a nap today for about 25 minutes! It was glorious. 🙂
I think you are making the right decision, I hope a little more time out gets you on the mend quickly…. and I hope you get some more sleep (sleep deprivated zombie-mode is NO fun, I’ve been there, I feel for you!)
If you need a guest poster – I’d be keen as!
Thinking of you 🙂
Thanks, Lou, I’ll email you soon!
Good for you! I’m surprised you blogged as much as you did after Luke was born. As I sit pumping my plugged duct, believe me, I understand. My boy is 8 months and I keep getting the same plugged duct more often now. I know it can create a lot of anxiety, for me at least, and I tend to fixate on it and only become happy when it’s cleared. Enjoy your wonderful family, feed them and eat well and get back to us when you are good and ready!
Hugs!
Thanks, Shannon. I think my expectations were a little high regarding how much I could handle. Lesson learned!
Happy Resting! We will be here when you get back.
Thank you! 🙂
Maryea, I hope you know how much you have touched our lives by the many immediate responses that you have received from your post. We all agree with you and hope that you feel better soon. We’ll be here for you when you get back, don’t worry. Meanwhile, take care and know that we’ll be thinking of you.
Thank you so much!
I enjoy your blog, so of course I will be be here when you get back. And by the way you are Super Mom, Super Women and even those titles deserve a break and rest. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your precious family. Will look forward to your next post…whenever that will be….no rush. 🙂
Thank you!
Take as much time as you need to focus on you and your family! You are Superwoman in my eyes! 🙂 We will all still be here when you come back.
You are so sweet–thank you!
Phew, you are human. I was beginning to think you were some sort of Supermom Robot. 🙂 I had a lot of plugged ducts with my second and they pretty much suck. I never had mastitis, but I hear its downright awful. Wishing you a quick recovery and some much needed sleep. Wish I lived closer so I could help out!
I’ll be here when you come back!
Thanks so much, Michelle!
Indeed something has to give and priorities take place. For me: Baby born. House sold. House bought,
You know I will still be here. 🙂 I definitely know what you are going through. I think I had a few days when I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown (I think it was mainly from the lack of sleep). Concentrate on yourself! You will look back someday and wonder how you did it all. Love you!
Lack of sleep is brutal, isn’t it? I keep telling myself that this stage won’t last forever. That doesn’t really help that much, though. 😉
I think you are making the right choice (for what it’s worth). Right now you are in the “trenches” and this is the hardest part (with adding a new member to your family). I was so very ready to have my first child and then so very shocked to understand the work with two. It is normal for you to feel overwhelmed and you are a strong person to take charge of making things better.
The only thing I will (gently) point out is that having a break to work on some blog projects that have been on the backburner for a while, is not actually taking a break. TAKE THE BREAK! Don’t put pressure on yourself to get something done other than be a mum and wife right now.
We’ll all see you soon!
Good point, Meagan, good point. I will be doing blog work much less than I was, though, so it is still a break. 🙂 Just taking the break from posting is like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. The rest of the stuff I’ll only do when I have a few extra minutes (like right now as I reply to comments).
I’ve been following your blog for a few months now and have been completely in awe of how wonderful you are. Take the rest you need, your health and family are the most important thing right now. I’ll be waiting when you return.
Thank you so much, Nicky!
It’s all good! Take a breather! You are still on my blog list! <3
Thank you, Amanda! 🙂
I just found your blog a couple of months ago and have already made lots of your recipes. My family (four kids under 8 and my hubby) and I have loved them! So thanks so much and don’t worry I am willing to wait for new ones. You and your family are the most important things here and I think your readers will understand and admire you for putting the most important things first.
Thank you! I’m so glad you’ve found some recipes you like here. I hope to have many more coming in the not-too-distant future. 🙂
Aw! I’m bummed you’ll be away for a bit, but I’ll be waiting!
I think most of us are likely signed up for your newsletter— so that’s an easy way not to forget you :]
Thanks, Amanda! Don’t worry; I won’t be gone too long. 🙂
You are right! Something has gotta give. I completely support your choice to “back off the blog”. Your family needs you right now. There will come a day when you will have so many free hours that you might not know what to do with all that time. My girls are
15 1/2 and 13 1/2, my hands on parenting is so very limited. I wish I had enjoyed it more when they were so dependent on me. Like you, I was trying to do it all. And the sooner I realized I couldn’t do it all, the better off… we all were.
Enjoy your “time off” and I will be here if and when you decide to return. Blessings to you and your family!
Thanks for your perspective–it helps to think of it that way! I know I only have these days when they are little for a short while so I definitely want to enjoy them.
You are right! Something has gotta give. I completely support your choice to “back off the blog”. Your family needs you right now. There will come a day when you will have so many free hours that you might not know what to do with all that time. My girls are
15 1/2 and 13 1/2, my hands on parenting is so very limited. I wish I had enjoyed it more when they were so dependent on me. Like you, I was trying to do it all. And the sooner I realized I couldn’t do it all, the better off… we all were.
Enjoy your “time off” and I will be here if and when you decide to return. Blessings to you and your family!
Glad you’re giving yourself a break! Get better & rested! Love you!
Thanks, Jenny!
I hope you have a great break and start getting some sleep soon. Both of my kids had bad 4 month sleep regressions so I can relate. Both also slept so much better when it was done.
I look forward to your posts and recipes (some of them have become favorites that we eat all the time!), and we will be here when you get back.
Oh, I hope that’s what this is and his sleep improves soon! Thanks for giving me some hope. 🙂