Baby will be six weeks old on Thursday and he is thriving. I, on the other hand, am only just now feeling like a human being again. After healing from the birth, battling what might have been thrush, and winning over mastitis including two days of over 101 degree fevers, I am finally back to my pre-birth energy levels. I can't really say I notice a huge difference in my energy due to the raw food, but I have made it through the various healing crises with relative ease.
As far as my month-long healing process, I mentioned before the coconut water cure for the stinging pee. Vaginal healing also included ice packs for my perineum and bed rest for at least a week.
After about week two I began to experience extremely sore, cracked and bleeding nipples with incredible pain associated with nursing. I would compare this pain to glass being sucked through the nipple with each let down. The catalog of symptoms all pointed to candida more commonly known as thrush. I treated this with grapeseed extract swabs for both myself and baby, along with Motherlove nipple salve, and ridiculously frequent laundering in vinegar of everything that would come in contact with my or baby's skin. And, I basically went topless for two weeks and got my nipples in the sun as much as I could. Thought about cutting out sugar, but there was just no way I could go without the calories. I am absolutely ravenous. Finally, that abated and I began to feel less discomfort.
Then suddenly one morning I developed a high fever, terrible aches and pains and a rock solid lump in my right breast. Mastitis. I was terrified I would end up on antibiotics. But, with google to the rescue I was able to treat the infection with bed rest, hot and cold compresses and frequent nursing. The infection was gone in about 36 hours, but the incredible aches and tension in my neck and shoulders persisted even through Enrique's most fierce massages and pressure points. I got really angry at this pain. I couldn't stop myself from railing into Enrique and taking all my suffering out on him for any little thing I could think of. Everything he did hurt my feelings, and even though I knew it was just this month of constant pain talking, I was angry and resentful at him. I was really becoming dark and depressed. I begged him to buy me some ibuprofen. That did not make him happy, but it was the most therapuetic thing I could have done. He bought me a bottle, but it only took one pill to make all the difference.
Imagine, I made it through birthing a child with not one drop of painkiller, and what finally broke me was knots in my shoulders. I realized however, it was the debilitating nature of chronic pain, one thing after another for a month straight. If I was not breastfeeding, I would have fasted and let my body heal the pain away. But, this was not really an option for me while I am sustaining this rapidly growing baby in addition to myself. So, I was able to turn to allopathic medicine. In a tiny dose, coupled with my continuing dedication to the raw food diet, it really saved my sanity. For that I am grateful, and it brings me compassion and understanding for those that suffer on a daily basis. It is an incredible challenge, and sometimes we have to remember that our "ideal" way of doing things might not be the solution for the moment. I took compassion on myself and I am so glad I did, because finally, one morning soon after that one little pill, I woke up feeling perfectly, amazingly, blissfully...normal. Hallelujah.
Baby took it all in stride, and as you can see, couldn't be happier. And, despite all the challenges, how could I be anything but happy? I mean just look at that laughing face. Too bad we couldn't bottle that and sell it as a painkiller!
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