It Hurts.

The problem with the new night time routine? I end up with a boob that hurts.

See, breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Since Zach would nurse many times a night, my boobs were producing what he needed. He demanded and I supplied. If he went several nights cutting back, I would produce less. If he goes several nights demanding more, I produce more.

So now we are at the lowest demand ever. He nurses both sides at bed time, draining them. Then he nurses on one side when he wakes at midnight. Leaving the other side anticipating a draining within a few hours... but it never happens.

Night One's midnight feeding was on the left side so yesterday afternoon, I had a moderately sore right boob.

Last night, he nursed on the right side. My left boob is raging, angry, tender, sensitive, ow-y hurting. Hard spots and heat radiating sore. It's part of the process. And it sucks.

Walking back into my office a moment ago, I brushed against the door frame as I cut the corner too close. OW. At the gym, I lay on my stomach so Christy and I can "fly" and "plank" and such. OW. If I flex the muscles near my boob... OW. It's a pain like nothing else. It isn't constant but it is always there- if that makes any sense at all. And it is draining (and yet needs to be drained). Oy.

So now I'm off to my office bathroom where I will run the sink faucet as hot as possible, expose myself over the basin, and attempt to hand express to relieve some of the pressure and pain. It wont help much but it will help a smidge.

***

The job is done. I eliminated enough of the hard tender spots to get through my last hour at work. My boobs are so lopsided right now... it is insanely comical. My left is twice as heavy, twice as big as the right. Literally took 2 hands just to hold the damn thing. Never in my life did I ever dream did that I would spend 5 minutes in a bathroom, leaning over a sink, spraying milk down the drain as it streamed from my own nipple. Crazy places that motherhood can take us...