weaning, sadness and engorgement

[mamaof2sweeties]

My son is almost 14 months old and last week I weaned him.  I didn't want to, and he doesn't want to.  He's having a hard time with the transition, and I'm just in tears about it. And 5 days later my breasts are still engorged.  I weaned my daughter (or she weaned herself) at around the same age and I didn't have any of these feelings of sadness nor did I have any engorgement. 

I've had chronic sinus infections for the past 7 months and I'm afraid that I'm beginning to build up immunity to the anitbiotics.  The ENT said they couldn't do anything for me until I stopped breastfeeding because of the medication coming through in the milk.  It's not a life threatening medical emergency that's stopping me from breastfeeding, but it's pretty rotten feeling sick all the time and constantly being on antibiotics.  I feel like I need to get this aspect of my health fixed so that I can be the energetic and attentive mom I am when I feel well. 

But I just can't beat this horrible sadness.  I feel like I'm betryaing my son, I feel guilt because it's not a life threatening disease or medical reason, I miss the closeness and that beautiful intimate quiet time and I even feel like my body isn't responding well to this transition with the engorgement.

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated.  I could use a little perspective on this.

[PatioGardener]

Where do you live, Mama? Have you called Infantrisk about the medication? Many doctors say to wean just because they don't know the facts about the medication. There are very few medications that are contraindicated with breastfeeding (chemotherapy, for example.)

Infantrisk has the latest research and information and can help you to make an informed choice.

It sounds like neither you nor your baby are ready to wean. I would encourage you to find a way to get treatment and continue to nurse your child.

Good luck! (from a mum with a 14 month old nursling who can't imagine how hard it would be to have to wean him!)

[mamaof2sweeties]

Thanks so much for the kind words PatioGardener.  And what an amazing resource Infantrisk is! (I'm in the States btw) I wish I had known about this for both my babies!  Unfortunately, I feel like 6 days without breastfeeding and we are pretty well on the way to being weaned.  I'm not sure how much milk I'm actually producing anymore.  The drugs my ENT mentioned were oral steroids and starting allergy shots.  The doc said both have been shown to come through in breast milk and the risks are pretty unknown.  I wanted to make it to at least a year with my little guy so I've been putting treatment off, but once I start with the ENT I feel like the risks of him ingesting these medications outweigh the benefits of continued breast feeding. 

He was better this morning- less upset and grumpy without his wakeup nurse.  So I'm hoping he's starting to adjust.  It's just such a sad transition.  I'm really mourning the loss of that connection with him.  Breastfeeding is such a gift, I just feel lucky to have been able to do it with both my kids for as long as I did.

[homemademom]

Best of luck with your treatments! I hope you're feeling better soon.

[foreverinbluejeans]

You can take antibiotics and breastfeed. I have immune deficiencies (boy in the bubble disease) and while breastfeeding my 3 children I took antibiotics many times for sincus infections, pneumonia and other infections. I had pneumonia and septicemia when my youngest was only a month old and had to be hospitalized. I had IV antibiotics, steroids, asthma meds, and other meds and nused in the hospital. I had to be on IV antibiotics for 3 weeks at home. He never missed a feeding.

Have you had your immunoglobulins checked. The specific  immune deficiency disease I have is very rare, life-threatening, and expensive. It's not so rare to have low levels of IgA (about 1 in 400 people do) and have problems with sinus infections that won't go away. Low IgA can't be treated but you would know why and it can affect antibiotic treatment choices. People with low IgA can do fine or they can have sinus infections, ear infections, skin infections, digestive problems, vaginal infections. IgA protects body openings.

If you have low levels of IgG, that can be treated by IVs every 3-4 weeks. You can keep nursing with the IVs. I've been getting them for 23 years. When my kids were young I had no help with my children and I did the IVs at home myself so I didn't have to leave them. Your immunoglobulins can be tested with a simple blood test. You can search on google using the words primary immune deficiencies to find out more info and the warning signs for needing testing. Infections that don't go away is one of the warning signs for testing.

You can call a La Leche League Leader to confirm that antibiotics and other meds are compatible with breastfeeding. You can find a list of the few drugs nursing mothers can't take on the American Academy of Pediatrics website. They are mostly cancer drugs. I would be furious with that doctor for telling me I couldn't nurse when it's recommended that children breastfeed until they are at least age 2.