On Colds and Nursing

I've been battling a nasty cold for 3 weeks and it's kicking my tail.  Unfortunately Baby Bird and Daddy have it too.

When we woke up this morning barely able to talk, my husband announced "We're going to Sick Call."  Yay for family togetherness.

3 doctor appointments, 4 hours, and 5 new meds later, we dragged ourselves in the door and flopped into bed.  Well, Baby Bird and I did - Daddy had to go to work.

One of the meds the doc prescribed for me is Sudafed.  The real stuff, not the over-the-counter stuff that does nothing.  She actually prescribed it 2 weeks ago when I went in thinking this cold was maybe strep (it wasn't), but I've only taken it maybe 3 times.  Sudafed works wonders.  However, it is also one of a small handful of cold meds that can affect your milk supply (Benadryl is fine in case you're wondering).

Baby Bird's already down to a handful of insanely short nursing sessions so any dip in supply could be a problem.  Neither she nor I are ready to stop nursing just yet.  I love that she's getting health benefits that simply cannot be replaced with anything else and it's the one time she sits and cuddles for more than a split second.  Baby Bird begs to nurse at certain times of day (mainly before and after sleeping) and often tosses in a few other random nursing requests throughout the day.  They're short but clearly meeting a need.

Enter Sudafed.

Doc says if I want relief from the coughing and non-stop nose then Sudfed's the way to go.  She knows I'm nursing and recommended staying hydrated, etc. to prevent a supply dip.  After a particularly painful hacking session I give in a take a round of Sudafed.  Just 1, nothing too crazy.  That was at 1pm.

7pm, time for Baby Bird to get ready for bed.  She potties, we read a book, she climbs into her PJ's and settles into my lap for her last nursing session of the day.

"There's nothing there!"  She opens her hands, palm up, and looks at me in surprise.

"Try again, baby."

"There's nothing there, Mama!  Where Mama milk?"

Well, crap.

Baby Bird crawls into bed, a little surprised but not too upset, and drifts off to sleep.

I go straight to the kitchen and down a glass of water.  And refill it.  And drink another.

If we're done nursing, I'm not thrilled about it but it's okay.  However, I am NOT happy that this cold and accompanying meds may be causing a rather abrupt end to an otherwise healthy nursing relationship.  I'll do my best to hydrate, etc. but booger.  Just, booger.

Solar Eclipse

Hubby woke me up this morning with "Eclipse time!"  A bit groggy, I followed him to the back porch and we were treated to this:

He had the brilliant idea to line up several sunglass lenses so we could actually look at the eclipsed sun.

I remember seeing the last solar eclipse as a kid, so this was pretty spectacular!  Baby Bird was a little less enthused:

She liked the pictures afterwards though and kept asking for pictures of the "moon" (i.e. the partially-eclipsed sun).

So cool!