Milk and cabbage anyone?

Deviating once again from the holiday tidbits I have something to share with you that may be considered too much information. Nevertheless...

Since Sunday I have been weaning the little fella off the liquid gold that is my breastmilk. This is for several reasons, one of which is that he started going to childcare on Monday. Just one day a week but still time away from home. A little quiet work-time for me and a little interaction for him. So I needed him to be able to take a bottle or some other form of liquid in my absence, hence the weaning.

Unfortunately I didn't do it very cleverly and have pretty much gone cold turkey. The little guy has gone gang-busters on the bottle and seems as happy as Larry. I, on the other hand, am struggling. And that is a whopping understatement.

My boobs are the size of basketballs and equally as hard. They've been throbbing with pain and leaking so much that no breast pad is adequate. The only relief I get is in the shower where I massage a bit of the milk out but it's a reasonably insignificant bit and I'm back at capacity shortly after. Last night I got in the shower and started my massage routine, only to have the hot water run out after a few minutes. So I sat down and cried. Boo-freakin-hoo.

I read from several sources that clean cabbage leaves popped on swollen mammaries can help alleviate the pain. Was I that desperate? Indeed I was. I bought a cabbage, washed the leaves, used a rolling pin (as instructed) to flatten them a bit and then filled my bra with them. I could hardly stand the smell of myself as I rested on the couch yesterday trying not to move. Truthfully though, whether or not the cabbage did anything, it was so nice and cold that it felt like it helped.

I put some fresh leaves in after my non-shower and went to bed. My poor husband must have an impenetrable nose because he slept beside my milky cabbage leaves unfazed.

I felt a bit better this morning but as the day has worn on things have gotten rather uncomfortable again. Looks like I'll have to make a mercy dash to the supermarket for some more healing cabbage.

Until tomorrow xx