Just last week, I felt an achy flu coming when I was fetching Gabriel from school. Brought the 2 boys for a quick lunch at the Bishan Sports Complex as I wanted to enquire about the gymnastic classes for John. Sadly, the whole gymnasium was renovating and they have moved their classes to Hougang.
By the time we got back home, I was already feeling so achy and tired that I had to go nap with baby for half hour. That night, I started shivering and realized that I had fever...38.9 degree celsius! Oh no...I was hoping that it's not dengue again! I had dengue in Oct 2005 (dengue epidermic in S'pore) when John was 2 months old! Caught with no symptoms at that time... also waking up shivering with a temperature of 38 degree celsius and had to go for blood test for the next 5 days ...then confirmed dengue on the 5th day and admitted to KK Women's hospital as blood platelets kept falling. It was so agonizing...as I got weaker each day and my family had to stay in the family companion ward the first night...bringing baby to my bed every 3 hours or so the first night for me to nurse. On the 2nd day in the hospital, LC Cynthia Phang said I had to stop nursing for the time-being if I wanted to get well. So I had no choice but to let her bring out those ready-made formula milk while she took baby away from me to feed and even taught Adin how to do it! Sigh! So heartbreaking! Well, I got discharged on the 3rd day as I was so determind to recover...forced myself to eat and just prayed, rested and expressed milk with the hospital's pump to prevent engorgement. I was so glad to go home that day and started nursing baby John as soon as I got home!
So I got quite worried when I came down with the high temperature last week. Baby Paulina was almost 3 months and I really can't afford to have another dengue episode! I even sms my friend, Gabrielle who also has a 3 month old baby, to save whatever expressed milk she had in her freezer and to standby to express her breastmilk in the event that I may come down with dengue fever! It's so nice to have friends who are also breastfeeding their babies who are of similar age group! Knowing that Gabrielle who is also an experienced breastfeeding mom of baby no. 3.... I was confident that she'll be able to express that extra milk for my baby. Oh...we'll just go that extra mile to help another breastfeeding mom! *Hee*
I kept popping panadol every 4-5 hour that night and fever only broke the next morning at 7am! It was only then that I realised that I had a painful block duct on my right breast. The achy feeling in my whole body didn't go off so I just kept massaging the painful area and kept nursing baby while doing breast compression. Oh well, the fever and bodyaches finally went off after 2 nights! Thank God! And thank God it was not dengue fever!
Social / Marketing Influences and Nursing
10 years ago
