Oh No!

Things have been going so well this post-partum time . . . but now I definitely have a clogged duct on my left side. It's so painful! I am praying desperately that it doesn't turn into mastitis. When I had mastitis with Anna, Mom and Dad were still here, so I could just lie around. That was good, since that was all I COULD do. And when I had it with Caleb, we were still in Ohio, and Mom came over to help with the others. What will I do now, with 6 kids and no one here, if it turns into mastitis?! Ack! Bob went to the store for cabbage, which I now have in my bra. Ummm . . . phew. And that is just the cold leaves! I haven't tried blanching them and then putting them in!

I have my 6 week post-partum appointment tomorrow (yes, it's been 6 weeks--isn't that amazing?), so I'll see what the doctor has to say. I'm not sure why the duct clogged this late in the game--my milk supply is well-regulated now, and I'm not leaking and feeling full all the time. I definitely nurse in a variety of positions, and Grace is a good, strong nurser, who I thought was emptying everything well. It's a mystery. We shall wait and see what develops. in the meantime, I'm taking lots of Motrin.

Although this seems to change the subject, it really isn't. You may remember me asking for prayer for my Uncle Jim, who is undergoing radiation therapy for cancer of the tonsil. He is in his second week, and these last 2 weeks, I have had something painful to remind me to pray for him. The first week, I had a very painful canker sore on the edge of my mouth, and everytime I opened my mouth, it hurt. I thought of his sores, and it was easy to remember to pray. Now this week, it's this blocked duct. I think the Lord knows that I can get distracted even when I really want to be faithfully praying, so He has made a way to remind me. I'm praying, Uncle Jim! I'm praying!