I have a 6 day old son, we're (mostly) BFing but one thing is really screwing things up. I've had a horrible chest infection (proper major green carnage going on in there) since I was 31 weeks pregnant. Gave it 2 weeks then saw GP, who said it's probably viral and will go away on its own. Nope. Saw another GP a few weeks later who said that basically pregnant women are just mucus-y and that everything will clear up after I have the baby.
When DS was 2 days old, everything seemed to become much worse, because before he was born I was able to cough productively and get up the mucus, whereas now I have masses of stitches (bad 2nd-degree tear) and no pelvic floor muscles (or abdominal muscles for that matter). So when some mucus breaks loose, I go into a massive coughing fit, my stitches kill, I empty my bladder, and I still can only shift the mucus a tiny bit. GP put me on amoxicillin.
The only way I can clear the mucus is to get on my hands and knees, bum in the air, and let coughing and gravity work the mucus out. However, this technique doesn't help when you have a newborn attached to your breast all hours god brings. So when he's feeding and I go into a coughing fit, he is either startled and unlatches, then I can't get him back on because I'm fighting for air, or he stays latched but practically pulls my nipple off because I keep moving around while coughing.
I can't do side-feeding or laid-back feeding because unless I am sat upright at 90 degrees, I am guaranteed to start up another fit. A couple of nights ago I coughed on and off for four hours and DH had to give DS a bottle because I couldn't physically keep DS at the breast.
I don't know how long I can keep this up and keep up a supply - my first (DD) wouldn't latch and I wound up exclusively pumping for nearly five months and it almost wrecked me, I am definitely not going down that path again.
Just looking for some tea and sympathy!!!