The content of this blog is largely concerning breastfeeding, so be warned.

This must be payback for all the times I wondered what all those moms were whining about when it came to breastfeeding.

With Elias, I had no trouble breastfeeding him, save for the first few days which are par for the course. With all that lactation experience under my belt, I thought the second child would be no problem. Clearly I thought wrong. On Saturday I was diagnosed with "mastitis" (breast infection due to clogged milk duct) accompanied by 2-3 days of flu-like symptoms. Last night I find another clogged milk duct. Did I mention these clogs are painful? In addition to this, I now experience shooting pain when I attempt to nurse. Of course all the action takes place in the "wee small hours of the morning" when I am most sleep deprived and emotional. Do I sound like I am whining yet? I whine most when my expectations are way off base. Ask Randy. He would concur. So, now that I am approaching week 4, I figured things would be getting easier not harder. I envisioned taking some leisurely evening jogs, cooking the occasional hearty breakfast and mostly the approaching light at the end of the 6 weeks of hell tunnel. Instead, I find myself crying for 2 straight hours early this morning, initially sparked by a very painful feeding and then continued when I couldn't seem to turn off the faucet. Yes, I am whining and crying and eagerly awaiting a phone-call from the person I EXPECT to solve all my problems: the lactation consultant.

Some things are do-able and some are not. I have resorted to pumping bottles for the time being.

**Found out after I wrote this that we are suffering from "thrush" as well. When it rains...