Relactation Efforts - Day 3

And now, I'm bleeding....again... Since I had to stop taking the birth control pills I was on, I've begun a "mini-cycle" (the term the lactation consultant used). "Mini" my ass! For the sake of not providing TMI (too much information), I'll withhold the details. Even worse, I woke up today with some sort of rash on my nipple, complete with burning and itching. I've stopped using the nipple shields because I'm afraid they're partly to blame, and because I can't get Eliza to nurse properly with them on. Things aren't looking good, and I'm starting to feel like a complete loser for getting my hopes up so quickly before I had the chance to realize just how many things could still go wrong with this process. However, I'm certainly feeling like I've definitely given breastfeeding my best effort....I'm going to check into the breastpump tomorrow, but I'm not keen on the idea of losing out on the closeness I'd get with the baby actually on the breast. And, I know I wouldn't be able to pump as much as she'd be able to get if she were nursing. This has been a roller-coaster weekend, and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting some work done at school tomorrow.