Always a Privilege

To me, there’s nothing sweeter than a nursing baby, especially a nursing newborn. I was reminded of this last week when I went to visit my friend and her nine-day-old girl, who was nursing when I arrived. She was perfectly contented, still, and serene, getting nutrition, love, and comfort from her mama.

I remember one of the first times I nursed Joshua. I was out of it and in a lot of pain from my emergency C-section. My husband had to help me hold the baby up. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful memory. Bobby and I still laugh about the funny noise Joshua made and how he moved his head back and forth so frantically trying to get latched on. He knew what he was supposed to do and he wanted so badly to do it! His little hands kept getting in the way, and eventually Bobby had to wrap him up to keep him from flailing about in anticipation. His instincts just amazed me and I was inspired to do everything I could to meet his needs.

With my daughter Sophia it was challenging to keep her awake for a feeding. Once again my husband helped, tickling her cheek or stroking her palm to keep her nursing when she’d start to doze. When we got her home, she nursed a lot more often than my son had. Nursing her constantly was tiring but once again I loved being able to meet her needs myself, and I loved bonding with her so often. She’s still, at eight months old, a devoted Mommy’s girl. She sometimes is a very serious nurser, and other times she’s silly, blowing razzberries and tweaking my nose when she’s nursing. She also loves to try and open my eyes if I’ve got them closed while I’m feeding her. I love that I am her plaything and playmate all the time, even when feeding.

I’m so thankful for the minutes and hours I’ve spent one-on-one with these two beautiful children. In the middle of the night, at the mall, in the park, at the restaurant, and yes, even in the parking lot of the porno theater, it’s always a privilege to nurse my baby!