Milk mania

On Tuesday Kaleb and I went to mom and baby yoga at Isis Maternity. Being a very mom and nursing friendly place, they had an infant scale out for customers to use, designed to tell you how much your baby ate when nursing (you weigh them before and after feeding). My excitement was matched only by Megan’s, and we wasted no time in plopping our babies down on it. The scale read 10 lbs .5 oz, and subtracting for his clothes and clean diaper, I figured he was probably about 9lbs 14 oz. He has been alive for about 100 days, and he has gained101 oz in that time–pretty astounding. By this weekend he will have TRIPLED his lowest weight. Most babies are supposed to double their birth weight by 6 months. Now, he may have been tiny, but I think he’s doing ok! What is astonishing to me, besides the fact that I grew this child inside me, is that I have produced all of the nourishment that has enabled him to grow so strong. Every ounce, every inch he grows was at one point milk, and before that whatever I ate for dinner. It’s really pretty astounding. Breastfeeding, besides being so good for your baby, really is an experience like none other. To say it is a bonding experience really doesn’t even come close. Being able to nourish your child with your own body is satisfying in a deep way–it just feels right. For all the annoyance of leaking breasts and gimungo, saggy boobs, I wouldn’t trade breastfeeding for anything. And there is something about the way a baby looks when breastfeeding–so innocent, so helpless, so dependent upon you, that just tugs at your heart. Kaleb, I got you to ten pounds, and i promise to keep you growing big and strong. I love you, little one.