The Sound of Nursing

When it is quiet enough in our home to listen while I feed Aya, I realize what a beautiful sound nursing is. I love to hear her swallow deeply in the beginning, listening to the sound of abundant milk flowing. Then, later in the feed, it is the gentler swallowing, the quieter drips of milk that sound satisfying, like the lasts bites of a decadent dessert you don't want to eat too quickly. Aya's body seems to almost dance to the music. When the music of the milk is loudest, her eyes are wide open, her hands often reach out for my face, a string on my hoody or my breast. Then, as the "music" calms and slows, so too her face relaxes, and her shoulders rest. As the "music" fades, her arms fall to her side, her hands open and she is lulled to sleep by the slow dance. It couldn't be anymore peaceful, for her, or me.

Works for Everything

I have come to love the fact that nursing seems to work for everything. Before Aya was born, I thought of nursing primarily as the way I would feed Aya. After she was born, I continued to think of it this way. I would feed her and then "watch the clock" for the next time it seemed as though she was probably hungry again. It didn't matter if she cried or fussed in between--I always assumed she was distressed for a reason other than needing to nurse. I knew the hunger cues to watch for, but for some reason I found them very difficult to read so I followed the clock instead. Aya would eat and then begin to suck her hands again a half an hour later...certainly she couldn't be hungry again--or was she!? Looking back, I think Aya needed to nurse far more often than I offered. She might not have always been hungry but she certainly was upset and nursing might have been the perfect way to soothe and comfort her.

Now I feed Aya whenever it seems right. Often it is because I can tell she is hungry but now I also nurse her when we have been apart for awhile, when she seems sensitive or unsure. It makes me happy to know I can meet most all of her needs by holding her close and letting her nurse.