Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Let's Get This Straight…

Lucy and I had a baby on September 17. Her name is Elizabeth Lee but we call her Libby Lee.

Beyond that — I hardly know where to start.

Lucy is the principal food source. This has been hard, but she's a champion.

Breastfeeding: I keep thinking who would have ever thought that something so natural (let's remember, we 'mammals' are named for the practice) could be so … unlearned. And that's true for baby and Mom. Fortunately, we're (I'll be using the term "we" loosely here) getting the hang of it, after a month. It was wildly alarming the first couple of weeks watching Libby Lee "not get it" and become insanely frustrated over not getting it. And also — quite normal, it seems.

In fact, the one thing we've heard over and over since entering parentland that is simultaneously comforting and maddening: That's normal. That sounds 'about right.'


Every time we've thought we had a scary, unusual situation on our hands, after losing even more sleep than usual, we consult the authorities (thank you, doctors! nurses! lactation specialists! youtube! books! friends!) and the response is: That's normal. How old is she? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Give us time, Libby Lee. It's only been a month, but we sincerely believe that we'll not be too incompetent at taking care of you. And that's a promise.

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