Nursing Persons Report
Many new parents agonize over the decision, but we decided early on that our baby was going to breastfeed. We decided that of the two of us my wife was better equipped for the job, and we even agreed on a timeline for withdrawal. If Baby Boots didn’t decide to pull the plug earlier, we would cut him off at eighteen months. Here we are at the appointed hour, and I am pleased to report that Baby Boots has filed his final nursing persons report.
He would accept a pinky finger from me in the first few weeks, but rejected it as a terrible source of nourishment before long. I quickly learned how to sing and rock and perform deep knee bends and dozens of other little tricks that might, just maybe, possibly calm my crying baby. It is not an exact science, but certain combinations of thinking good thoughts and singing and moving in a soothing manner occasionally will calm a baby who awakens in the middle of the night. Sometimes.
It can be frustrating to be the father of a breastfed baby. Being able to write your name in the snow is no match for the ability to take a screaming baby situation from Red Alert to All Is Well within five seconds. “If only I had boobs!” I would cry as my wife instantly silenced the maelstrom, transforming the piercing wails into soft suckling sounds of contentment.
There are certain areas where biology trumps the doctrine of gender equality, and the ability to provide milk to our young is a biggie. On the one hand, I am relieved that I am now on equal footing as far as caring for our baby goes, and on the other hand, something precious and sweet has been lost. My wife was a bit put out that our little one took the end of nursing so well, and I can understand why. Nelly got to share so many special moments with baby, and this is the end of one of the most fulfilling experiences of her life.
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