Skin to Skin

In Derek and my childbirth classes we learned about how important skin-to-skin contact with your baby is - especially in the first few hours. We made a point of holding Luke close because we learned it was important, but before long we also realized what a joy it is to be skin-to-skin with a tiny, silky, slurping baby.

My Mom asked me if Luke had started using his hands while he was eating when he was just a month old and she said that was the sweetest thing when her babies were breastfeeding - when they'd hold their hands up next to their face or just hang onto your shirt. At one month old Luke hadn't started using his hands. He would flail them around and hit himself in the face, but that wasn't the sweetness Mom was talking about.

Luke and I still get lots of skin-to-skin contact during feeding times. Lately he's started using his hands more, and Mom was right - it is the sweetest thing! Luke has his lower arm under my arm (the one holding up his head) and his tiny little hand is on the curve where my underarm becomes my back and he just opens and closes and opens and closes his hand so that he's brushing my skin with the tips of his fingers. When he's tired his top hand will just rest on top of my breast, but when he's energetic he will pull my shirt down over his face and then push it away and smile at me.