Friday, January 25, 2008

Baby Love, Etc.

I have mentioned before that the girls found the whole idea of breast-feeding fascinating. They are pretty much over that now and really don’t pay too much attention anymore. But every now and then they will say something that I find amusing.


A couple of mornings ago, Claire walked into my bedroom while I was feeding the baby. The baby is now at that stage where she is really interested in everything going on around her. So, when the baby heard Claire walk in, she immediately stopped eating and whipped her head around, Linda Blair style.

Claire looked at her, laughed and said, "Look, now her breakfast is in her ear!"


There are all kinds of good reasons to breast-feed, as you probably already know. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast-feeding for the first year. So, why not? It’s always the right temperature and ready to go, nothing to clean or pack, and it’s best for the baby. Breast-fed babies tend to score higher on IQ tests, they are healthier with fewer allergies. Breast-feeding helps the mom get back to her pre-pregnancy weight more quickly and reduces the risk of breast cancer.


With that being said, there are times that the idea of a bottle sound tempting. Don’t get me wrong, I TOTALLY mean for the baby. What I am trying to say, is that it can really be difficult (or painful) to breast-feed a teething baby. Marin is starting to get her first tooth and she is not liking it. She is drooling quite a bit and constantly chewing on her fingers, at least when she’s taking a break from chewing on me.


Her tooth has yet to erupt through the gum but she bites incredibly hard for a kid with no teeth. Yesterday, she paused while eating and then clamped down hard and jerked her head to the side. The only thing I could think of is that I now know what a raw-hide bone must feel like.


Marin doesn’t limit the chewing to just me or her fingers. She will bite her sisters too. A few days ago, while sitting on Katie’s lap, she lunged at her big sisters arm. Katie thought it was funny and said, " Look! She’s chewing on me like I’m a hangaber!"*
Fortunately Claire and Katie love the baby so much that they aren’t concerned about all the drool. In fact, they seem to find it endearing.


Katie- "Do you know how you can tell if the baby kissed you?"
Me- "No, how?"
Katie- "Your face is wet. That’s how you can tell."







*For Katie, hangaber means hamburger. It’s one of the few words that she doesn’t pronounce correctly.

4 comments:

Mahala said...

I used to love how my daughter said "librardy" for library. She grew up to work in the library at college. I love bringing it up in front of her friends. When we first got a computer, she thought "Amazon" was "Amaze-on."

thrice said...

I miss breast feeding. I hate that I was forced to give it up early. Sigh.

Amanda said...

Found your blog through another that I read http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/. I am breastfeeding my 8 month daughter who just got her fourth tooth. She, too, would chew on me before they came in, but it didn't hurt that much. When her first tooth came in, she bit me and it hurt. My breastfeeding nurse told me to stop feeding her immediately, which I did. She quickly learned not to bite and we are happily breastfeeding still.

Anonymous said...

Awww...breakfast in her ear; love that. So sweet. Breastfeeding rocks! (Well, when your boobs aren't engorged or when your nipples aren't cracked. Yeah, then it's awesome.) Just kidding, Silly! I really loved breastfeeding my kids; it's amazing to know that YOU are sustaining a life and the reason your child is so healthy.