Latch

I find it fascinating that Julie is suddenly a food source. Her breasts, which previously existed solely for my entertainment, now provide sustenance to a miniature person. As crass as it sounds, they are quite literally jugs.

Breastfeeding isn't easy at first, and a lot of mothers give up and switch to formula. I can see why. Babies are born with certain sucking instincts, but they don't understand the importance of the large latch. If it's right, then you shouldn't see any nipple at all. But if they're just sucking on the (what the heck is it called?) nerpy part, then it can hurt like mad after awhile. As it is, even with a good latch, they get sore.

Julie has taken to hat biting as a coping mechanism. Once Lyla latches on, I shove a baby hat into Julie's mouth, and she grinds her teeth into it. We use the same hat for this purpose each time and give Lyla other hats to wear. This is so she doesn't have to wear hats with teeth marks in them and make our visitors nervous about our parenting techniques.

So much time is spent breastfeeding during the newborn stage that it's amazing to see the mother-daughter bond build. I stand by to change the diaper or give Julie water or replace the bite hat when it falls from her mouth. It's going well so far. I think they're both getting the hang of it.