Dear new mommy,
I have a piece of advice. When feeding your babies, put down your phone.
That's it.
Simple? No. Not for me. I'm the first to have to be told this. And, I have to tell myself this each and every day. It's a habit for me to be on my phone. Even if I'm telling myself to not pick it up, I end up with it in my hand. So, as I was nursing my 9 month old today, I made it a point to leave my phone in the other room. That way, I had no choice. Instead, I studied her. I looked into her eyes. She was staring right at me. Touching my face with her little fingers. So happy to have my full attention. I remembered back to when my first child was born, 6.5 years ago, I didn't have a smart phone. I spent time taking him all in. I had no other choice in the wee hours of the morning than to just stare at him, talk to him, and touch every small little feature on his face.
Mama, the time that they are small enough to lay in your arms and nurse or take a bottle goes by so quickly. I feel it goes even more quickly when we have a phone in our hand. I had felt like my nursing time was a break for me, especially with having 2 other kids, where I could sit down, catch up on texts, see what my friends are up to on Facebook, pin some new ideas, etc. But, looking back, I regret this.
While I was "connecting," I was disconnecting from my new little one.
So, mommy, put down your phone. Kiss those toes and fingers, run your fingers through that hair and stare into that adoring gaze of your baby looking up at you like you are the most important person in the world. Because to him / her, you are.
Breathtaking image by Dewdrops by Amy McDaniel.
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