How My Son Has Inspired Me

With his bright blue eyes of wonder, in his short two months of life, my son has inspired me many times.

The first time and most imprinted in my memory was when we were still in the hospital. It was one of our early attempts at breastfeeding, which did not come easy for either of us. I had a PIC line in my arm up until I was discharged from the hospital, due to the difficulty the nurses had finding a vein in my arm, so long after I was disconnected from all the wires that line dangled on my right side, making it impossible for me to hold my little guy in my right arm. So our first attempts were on my left side, which has become my dominant supply source.

I also had to use a shield, because my son was only six pounds and due to being born at 37 weeks, had difficulty sucking. What I didn’t know was the sucking reflex doesn’t fully develop until 38 weeks. Therefore, latching was hard! Between both our physical limitations, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to breastfeed my son.

I remember trying to latch him maybe the second time, after a traumatic first time that left me full of doubt. My husband said, “I don’t think he’s ready. He’s too little.” My son then surprised us both by thrusting himself at me, then latching on. I knew then he was a fighter. He wasn’t going to give up, and neither should I.

The second time came at almost a month old. We were putting him on his tummy for tummy time. Knowing the benefits of tummy time for development and strength, I wanted to get him started early. He was not a happy camper! I have a video where my cat appears to be taunting him, and at the end of the video, he surprises us once again and rolls over at only a month old! He’s a strong little guy.

As I watch him grow, and the wonder that fills his eyes as he experiences the world for the first time, I remember we are not born into this world without confidence. Babies possess strength adults only dream about. They are not weak. They are stronger than us. Weakness develops from years of wear and tear in the world. Babies are the true warriors of the world.