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My Adopted Daughter at My Breast
Our Path Toward a Wonderful Nursing Relationship By C.J. Johnson
We loved her the instant we saw her. She was a beautiful, healthy baby with thick black hair and dark eyes. On the drive home she held onto my thumbs and stared me in the eye until she fell asleep. I felt like I had known her forever and she was the daughter I had been waiting for.
I had purchased a can of Enfamil Lipil in order to have something for her to eat. I was relieved when I discovered it was exactly what she had been eating during her first week of life. It seemed that nursing wasn't meant to be. If she was doing well enough on the formula, perhaps I should just accept it.
At her two-week checkup I mentioned to the pediatrician how disappointed I was that I hadn't been able to nurse her. She said, "Go home and do it then." I told her I had returned the pump and there wasn't a way to get the milk ready. She smiled and said, "The baby will be your pump. Go home and nurse her; you will see."
I did as she said. For three days our baby seemed to enjoy nursing, but then became frustrated when no milk appeared when she nursed. I decided to wait a while and try again. When she was 5 weeks old, she began rooting around on my chest and sucking on her knuckles. I knew she was ready to try again. From that day forward nursing became her favorite past time.
I had always thought nutrition was the primary focus of my desire to nurse; however, seeing how comforted our baby was and how much she enjoyed the physical closeness, I realized it was so much more for her. She became much more calm and smiled more often. She had been held in so many loving arms since her birth it seemed at first she wasn't sure who her mother was. After a few days of nursing she looked at me with eyes that said, "Oh, so you are my mother." In turn, I felt so much more attached to her. I was amazed how nursing had strengthened the bond for both of us.
