Mothers hold their children's hands for a short time, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown
My wife and I got the call that our baby was here when Ella was 5-days-old. She'd been taken to the NICU because her birth mother thought that she was about 30 weeks pregnant when she delivered. We were allowed to pick her up the next day. As we walked in to the room to meet the tiny person in the hospital bassinet, the nurse asked, "Who wants to hold her first?" Lynne immediately said, "Lola. Give her to Lola." My child.. the greatest gift I've ever received.
The moment that I was alone with Ella for the first time, I cradled her in my hands and told her this:
On the day you were born, all the gods got together and threw a BIG party! They decided that you, Mommy, Momma & Lucy should be a family. And so we are going to take you home today. You are our dream, come true.
At that, my newborn baby girl smiled in her sleep. She already knew and loved my voice, and I already knew and loved her smile. Our bond was instant, and it is strong.
My friend recently told me that the bonding hormones that are produced from childbirth & breastfeeding were absent for us, so our bond must be less than that of a birth parent. Oh contrare, mon frere! We've got it goin' on over here with the bonding. The odds were in our favor, though, because studies show that when you're the first to bond, the bond is most likely to be successful.
Contrary to popular belief, the fact that I didn't birth or breastfeed her is, in fact, irrelevant in our case. Her moms are the first people she looks for when she's happy, sad, scared, hungry, wants a hug or a kiss, or just wants to have fun with someone. We are her first best friends, and we relish in the delight of it all. I cannot imagine feeling any closer to my child than I already do. She feels like a part of my body. She is a part of me, like it or not.
Since bonding is a term that describes a caregiver's attachment level to a child, it's really the adoptive parent that needs to bond with a new baby—not the other way around. ~Jae Curtis
We did skin-to-skin bonding, we took care of each other and ourselves so that we were able to relish in the moments without too much crazy newborn fatigue, we had lots of face time and snuggle time, and we love the crap out of our daughter. That's the most important part. Love.
Lately, Ella says, "Mommy! I hug yoooo! I holdu!" and I know that the gods really did have that huge party, and they really did line up the stars, and we really are a Family.
My tiny girl.. 2-months-old
She is one of the most joy-filled people I have ever know.
See?!? Pure joy, and she is mine.
