When my son was an infant, there were many a time when I wished he had come with some type of gauge to let me know if his little tummy was full or empty. (The first time being when he was about 5 hours old...) I would have gladly paid for an upgrade at the hospital, or extended the warranty, or whatever needed to happen. Unfortunately, none of these were options or I missed the paperwork somewhere along the way. Alas, I had to learn to rely on and trust my Mom Instincts.
Let me explain...
My son was a serious "spitter-upper" as an infant. When I say "spitter-upper," I actually mean "empty the contents of my stomach-er." He was a great eater, and we were blessed that breastfeeding went really well right from the start.
Almost a little too well.
The little man would eat and eat and eat, and from time to time, immediately follow that up with spitting up his entire feeding. At least it felt that way when it ended up all over me. After a while, I learned that I needed to cut him off before he would have chosen to himself. To be honest, he comes by this voracious appetite honestly. I have been known to eat way beyond "I'm full" myself. Wait, there's chocolate cake? Oh sure, I can make that happen...piece of, well, cake.
One of his most infamous instances was on a trip to Mackinac Island when he was 2 months old. We had just stepped off the ferry, and found a quiet, secluded spot where I could feed him. The sun was shining, a cool breeze was blowing, and we had a day full of fun and adventure was waiting for us. Fudge. Historic forts. Ice cream. Arch Rock. Salt Water Taffy. Carriage rides. Fudge. (Remember that voracious appetite thing?) I finished feeding him, put him up on my shoulder to burp him, and it happened. He got rid of that entire feeding all over my back. There I was, literally minutes into our trip, covered in regurgitated milk. Try not to be jealous.
Lucky for me, the only thing Mackinac Island has more of than fudge shops, are t-shirt shops. I am now the proud owner of a souvenir Mackinac Island t-shirt which holds one too many memories from that trip.
Here was the "parent"dox I struggled with in those early days: Is he full or empty?
I just fed him. I know he did actually digest some of what he was eating because he started eating 20 minutes ago. I also know he expelled from his body what feels like an entire feeding. So is he full? Or empty? Do I feed him again? Or consider that his feeding? It was a learning curve for my son and I, and we eventually got the hang of it together.
When you are covered in bodily fluids from your kiddo, and all you want to do is cry, You Are a Good Mom. When you are covered in bodily fluids from your kiddo and you still love them beyond words, You Are a Good Mom. (C'mon...you know you've been there...)
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