Life
Thankfully, we live in a time and place where bottle feeding is an option. So that brings up an important question that, I'll admit, I've through from time-to-time. "What does a baby think when they’re using a bottle?" I’m assuming they’re happy to be fed, but beyond that, I can’t be too sure. Are they content? Are they fulfilled? Are they pondering the mysteries of the universe? Are they craning to see what episode of Battlestar Galactica I’m re-watching? We may never know for certain, but we can certainly speculate because, well, what else are we going to do when we feed our babies? I mean, it's some great bonding time but, let's be real, feeding time can also be pretty damn boring.
In the earliest days of my parenting, I remember feeling bemused by the new vocabulary that was making it’s way into my speech. Words like "swaddle" and "bilirubin" and "latch," were a focal point of almost every conversation I had. Of those now common words, "latch" probably comes with the most complicated set of associated, for me and to this day. I had breastfeeding problems and I had to turn to bottles and I had to do both feeling stressed and exhausted and emotional.
My son, however, was pretty chill about both and either, as long as he was getting fed. While I often looked at him longingly, wishing I could be as stress-free as he was, his calm provided me with this fun ability to imagine what was going through his mind at certain times when I needed to get out of my own. Specifically, times when he was feeding from a bottle. Here’s what I mean: