There will never be anything that warms my soul like the milky smell of a new baby against my breast. Or the feeling of his tender weight and warmth as he coos quietly on my chest. So as we made the trip home from the hospital with our third baby fast asleep in his car seat, I found myself quietly mourning the fact that this would be the last time we would bring home a newborn. My partner and I had agreed that we didn?t want more children.
To be honest, we were never quite sold on the idea of a third baby. We had always dreamed of having a daughter, but the scientific odds were against us, and the thought of being outnumbered by our children was a sobering one. As were the financial implications of another child.
But nature decided for us, and having barely emerged from the diapering stage, we were right back in the thick of the sweet delirium that is newborn parenthood. Bleary eyed 3 a.m. breastfeeding sessions. Jumping out of sleep like a cat on fire to make sure he was still breathing. Long bouts of staring at his sweet, sleeping face. I?ve been through this twice before, and yet something feels so different this time. My heart is bursting with love and excitement that our family is now officially complete and our boys have one more playmate in their fold, but it also aches as each milestone passes for the last time. Do all moms experience this when they are able to decide that they’re caring for their last baby" I didn?t expect to feel so many different thing...