Morning twilight
Our baby woke up early in the morning. Last night he slept much better than the night before. His mom breastfed him and we changed his diaper.
He was almost half asleep as we put him in his nest. After a few minutes, he was awake again. I knew he could not sleep alone, I took him and put him on my chest to calm down and eventually fall asleep again.
What I have learned in my first two weeks of parenting is that babies need a lot of cuddling and empathy to feel safe. They are in a new world, everything is unfamiliar to them, and they feel unsafe. Being close to their parents helps them to feel safe and get used to the new world they are born into.
It is not just for babies. Also adults feel excited and sometimes even frightened when they face the unfamiliar. To sympathise with our baby, I imagine being placed in a jungle with no map, no food, and nothing to protect myself. Unfamimiar sounds, unknown ways, dangerous animals, and no clue where to find food or water. How does this feel? How much I would wish to have someone whom I could trust and who could help me to survive?
When I cuddle with him, I try to do nothing else except cuddle. I want to be there with all my attention for him. I want to experience these moments to the fullest.
He calmed down finally and found his way slowly to sleep. I was looking outside the window. The morning twilight, first as small as a few light beams, slowly growing, and then spreading, in the end faded into daylight.
Cuddling moments are morning twilight: delicate, beautiful, and fleeting!