Early Feeding and Changing

As a newborn, my son likes to (read: needs to) wake up every 2-3 hours to eat.  The burden of feeding often falls squarely on my wife, simply because she has breasts that can produce a nourishing substance for the child, namely, breastmilk.  As it turns out, eating often necessitates a similar amount of excrement, both in liquid and solid form, with mixed media thrown in for good measure.

The fact that I cannot feed this child with my body has caused me some small amount of angst.  I never anticipated having functional nipple envy, particularly not towards my wife.  That being said, it's very difficult to not feel a tad inadequate given my male body's inability to feed my child.  I'm usually a go-get-em, take matters into my own...err...hands?...kinda guy, but that's just not happening here. My wife does "pump" (another story, another time), which gives me a chance to bottle feed my boy, and I jump at every opportunity I get to connect with him over food.  I've always found it interesting to think about how much of human life and relationships center around consuming food, particularly with one another - I've found things to be no different with my infant son - at least for me (it is unclear to me what he may or may not be getting from these exchanges).

Another thing that tends to arise when food is consumed is the processing and ultimate passing of non-essentials from the body.  My son has lavished us with gifts of both urine and shit, and how.  Apparently it's normal and good for a baby to urinate as many times as they are days old (up to about 10 days), meaning that today my boy required a minimum of 10 diaper changes, not to mention the times when he bestows additional blessings upon us with his yellow, grainy mustard craps.  The blessing in all of this is that I've found joy in servicing my baby's bottom and keeping it clean.  I can't feed my son, but I'll be damned if he's going to be swaddled in his own waste for longer than need be.

There may be many things I can't do, but those that I can do will be done with a full and grateful heart, and in service and humility to my child and his mother.