Oxytocin Smoothie
After about two months I began to feel less like a human, bloated, clumsy pretzel and more like a lone spaghetti string, soft and free from the pack; loose and lithe. I could feed my baby without 45 minutes of prep time and just plunk down, lift em’ out and get to it! Shortly after this transition occurred something else wonderful happened; I call it the oxytocin smoothie moment. It was in the middle of the night in cold, cold December. With my night vision eyeballs, trained perfectly like an owl’s, I slithered my way to the bassinet and scooped up my baby. We got into position, cuddled up like two commas face to face and the feeding commenced. Almost immediately I began to laugh uncontrollably. I laughed so hard tears poured down my face and other things poured, and it was as if I was in one of those movies where all of a sudden the scene became animated and I was sliding down a rainbow in the sky into a pot of gold glitter! I was a firework exploding in gorgeous sparkles from the inside out; though with every firework, the dissolve of sky fire is inevitable. Baby fell asleep and after placing her back in the bassinet (keep in mind this still took some acrobatics of perfectly timed baby roll off of forearm into unscathed REM beauty) I was overwhelmed with a ravenous sensation; to the kitchen I went, or sprinted. I scoured the fridge of all cold Chinese leftovers, my all time, and favorite meal and went to town. As if catapulted into a scene of Harry Met Sally my husband came downstairs and said, “Can I have whatever it is you have been having and are presently having?” He had a look of combined fear, confusion and curiosity on his exhausted face, though simply sat at the table with me, fork in hand.
I know the recommended ingredients for a good smoothie are kale, or bananas, or strawberries, etc….But, I would take oxytocin mixed with whatever if given the opportunity.
With support and some patience, The Oxytocin Smoothie can be a gift for all new moms.