Almost Poetic

I've heard it said
that attachment comes right after birth
that baby needs a mother's touch
that baby needs to be at breast
that interventions should wait
until that bond is formed
that any issue later on
must have been because that bond was broken.

I don't think we give babies enough credit.

If they're right
my kids are screwed
whisked away early
from an emergency surgical exit
with nearly every intervention known to man
not touched by me until days later,
not put to breast until months later.

I think they're wrong.

I'm looking into big hazel eyes
that are looking back at me
checking between catnaps
to make sure I'm still there.
Her smiles when I arrive,
when she hears my voice, are proof enough.
And even when she was tiny,
being in my arms meant fewer alarms.

I'm not saying it's ideal this way.
Just that some let medicine get in the way
of what our brain and heart know are true:
that babies are meant to be attached to their mothers
and we shouldn't let an imperfect start
be an excuse for every difficulty.