Rocking Baby

Rocking Baby Kaylee Photo taken by Amanda Shepard / Edited by Holly Smith
Rocking Baby Kaylee by Amanda Shepard

Back and forth.  Back and Forth.

Pressing hard against the back of the rocker.

Feet lifting slightly off the floor as I tip my weight.

Baby nestled snugly against my breast.

The weight in my arms shifts only slightly as I rock.

Back and Forth.

I rock this child, this life so dear.  A ritual as important to me as to him.  I draw comfort from the warmth of his tiny body.  The smell of baby shampoo and milk are scents of  hope; a hope that time would halt its pilgrimage forward, just for now.

I sing low and soft, letting the vibration of my chest and voice remind him of when he was in Momma’s womb, sounds muffled through tissue and water.  The swishing of the rocker on the wooden floor like the pumping of Momma’s heart in his ears.

“Go to sleep, now dear love…” *

 

*Brahms Lullaby