Ewan and I were in the kitchen eating lunch and talking about the baby in mommy's tummy. Ewan, who has seen his share of birth videos, is still trying to figure out how the baby grows and when it will be big enough to come out. Our conversation went something like this:
Ewan: Mommy, will the baby come out soon?
Mommy: No, not until after your birthday this summer.
Ewan: Oh, right. (pause)
Ewan: Mommy, when the baby comes out it will have stuff all over it.
Mommy: That's right, honey, it is called vernix. It helps protect the baby's skin.
Ewan: But we don't lick it off, right?
Mommy: (trying really hard not to laugh hysterically at such a sincere comment) That is right, honey, we don't lick it off. Animals lick off their babies after they are born though.
Ewan: Like elephants?
Mommy: Hmmm....not like elephants. But kitties and puppies do.
Ewan: Right! (and he goes off to play merrily)
Where he got that idea, I am not quite sure. We talk a lot about animals and he has probably seen something on tv--maybe Bambi, who knows? Let me say, I am thankful that it is not instinctual to lick all the vernix and amniotic fluid off of the baby when it is born. (Although I have heard a placenta shake is really good for your recovery after birth---I can hear you gagging through cyberspace!)
I'm a Texan born woman transplanted across the ocean to live in England with my husband and four boys. Aside from being a stay-at-home mom, I teach birth classes for couples who want to birth naturally. My blog is about my life and how I stay sane through it all.
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