>This smell-bonding is very important in the
>animal kingdom and during the birth process, we are not much different.

As a newborn, my second baby smelled like my father.  It really threw me
for a while.  Here was this little baby who had the same not unpleasant but
certainly distinctive oily smell.  I expected him to smell like his
brother.  My firstborn's diapers smelled of popcorn, my second's of cheddar
cheese.  I loved both smells.  And both of them had, as walking nurslings,
a wonderful "summer boy hair smell" each summer - kind of sharp and
absolutely bury-your-face-in-it delicious - when their hair was sweaty.  I
didn't notice it after they weaned.

I know a mom who said she could smell when her walking nursling was tired,
and was amazed that his dad couldn't.  Come to think of it, maybe it was
"summer boy hair smell".

Imagine how dogs would lyricize about their puppies' smells if they could talk!

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY, looking forward to that
smell on her grandchildren someday...