“Mom, when a baby is born, do they smell bad?” Isabel asked innocently.

“No, babies don’t smell when they are born.” I replied.

“What about their breath? Doesn’t their breath smell gross?” she asked.

(I wasn’t sure where all these questions were coming from, but I rolled with it.)

“When babies are born, their breath smells beautiful.”I replied.

Today, I went to a Child Survival Program here with Compassion in Ecuador, and I was reminded of this conversation I had with Isabel.

When the odds are stacked against the littlest in society, when poverty is prevalent, when life is fragile, the breath of a baby is a mothers joy.

Yes, the sweetest smell on earth to a mother, is Baby’s Breath.

It means Life.

I always love visiting the Child Survival Program to hear the stories of moms who now have hope that their babies will grow up to be strong and healthy.