 |
| Momma and her little man - then and now 1 day old and 6 months old |
When Ricky was born, there were a few concerns among the people around me that I may struggle to bond with my new little bundle. Due to a few complications I spent the first day and a half of Ricky's life tucked away in what appeared to be a storage room in High Care while he was safely ensconced in the nursery in the light and airy Maternity Ward. But, despite a separation that felt like eons, all I could think about was my little man and how much I wanted to see him. And when I did, the bond was instant. Of course, for the first few weeks of Ricky's life, I was little more to him than a milk machine and changer of nappies, but something in his eyes when he looked at me let me know that he knew I was Mommy. Now, six and a half months down the line, I have my incontrovertible proof - the onset of separation anxiety.
In all the reading I have done on the matter, separation anxiety is most often (if not solely) discussed in terms of a mom returning to work, leaving the child with a caregiver. As a stay-at-home mom, this obviously does not apply to me, but that does not exempt me from the myriad tears and screams when I am out of sight. As I understood it, this was something to look forward to in a few months time, usually starting somewhere around 8 - 10 months, yet here we are. I have read a few articles that claim that earlier onset of separation anxiety points to a higher level of intelligence due to the links to object permanence. I have no notion of whether this is, in fact, the case, but hell, I'll take it! It makes the shrieks and tears easier to bear. I also did not imagine it would be so severe that a simple trip to the bathroom would inspire a heart-wrenching aria from my little soprano, but I have come to find that, even if we are in the same room, if I am out of Ricky's direct line of sight, he flies into a flat panic. Sometimes the sound of my voice soothes him, other times he seems intent on crying his way into my arms - it really is luck of the draw. Like Rod and I keep saying, he's a little person with moods of his own and we need to remember that.
But, hard as it is to hear my little man wail in despair, it is the best of signs! It means that he is well and truly bonded to me, and that makes me feel more special than I care to admit. Early signs, like a slight preference for mommy over daddy and a mild agitation at being left to his own devices, began to show a few weeks ago, but last week was the clincher. I found myself going an entire day without so much as a glass of water passing my lips because I was simply kept too busy with a baby that seemed to fear that I would somehow cease to exist. This led to a day of me carting a 9kg baby on my hip as I made my way around the house - a task I feel I am not equal to. I am in awe that my skinny, noodle arms aren't toned to perfection just from the sheer weight of my little man! Playing peek-a-boo cheers him up, and helps him understand that although I'm gone I will come back. He giggles with delight when I pop out from behind my hands, a gorgeous sight!
And so an exhausting week of adjustment came to an end, and was capped by an even more exhausting weekend. Ricky's first tooth finally debuted on the charts. This same pearly white peeked out for a couple weeks four months ago before retreating to the safety of his gums once more. Since then we have been diligently applying Teejel nightly and patiently waiting for it to erupt into existence. We knew it would only be a matter of days until showtime when our monkey monkey, still sleeping ten hours a night, suddenly started waking every hour shrieking in pain. On Sunday night we gave in and dispensed 5ml of Panado syrup into Ricky's not-so-eager mouth, and the three of us slept like angels. And on Monday, after breakfast, there it was - standing astride his gums like a bony colossus! I was overjoyed! Not just because the pain would wind down for a while, but because my little man is getting so big! I know it's no great accomplishment, growing teeth, but I'm so proud of how my little man is growing up! They say these things come in twos, so now we see how long it takes for little toofy number two to show up.
Here's to cosy cuddles and a mouth full of chompers!
Smiles,
Mommy
UPDATE: After reading this post, a varsity friend, Claire (of OwlChild), sent me her practice's current monthly newsletter, which just so happens to speak about separation anxiety! I thought I'd share it for those who would like to read a little more about it and glean some tips for dealing with it in both babies and older children. Just CLICK HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment