Separation Anxiety

According to some experts, separation anxiety doesn't start for babies until they are a little older, maybe 8 or 9 months old. Supposedly, very young infants (under 6 months), can adapt well to other caregivers. However, this doesn't seem to be the case with little A.E. Whenever other people watch her, or even hold her, she often fusses and cries. Since she was born, my husband has referred to himself as "not the momma." Does this mean that she's brilliant and way ahead of the curve? (that's my theory!) Or is she just an anxiety-ridded little person, destined to scream and wail every time I leave her, for the REST OF HER LIFE.

Who knows. Time will tell. But here's an example. My friend Elise took me out for dinner for my birthday last weekend. My husband, of course, cheerfully agreed to stay home with the baby. I left her at 6:15 p.m., fed and content. When I got home at 9:15, both daddy and baby were asleep. But baby didn't have on her PJ's, and I knew she hadn't eaten, because I feed her.

My husband woke up from a half sleep and said, "she wouldn't stop crying. She sobbed for an hour and a half!" She just cried and cried and then passed out in exhaustion around 8, still gasping for breath like babies do when they cry really hard. I picked her up, put on her pj's, and of course she woke up, and I fed her, but she wouldn't go back to sleep until about 11.

So, it seems that my little one is a Momma's girl. It's a blessing and a curse at the same time.