30-12-2011 - Seperation Anxiety

My mood while writing this blog: Tired but hopeful

Ok ladies I need some advice if you have it to offer :) My son recently started crying when I left the room, even if his dad was in the same room. Then a couple nights ago he started waking several times crying in the middle of the night. This is highly unusual for him as he usually only wakes once. After a couple of nights of him waking up every couple of hours I decided to hit the internet to find out what is going on. Found out he has begun having 'seperation anxiety'! How sad is it that he thinks I could ever leave him and not return :( So anyway, last night I tried a couple of tricks to try to ease his discomfort. I put my pillowcase in his crib under his head so he can have my scent (don't worry I tucked it in the edges so he couldn't get tangled in it), I pointed out where our rooms were (nice because you can see into both rooms from one corner) I then played 'peek a boo' a few times, let him play in our room and then put him to bed. He slept better than the last couple of nights but still woke up 4 times--I finally put his bassinet up in our room and held his hand while he was sleeping. I know that this will only make him more dependant on my presence but I was soooo tired. It is so sad to hear him crying in the night and I just cannot do the 'cry it out' method, it is tooo hard on me. We have a great bedtime routine and I plan to stick with it.

Have any of you ladies experienced this and if so what and how did you help them to deal with this newfound emotion? Thanks in advance this is truly heartbreaking for me. I need some hopeful inspiration if you have it. LOL!

Have a blessed day!

Tiffany