I have heard that separation anxiety is common in babies around Alice's age. What I haven't heard of is mothers feeling it. Although her rubella rash has faded, Alice is still in quarantine, and now her daddy is poorly too. Having no food in the house meant I needed to make a quick dash out to the shops. Creativity with tins at the back of the cupboards can only get you so far before you start developing scurvy. I got Alice to sleep, and left her to nap with Daddy before setting off into town. My entire journey from start to finish lasted just under 40 minutes, but I have never been so glad to get home. Every step I took I found myself thinking about the baby and how much I missed her.
I have only left her once before, on a misguided belief that all new mothers should have 'me time'. That turned out to be a miserable evening out and I didn't want it repeated in a hurry. Now she is 8 months old and breastfeeding less in the day, I'm wondering if it would do us both good to occasionally spend a little time apart. I'm not quite sure why. It could be that I've heard the well intentioned advice to separate myself from the baby so often that I've started to think it is crucial. However, she was awake when I returned and apparently had been perfectly content. Maybe I should let her be my guide in this. At any rate, I'm appreciating our cuddles just a little bit more today.
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