Had dinner with the in-laws yesterday and as usual Mildred was fussing over Nat. I think she hadn't seen Nat in almost two weeks so you can imagine how anxious she was, inspecting and observing her precious grandchild.
She was her usual paranoid self, alarmed when Nat choked on the milk while being fed by her (Nat hardly ever chokes on her milk these days, I think it was the way Mildred was carrying her), commenting I shouldn't carry her upright (even though Nat's head was lying on my arm), and just because my daughter was not so chatty last night, she thinks something must be wrong (FYI, Nat was noisily yakking away to Ben in the room AND at night is quiet time).
This morning she sent me a string of SMSes, starting with the first one at 6.58 am. The early hour didn't help, I was looking forward to sleeping for at least another hour since Ma did the night shift yesterday but I was not left in peace. Mildred probably couldn't sleep last night, getting her knickers in a knot over what she thinks are dire situations which need a doctor's immediate attention! These are the messages she sent, original form (does she not believe in punctuation?):
6.58 AM
"Gd morn Mita n Nick i got 2 bring 2 ur attention tat Nat is not as alert n growin much fm d last i saw her also droolin is not normal 4 now put her upright only when burpin d way she's stretchin n kick with so much force i pray tat i'm wrong take her 2 c doc asap. Sori i cannot help not worryin about Nat may God bless her n protect her. Amen"
Just when I was about to fall asleep, I got another message from the dark side:
7.08 AM
"Sori one more area u need to watch out 4 i rub her head and felt her 4head is out of proportion tks"
When I arrived at work, another message came in:
9.30 AM
"Hi Mita d way Nat drinks her milk n if chokin often is another area 2 look into tks"
I haven't replied as yet. Am still miffed at being woken up at 7 am. But this is probably what I would say in defence:
1) Not alert: It was past 9pm, my daughter is tired and sleepy.
2) Not grown: She has definitely gained weight.
3) Drooling: All babies drool! Nat's drooling is not as excessive as some babies I know!
4) Sitting upright: It's never for longer than 10 seconds, if not her head will be resting on something. She likes to be pulled upright these days and indicates with her stomach crunches.
5) Stretching & kicking: She doesn't have full control over her limbs yet, plus she was probably uncomfortable in the position Mildred was carrying her.
6) Forehead: It looks symmetrical to me! Out of proportion compared to what? Baby heads are bigger than their bodies when younger and makes up 1/3 of body.
7) Choking: She never chokes when me, Nick or Ma feed her, it was the way she was being carried or Mildred moved while feeding her.
I know she is concerned, but sometimes her comments leave me questioning my abilities as a mother, it's like she doesn't trust me to know when something is wrong with my daughter or that I don't know what I'm doing.
I know I am a first time mum, but I don't think I'm doing a lousy job. Nat is happy and content from what I can see, and her development is making good progress and on track with what babies at this age should be doing. Inadvertently, she is also implying that my mum is not doing a good enough job, since she is the main caregiver when we are at work.
Mildred's concerns are duly noted, but I am not rushing out to visit any doctors as yet. Nat has a jab next Tuesday, I will use that opportunity to enquire about certain things...although deep down I know there's nothing wrong for now. But if Mildred doesn't get assurance from a source other than me, my books or the Internet, she won't let it rest.
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