We’re sure most of you have already seen all over Dipti’s Instagram and Facebook that this past weekend her and Diav were apart for 4 whole days and needless to say, Dipti was a hot mess – and guess what D was FINE! It was the first time mommy and baby were apart for more than 24 hours and though Dipti can’t say she learned how to cope with it, she did come up with a few ways to make it just slightly bearable.
The first thing she did was pack a used swaddle blanket of D’s… Yes, we know, she’s nuts. But for a first time mommy who is beyond obsessed with her baby, she needed the comfort of his smell at all times. She slept with the swaddle every night the whole trip. Best part, D did not need anything to remind him of mommy – he slept just fine without her (after all, he IS daddy’s boy so he was in heaven with just daddy!).
Secondly, she made sure Daddy sent her countless pictures and videos of D while she was away. Sure, sometimes the videos made her cry more, but they helped her with the anxiety of being so far away (and by so far, she was a 4 hour drive in Newport, RI………..). Dipti constantly looked at the videos and pictures throughout the day to remind her that baby was just fine without her – hey who would EVER think that was possible.
Lastly, ever so grateful for technology, Dipti Facetimed with D every morning when she woke up and right before his bedtime. Her main concern was that he was so young, he might forget her (again we know, she’s nuts)! She wanted to make sure he heard her voice and saw her face, even though we’re pretty sure he had no idea it was her in real time! But when he saw her on the tiny phone he smiled and laughed and assured her that he hadn’t forgotten mommy at all!
As for D’s meals during their apart, Dipti had everything ready to go! They’re transitioning D from breastmilk to formula so she made sure the pantry was stocked with formula and the fridge was stocked with frozen BM (finally getting a start on that stash)! She didn’t want to stress daddy out with feeding D solids (we all know that struggle), so she had a few jars of prepared foods (sweet potato and apples – easy and already tested for allergies) and if daddy was feeling up to the task, he went for it. All of D’s clothes were washed and folded and ready to go! She also had a diaper bag fully prepared incase daddy wanted to take D out.
Dipti is planning on attending her best friend’s wedding in India in a few months and is planning on leaving D at home again. This time it’ll be for much longer and she’s not sure how she’s going to do it! If you all have tips on how to help with separation anxiety for mommy, PLEASE HELP!
(Sorry for the picture quality, these are all from Dipti’s phone!)
