Trial Run

Yesterday, Will spent his first hours alone in daycare. I had another meeting at school to attend, and we felt that since he will be starting full time on Monday, we needed to get him acclimated to the environment.

Will was fine when I dropped him off. The lady working there was even sweet enough to ask, "how are you holding up?" I suppose that in the infant room, they're used to more tears from the mothers on the first day than the babies. I am still at peace with the facility, although I did cry on my way to school. After my meeting, I forced myself to stay and work in my room until 3:30, so Will would be at the daycare center for at least 5 hours. It was hard.

When I arrived to pick him up, he had just spit up all over everything. I took him in my arms, and he just turned his head into my chest. He seemed shell-shocked. He is not used to so much noise. At home, it is just Will and me, and we don't even have the TV on. Poor thing only slept for a total of about half an hour while he was at the center. I'm sure it was a combination of the noise from the other babies and the fact that the daycare center is legally required to put him down on his back. I know it goes against all pediatric recommendations, but my boy sleeps on his tummy. His startle reflex is so sensitive that he wakes up within 20 minutes if he is laid on his back or if he rolls over in his sleep. If he's on his tummy, he sleeps restfully, 8-9 hours at night and long naps in the day. He has enough head and neck strength that he can easily lift his head (and does, many times a night, to face different directions), and he is capable of rolling over, even if he doesn't do that very often. We don't have any of the risk factors for SIDS - no smoking, no record of it in the family, no preemie baby, our ethnic group is not high risk. Granted, I still check him compulsively before I turn in for the night and several times during his naps, but he sleeps like a log.

I'm sure Will will adjust to life in daycare much faster than I will adjust to his being there. Monday, his first full day at the center and my first full day back at work since I was put on bedrest April 19, is my birthday. What a way to celebrate.