I spend a lot of time during the day staring at my baby.
I’m pretty sure that’s normal, I mean, they’re small and they need constant supervision. But when I say I spend time staring at her, I mean I spend time STARING at her.
Part of my charming neuroses involves a daily inventory of her well-being, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Call it whenever you like (the popular choices have been crazy, obsessive, and paranoid), but I call it THOROUGH.
Anyhoodle, I’m pretty much an expert on this child. I know where her birthmarks are, I can use 10 adjectives for the color of her eyes, and I could probably sketch an exact replica of her hands and fingernails.
(Thorough.)
So you can imagine my surprise when I was gazing upon her only moments ago as I noticed something that I had NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
On the top of her head, underneath her soft (sparse for now but I’m optimistic) downy hair, I COULD SEE HER PULSE BEATING THROUGH HER SOFT SPOT.
And then I had a heart attack.
(Not really but it felt like it.)
Thankfully I happened to be on the phone with my mother who assured me it was completely normal, but I immediately hung up on her and dialed/texted three other people for a second/third/fourth opinion before I decided I didn’t need to call her doctor.
And also because they may or may not know me at her pediatricians office as “the one we occasionally need to talk down off the ledge.”
(Thorough.)
(And I didn’t see that FOR SURE in her file but I imagine it’s there.)
So yes, it’s normal. And apparently, it’s something that EVERYONE is surprised I didn’t already know.
And it just MAYBE goes to show that even the most hyper vigilant observant of us can still miss obvious things.
But to me all it proves is that I need to spend even MORE time staring at her. For her own well-being, of course.
Challenge: ACCEPTED.
{ 19 comments… read them below or join the discussion }
LOL! I had to laugh.. I remember seeing that for the first time.. Tots normal.. As she gets older and the plate thingys (forgot what they are called now) shift and close together it goes away.. I never wanted anyone to touch my kids head after I saw that!
I’m sorry but I’m imagining you freaking out in my head right now and it’s funny!
What Bobbi said…
I hope you don’t mind. : D
LOL!!! Watching Han Solo’s heartbeat through his soft spot is so weird. Yes, it’s perfectly normal though! The bones will eventually grow together. The reason it’s open is so the head could compress to fit the birth canal when she was born. At least that’s what I was told. Still, weird. Rest assured, she’s still perfect.
BTW, I don’t know if you got my email, but you were the winner of the fascinator on my blog! Email me your address and the hat maker will send it to you ASAP.
This brought back memories.
I am one of those “thorough/crazy” moms too, but that’s ok. A child can never be given enough love & protection as far as I’m concerned.
You are so sweet! You made me laugh.
You’re such a good mom!
I can’t see it on my 6 month old! However, we went to the ER (I may or may not freak out easily, as well.), and the doctor told me his soft spot was fused together already. Now I’m wondering if there is something wrong with him…
This totally triggered my gag reflex. I’m so obviously not a mom.
I’m terrified of the soft spot. Who puts a self destruct button on a baby?! But seriously, I can see where you’d want to stare at your baby all day. They’re sort of amazing.
Eew! Eew! EWWWWW! I had forgotten that babies heads did that. ACK!
I’ve heard of the pulsating soft spot! Fortunately G was born with enough hair that his soft spot is covered. The soft spot scares the pants off me. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to think about it. I’m just pretending it doesn’t exist.
Hypervigilance is an unjustly maligned term. There’s nothing wrong with it – you’ll spot a spider LONG before anyone else does in my experience. Where I come from, that’s a very good thing.
LOL, It’s totally normal. And you surely have to stare at her even more. That’s what I do. So do most of newborns’ mums
Haha this is hilarious. I do the same thing with my 12 week old. And btw, I love the Barney Stinson at the end. Classic.
OMG this is howlarious. First post I read and Im sold
Im coming back for more..
LOL… too funny. I just had a second baby. I LOOOVED to stare at my daughter when she was a baby, 7 years ago. I didn’t think it’d be the same this time around but it is. I love staring at my baby boy! I was staring at him sleeping a few weeks ago and saw his soft spot pulsating… I totally freaked out and googled and called people too! It doesn’t happen all the time. In fact, that was the only time that I ever noticed this. It is normal but still totally freaky! Glad Im not the only one who freaked by this!
Also… I agree with the above comment, first post I’ve read and I’m coming back for more!
OMG, Tia! You brought me back to the moment I got home from the hospital… I had had a c-section… they had laid a 9lb baby boy in my lap amidst all the other additional take homes from my well-wishing friends… and the nurse stood back and said, “We don’t want you lifting anything over 5 lbs for the first 2 weeks or so. ” I had no reply to this!!
Anyway, we got home, my husband was due at work in an hour.. so he asked me WHERE I wanted the baby. I finally settled for the floor in a blanket right in front of the sofa so I could STARE at him. The longer I stared, I thought of the time I had tried to keep 2 of those tiny turtles, nurture a baby bird, raise a wild duckling… all these wonderful endeavors that ended in DEATH to the innocent! I gave the child 6 months to live. I started to cry. I called my mother! After all she had kept me alive! (He’s now 36.. if he goes now.. it’s his girlfriend’s fault!!) Hang in there!!
Funny! But of course I can totally relate being a mother of 3 boys. I still do it much to the aggravation of my boys (now 12, 20 and 23!)