A New Reflex?

So ever since entering this mysterious world of motherhood I have seemed to discover the values in rocking, swaying and all things fluid and repetitive.

By rocking I refer to the motions used to soothe a child...not exactly rocking out.

Once Miss baby made herself known...as in began to move in utereo, she began to rock my world.

The child was a mover and a shaker from her little fetus beginnings. I even remember reading that most woman don't feel the baby move until around 5 months...I felt her move at the very start of 4.

Impossible you say? Well I also read that some woman are just more in touch with their body and recognize those little flutters as the baby and not just gas or a hungry growl.

I guess I am one of these women. Those first flutters are so exciting and strange. Soon those flutters turn into definite kicks and punches and eventually ripples and bumps dancing their way across your tummy. Then you begin to notice that this baby obviously doesn't know it's day from night and wants to boogie all night long...which makes sleep pretty impossible. You are game for anything that might help this little crazy baby to settle down.

For me, when I was pregnant it was rocking. Only being able to sleep on your side makes this rocking motion pretty easy. Just a wiggle of the hips and you can "rock out" so to speak. Which about half the time would settle Miss fetus Olivia down and the other half at least distract me enough to not notice her movements.

Then out she came...a fetus no more...inside no more. She's a baby and very much outside. Then comes the rocking in my arms, or in the rocking chair or cradled on my legs...swaying to and fro. This always works....eventually.

But I just recently noticed a new twitch I seemed to have acquired, a reflex so to speak. When she first cries in the morning or in the middle of the night...before I am truly awake, I rock back and forth... just like I did when pregnant and trying to sleep. This of course, since she is not inside me and alone in her crib, obviously accomplishes nothing...but it's funny, isn't it?

It's not just in the early morning or waking up stages I do this.

When someone else is holding her and she is crying, I shake my hips if I am sitting. The other day I was reading a book (this is when I noticed I did this) and she began to fuss waking up from a nap and I started to gently shake the book.

Then I was like "I can't read this when it's moving, why am I doing this"?

Because she is crying.

It's so weird and funny. It's something I don't even realize I am doing half the time.

So if you happen to notice me rocking back and forth...don't think I need to be committed...

I am just new at this motherhood thing...

That and Olivia must be crying!