Ooh meds have arrived, how exciting! Do you have to inject yourself? [sorry crap Moose hasn't read your other thread yet emoticon]
WARNING LONG POST, BUT WORTH IT
Right, have managed to glance at the book and yes, it is all pretty normal behaviour at this stage (between weeks 36 and 40, although may begin as early as 34 weeks and in some as early as 32). The fussy period usually lasts for around 4 weeks from when it starts in all but can vary and be anything from 3-6 weeks.
Words the book uses to describe behaviour at this time, cranky, whingy, fidgety, grumpy, bad-tempered, discontented, unmanageable, restless, impatient! Sound familiar?
They are moving into 'The World of Categories' apparently. This is when they start to understand that "certain objects, sensations, animals, and people belong together in groups or categories. For example, a banana looks, feels and tastes different than spinach, but they are both food."
It also says that babies' brain waves have been noted to show drastic changes around this age and these changes begin to change the way babies perceive the world around them. This is unsettling and disturbing for them at first hence the whole grizzly, clingy baby thing.
Behaviours that indicate your baby is going through this developmental leap:
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She/he may cling to your clothes, become anxious when you walk around etc. Non-crawling babies will probably just cry, crawlers may follow you everywhere and cling onto you really tightly.
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She may be shy and want to keep other people at a distance and her desire to be close to you will be even more apparent in the presence of other people - sometimes even in the presence of a brother or sister or even Daddy.
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She may demand attention and not be at all content with being left alone. Some babies aren't satisfied until they have their mother's complete attention focussed entirely on them and some may become extra troublesome as soon as Mum dares to shift her attention onto someone or something else.
*SHE MAY SLEEP POORLY! Quote: "Your baby may start sleeping less well. Most babies do. She may refuse to go to bed, fall asleep less easily and wake up sooner. Some are hard to get to sleep during the day. Others at night. And some stay up longer both during the day and at night. (Hmm sounds familiar!)
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She may have nightmares and become a very restless sleeper, sometimes yelling out and tossing and turning in her sleep.
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She may on occasion act unusually sweet, employing entirely new tactics to stay close to you. She may opt for kissing and cuddling you rather than whining and grizzling and may switch back and forth between both behaviour types in an attempt to figure out what works best.
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There may be a resurgence of 'babyish' behaviour, such as needing to be rocked or fed to sleep.
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She may lose her appetite and become less interested in food and drink.
How you may feel:
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Insecure and worried about baby's behaviour.
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Exhausted and suffering from headaches, backaches and nausea.
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Aggravated/irritated by baby's behaviour and moods and clinginess.
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May feel like giving up breastfeeding due to the constant fickle nature of baby sometimes wanting to feed, then not wanting to etc.
BUT THERE IS HOPE
Between 40 and 45 weeks another relatively easy period sets in and you will notice your baby's progress, independence and cheerfulness.
So some respite up until around week 46 and then it starts all over again!