Calling All Parents! Please, Please, Please! I NEED Some Help! [View All]

[DistressedAmerican]

I have a question.

I am a full time stay at home dad while I am working on my doctoral dissertation. My wife works during the week. Up until last week that arrangement was working out just great. I was so happy to be able to spend the time with my daughter. I find it a rare privilege which many fathers miss out on.

However, at the beginning of last week, something changed for the worse. VERY MUCH SO. My daughter suddenly became amazingly mommycentric. Most days my wife gets up, feeds her and puts her back to sleep. I take over when she wakes up. Since the change, she cries and screams and kicks literally the entire time she is awake. It ends abruptly the second my wife comes home and she is all grins the rest of the night. All weekend she was great.

Here I sit this morning. She is still asleep. Should be awake soon. I an literally TERRIFIED that she will continue with this behavior. It drove me to the wall last week. Pretty well had me in tears. Both because the screaming is so brutal on the mind and because I am a little hurt that I have been here feeding and caring for her for months and suddenly I am not good enough for her. I know it is nothing personal on her part but it bothers me immensely just the same.

Note here that detainees that we want to break are commonly exposed to recorded baby screaming for hours on end. It is one of the most effective techniques known. I suspect evolution has made it the most disturbing sound on the planet. I'd rather listen to jackhammer all day!

Here's my question:

Is this likely to continue for a long time or is this a short phase that I should be able to get through? Also is there anything I may be able to do to change the situation?

I'm desperate here. Literally terrified for my mental health. Help!

Sad thing is that she is so damn cute. It rips me up to see her so sad and angry!

Here she was the day before the horrible change. Imagine that cute little face beet red and screaming for hours on end...