Kodi's Mama Instincts

The Rescue organization where Brian and I volunteer featured a video this week of one day old puppies, complete with all the sweet little squeaks and squeals they make at that age.  So cute!   A few fans on Facebook have shared that their own female who had birthed prior to being rescued heard the squeals from the video, then started crying and searching for the babies.

I read these comments and thought back to our first few months with Teddy, and how our Rat Terrier, Kodi took to him so quickly, and almost instinctively acted as his guardian when I stepped away.

More after the jump...




As mentioned previously on this blog, I firmly believe that Kodi knew I was pregnant from the beginning.  She started sleeping on my stomach, was protective when someone approached or tried to move, and would not leave my side when I was home.

Of the two dogs, she was the least phased when we brought Teddy home (which, surprised me), but the most engaged by his presence-- especially when he was not in my arms.  While holding the baby, Kodi was completely calm, unbothered, unaroused.  When I put him down in any one of the various baby-holding apparatuses that we had collected, whether it be bouncy chair, Boppy, bassinet, baby carrier or swing, she would whine, cry, paw at the baby, run over and bark at me, run back and lick the baby, run over and bark at me.  She would pace in front of the baby, trembling, sniffing him, licking, nuzzling.  The moment we approached and picked the baby up, she would relax and relocate to her couch cushion.

This went on for a while, and after I realized it I did some stress-reducing exercises to help her get over her anxiety over Teddy being without me.  I also did not encourage her to have these episodes.  If Teddy was to be in his chair while I moved around the room, Kodi got to spend some quiet time in her own room with her toys.

A few months later I had my first business trip after maternity leave.  Kodi knows the signs... the suitcase at the door... the high heels, the early morning departures.  Baby was still asleep as I got ready to leave when Kodi started running along side the crib, back and forth, whining, crying, pawing and the crib bumper from the outside of the crib, as if to say "who's going to take care of Baby while Mom is gone?"  She hadn't whined in months, and she had never gotten that worked up at the crib.

I can't prove that she was communicating "who's going to take care of Baby while Mom is gone?" but our Facebook friends all got a good laugh at my husband's status post later that AM, which summarized the situation, with the added line of "Thanks for your vote of confidence, you little B*t&h!"

BTW- Both husband, baby, and pups survived my first trip with no complication.