Ouch!

Belle is learning to crawl. She can push herself backwards and has recently learned to get herself moving forwarded. After exerting such great effort to move herself around, she often gets tired and drops to the ground on her belly. This fatigued belly-drop is often accompanied by a face plant on the floor. It doesn't seem to both her much- babies bang themselves frequently.

Today, we were at a friend's house playing and eating lunch. Belle crawled (!) and then scooched backwards and then faceplanted. She cried for a second and then stopped immediately when I picked her up. Once in my arms and calm, I noticed that she bloodied her nose with the face plant. I felt awful! I was sitting with her watching her with both eyes- how could she hurt herself under my careful, maternal eye? While I wiped away the few drops of blood with a tissue, Belle calmly smiled and I cried, feeling so bad that she hurt herself while I was right next to her.

My friend, a pediatrician whose baby is two-months older than Belle, just smiled sympathetically and warned me that this bloody nose was likely the first of many. I can't cry every time Belle hurts herself. I have to be brave, calm her, wipe away the tears, and help the bleeding stop. But I just felt, and feel, so awful about Belle's first bloody nose.