I'm Traumatized

I'm Traumatized. Last night after Eliot and I bathed Lydia I noticed that her tiny nails were getting long and needed to get clipped. They were just long enough that they had a tiny bit of dirt underneath her tiny nails. I am not sure how she got dirt under there, but that is neither here nor there. My mom has been the official nail cutter thus far but I thought to myself, confidently, that Lydia is now about 6 weeks old and that I could manage this task.

Lydia was comfortably still in my arms and we were both hanging out on my bed, things seemed like the perfect environment for the first nail cutting attempt calm, relaxed, with bright lights. Some folks have recommended biting her nails but I have big teeth and quite frankly I don't even bite my own nails. I find it gross and most of the time I know why I have dirt under my finger nails. So the baby clippers were certainly the better option.

I started to snip. One little finger done. Another one completed. The next one good. Tiny finger number four was on deck...suddenly I snipped and I got skin. Lydia was bleeding! She started crying. I was crying. Eliot came running and saw what happened. He quickly brought a wash cloth and I tried to put pressure on the cut but it just kept bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. In that moment a million thoughts ran through my head. I wondered if she was possibly a hemophiliac or that we may need take her to the ER for stitches and they would have to call 1-800-ABUSE or that I was causing permanent psychological damage. I continued to cry, Lydia, on the other hand, eventually fell asleep.

Eliot got out a tiny band-aid which we put on our tiny baby's finger and the bleeding finally stopped. Needless to say Lydia's fingernails are mostly still just a tiny bit too long. I'm Traumatized.