Maternal deprivation

Eddie has always been a Mummy's boy, but lately he just cannot stand being away from me for a minute. As soon as I start lowering him in his crib, his face goes red and he begins crying. Sobbing, with big pearls of tears streaming down his chubby face. I understand that the separation anxiety is a normal stage of development for an 8-months-old baby, but it is stressful for both sides. It is easier for me to carry him around and do things rather than leave him in the crib and listen to the dramatic performance on an operatic scale. He stands in the corner of the crib, from where he can see everyone going down and up the stairs, and wails whenever anyone passes by, increasing the volume if I am in sight. Doesn't matter if I come to kiss and reassure him every few minutes, it seems to set him off even more. If I need to be in the kitchen, cooking dinner, I can hear him sobbing his little heart out on the monitor. Sasha gets stressed hearing Eddie's wails, so he comes to the kitchen and purposefully switches the monitor off.
And then I cannot stand the sobbing heartache any longer, I pick him up, and he goes "ehm" and stops immediately, and though I know it is all an emotional blackmail on his part, I also think he needs me, I am his only comfort for now. Dostoevsky was right - it's not worth the tears of that one child... One day he will grow up and won't want to be with me all the time.