Momtuition.
The problems that start brewing can be anything from social issues to health matters, but you have that gut instinct to know what to do.
Momtuition.
This is not to be confused with panic, freakout and hypochondria-by-proxy. You’ve got to really dig deep and know the difference between Momtuition and neurotic mommying. When the chips are down, you’ll know. You won’t know how you’ll know, but you’ll know.
When my second son was 15 days old I was a sleep-deprived, zombified mother of 2 under 2. He didn’t wake up for his 2am feeding. I celebrated the milestone with a few extra hours of dreaming. But when he didn’t wake up at his 6am feeding I started to wonder. Sleepy newborn, sleep-deprived mommy, active 22-month-old, why was I concerned that my babe was sleeping? Lots of infants start sleeping through the night.
I latched him on, but he was pretty tired and didn’t feed well. My Momtuition was screaming, but I kept second-guessing myself, feeling stupid for ‘being neurotic.’
Finally, after about half an hour of inner conflict, I decided to embrace my inner neurotic. I called the health nurse and started the conversation with, “I know I’m probably a neurotic new mother, but something doesn’t feel right…”
My baby was deathly ill and the only symptom had been him sleeping through a meal. Within 4 minutes of my phone call we were in an ambulance. Within 10 minutes of that call he was in the emergency room having a lumbar puncture.
We spent 2 weeks at the hospital – Sick Kids Hospital – me willing him to live and the doctors not giving me a huge lot of hope.
Momtuition also convinced me he’d be alright despite the doctors’ great concerns.
He’s now a happy and healthy 5 year old rough and tumble boy, but it was a rocky road. They said if I had waited a few more hours things would likely have gone a lot differently.
One thing saved him.
Listen to the Momtuition.