A MOTHER'S INSTINCT, IT'S SO REAL!

It’s so funny when people say “mother knows best”, because now I am a mummy, I know that saying is SO unbelievably true! And not in a “I told you so” kind of way.. I’m sure that’s all to come as Maddison gets older and becomes a rebellious teenager.. (God help me!) I’m talking about that mother’s instinct when you just know if something isn’t right with little one!
 
It is so hard at this stage to know sometimes what is going on exactly with baby.. because they can’t just tell you “oh mummy my tummy hurts” or “mummy I have a headache”. It’s a constant guessing game, just trying to go off of their facial expressions and behaviors! Also, it can be so so confusing when many symptoms that babies show or go through, could be the result of multiple different problems! Just to name a few..
 
Temperature: cold be a virus, could be teething, could be an infection or something more serious..
 
Rash: could be viral, could be serious, could be eczema or an allergy/reaction..
 
Refusal to feed: could be poorly, or just not particularly hungry one day, could be due to a cold, could be more serious..
 
You see what I mean!! It’s hard trying to work out what is going on with these babas sometimes!!
 
BUT.. what I have learnt is a mother’s instinct NEVER lies! It’s such a crazy thing, but you honestly do just know when something isn’t right! It’s like this deep unsettled feeling in your gut, when you know you can’t just shrug it off! If you’re reading this and are a mama, you will totally know what I mean!!
 
Every time I’ve been particularly worried about Maddie or she hasn’t seemed herself, I’ve always gone and got it checked out straight away. Partly because if something is wrong, babies conditions can change quickly if it’s serious.. but also because I just know that something is up! From my personal experience so far, I’ve ever had a doctor not listen to me. No matter what GP I’ve seen, they have always said “mother knows best” and “no-one knows your baby like you do”, so they have actually listened and believed me when I’ve said, “I know something isn’t right”. And both times it’s actually turned out that Maddie’s had an ear infection, so yes, I was right! But I know there are so many times when you could get a GP shrug off something as a virus or whatever, and it’s actually been more serious.
 
When I was 4 years old, I was really poorly. My mum knew something was wrong with me, but every time she went to the doctors they kept saying, oh it’s just a virus, it’s just a virus. My mum KNEW it wasn’t, so she persisted and kept returning. Until one doctor listened to my right lung and realsied that she couldn’t hear anything.. because there was no air intake! I was sent straight up to hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia. Just a virus hey? Mother knew best.
 
Also on a lot less serious note.. Before becoming a mummy, I was always curious as to how my mother knew when I was realllyyyyy poorly, or just trying to fob her off and have a day off school because I was tired! She ALWAYS knew! There was no getting away with it, even when I could talk and say, “I feel sick”! I guess that’s the mother intuition kicking in, she knows me, she nurtured me, I’m her baby, so she knows my behaviors if I’m truly poorly or something is wrong!
 
It’s so funny discovering things like this on my motherhood journey! Things I hadn’t even given a thought about but are so important! A mother’s instinct, it is SO real!!
 
So always trust your gut mamas… because you will almost always be right!!
 
Any of you had similar situations, and just known when little one isn’t right? I’d love to hear as always!
 
Lots of love, Bethany x