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Finding My Confidence As A Parent

I remember walking out of the hospital when James was three days old. He was tucked into his car seat and as I stepped out of the doors and onto the busy London Street I had a moment where I thought to myself, "They are actually letting me leave with him. What do I know about looking after a baby?" Those first few months were hard. James had awful reflux and he would vomit from one feed to the next. He was in so much pain so pretty much just cried. I couldn't lay him on his back at all so those first six months were a blur of washing bibs and a fog of exhaustion.

According to Neurofen for Children it takes most new Mum's six months to feel confident as a parent. We're sleep deprived. We're overwhelmed. Sometimes we're alone, especially if no other family members live nearby and it can be scary. You have this tiny human being that is depending on you for everything and they can't tell you what they need. They cry and you have to guess.

When James was seven months old, he woke up one morning with a sniffle and a temperature. As it was a Friday I decided to get him checked out at the doctors before the weekend was upon us. The doctor basically told me that I was overreacting and that he was fine; it was just a cold. My instincts told me otherwise but I walked out of the surgery feeling like I had wasted the doctors time.

The next day James was worse. His temperature was over 39 degrees celsius, he wouldn't eat and screamed for most of that morning. I knew this was more than just a cold. Something was wrong. I decided that on a busy Saturday afternoon it was best just to take him to A&E. As I sat in the waiting room with James burning up on me I started wondering if the first doctor was right. Was I just over reacting? Was I just inexperienced at dealing with poorly babies?

After waiting for what felt like hours, James was diagnosed with Swine flu, croup and bronchitis. The doctor told me that I had done the right thing in bringing him to the hospital and gave James the medicines that he needed. That night, I sat there and swore to myself that I would always trust my motherly instincts. It hadn't let me down that night.

That's the first piece of advice I always give new Mum's. Always trust your motherly instincts. They are they're for a reason and since that night six years ago, I've kept that promise to myself and my children.