I is for the Mother Instinct

Sometimes you just know that your baby needs you, or he is not well, or he needs something. You get a feeling in your heart randomly, and you go to your baby and see that yes, his diaper needs to be changed even before he starts crying. Or he was getting restless in his sleep, and you soothe him and he falls asleep again.

What is that feeling called?
It’s your maternal or mother instinct! That bonds you to your baby in a unique way.

Many debates have been going on about the presence of the “maternal instinct”. In fact, according to science, there is no such thing as “maternal instinct”. Surprising right?

But then there are so many things in the world that we can’t deny, that need an explanation but don’t have one. 

Maybe if I wasn’t a mother, I would have believed what the science says. But being a mother, I have experienced many such “instincts” moments, and most of them were bang on.

So I just can’t ignore that there is some special bond between a mother and a child that puts a mother in sync with her baby. (Even science doesn’t deny that sync, but denies the mother instinct, how strange is that?)

Here are some examples of maternal instinct that you can’t deny:

Recognizing your baby’s cries among others

A mother can recognize her baby’s cries in a room full of other crying babies. It may be because mothers get to spend more time with the baby and hear their cries frequently, but it’s true all the same.

I remember an incident when my baby was around 8 or 9 months old. My husband had taken him to the garden in our society for some playtime. After almost half an hour, I suddenly felt like my son was crying. There were so many babies and kids playing in the garden, and there were so many voices I could hear, but I just knew. When I looked from my gallery, sure enough, my husband was carrying my crying son and bringing him home.

Knowing the meaning behind the crying

For people who aren’t parents yet, a baby’s crying is just… crying. It sounds all the same to them. But a mother recognizes the difference in the way her baby is crying. Babies convey so much from their crying, from being sleepy, to bored, to a wet diaper, etc. Sometimes we just know it’s not about being hungry.

When you know, you know

Sometimes, you just know your baby is not well, or there is something wrong, even before they start showing any signs of sickness. It’s something many Mommies can testify if you ask them.

The instinct just kicks in

So many women worry about being a good mother when they can’t connect to other babies. Some think they aren’t ready to be a mother mentally, even if they are already pregnant. 

Once their baby is born, their maternal instincts kick in full force. Of course, many factors such as baby blues, postpartum depression, etc. can delay it or make you doubtful. 

Still, the transition from being a woman to a mother just takes your instincts to another level.

Mommies, I just want to say to you all, especially to the mommies who doubt themselves, trust your instincts, they will steer you right.

Cheers to the Mother Instincts! 

P.S: To all the fathers reading this, I know no one talks about father instincts much, but you have got them too! Trust them to lead you right. You rock!

Note: This post is written as part of the #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge for the letter I.