We are constantly bombarded with all of the things we are doing wrong as parents. The mom guilt, in particular, is so much louder than any support for parents to trust their instincts.
“Your baby must sleep alone, no matter what”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Swaddle your baby, and if they don’t like it, just keep trying”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Breastfeed, and if it’s painful, just give it time”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Teach your baby to self soothe, and make sure to give it two weeks before you give up”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Don’t let your baby run the show, if you hold them, they’ll never let you stop”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But the thing is – 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You are the expert on your child. Parental instinct exists for a reason. Just like every other mammal, we are built to anticipate the needs of our offspring, to have a heightened sense of alarm when something is amiss, and a sense of calm when soothing our babies. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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There is so much pressure to follow the “must do’s”; there are so many opinions on the “should’s”; but there is not enough support for parents to trust their instincts, to follow what feels right, and to remember that there is no one in the world who knows their child better than they do. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝙎𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙢 𝙜𝙪𝙩 – block out the noise, trust your instincts, and do what feels right for you and your child
