A big part of being a mom is trusting and embracing your natural maternal instincts. Whenever you have a child, a hormonal bond takes over and turns you into a natural mom. Your reactions, instincts and bond all kick in as soon as your baby is born.
Which is a great thing!
But, we very often don’t use these instincts enough as moms.
We worry, we take on other people’s advice, and we forego our own natural instincts.
It’s hard to get attuned to at first, of course, it is, especially if you are a first-time mom. However, if you can learn to embrace your natural instincts, it makes being a mom a whole lot easier.
If this sounds like something you would like to do, have a read of our top tips on how to do it below.
You probably won’t get there overnight, and that is ok. But starting the process is good enough.
Follow your gut but not your anxiety
The phrase “follow your gut” can be a little misleading.
For many of us, when we think we are doing this, what we are actually doing is giving in to our anxieties.
When it comes to making decisions for our children, whether they are big life decisions or small everyday decisions, it’s important that we are able to differentiate between what is a gut feeling and what is anxiety.
To help with this, what you can try doing is take a full minute to breathe before you make any decision. If you make a decision from a state of heightened anxiety, it’s much more likely this is an anxiety response and not a gut feeling. But if you give yourself a minute to breathe, relax, and tune into your natural maternal instincts, it should be much easier for you to go with your gut.
You have all the answers, you just need to get fear out of the way to hear them.
Limit input from others
It’s very tempting to listen to other people’s opinions and take them on board if you are new to something. When you have your first baby, there will be no shortage of opinions from others.
Try not to take all of these as fact.
Some will be helpful, but some really won’t and they will just confuse you even more.
Try and limit how much input you take from other people and instead go back to your gut instincts. It is your baby, after all, no one else’s.
Stick to your values and morals
The most important thing when it comes to everyday choices is making sure they align with your own values and morals.
It doesn’t matter if your mom doesn’t agree or a mommy vlogger doesn’t recommend the same thing.
Stick to your guns and make your decisions based on what is important to you.
If you really listen, your maternal instincts will always be there to guide you. You just need to be still and let them come through.
Mother knows best!
