Why I Trust My Mom Intuition And How I Connect With It

As a mom of two young children, I often question my parenting practices and wonder if I am doing the right thing. Am I too strict with my kids? Or too lenient? Do I coddle them too much, or not enough? Am I scheduling too many playdates? Or too few? Are my kids’ days overscheduled, or underscheduled?

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could tune into some sort of specialized mom intuition, to definitively know the answers to these questions?

After doing a little research on the topic of intuition, I believe moms do have a special sort of intuition when it comes to their babies. And that they can use this intuition to help guide their choices.

Please note that this post is for informational purposes only. Individual concerns and questions should be directed to a healthcare professional.

What is Mom Intuition?

The term “intuition” refers to the idea that a person can know something without having immediate conscious reasoning to back that knowingness up. Intuition manifests as a strong inner voice and a gut feeling.

A mom’s intuition then, is when a mother knows something is right or wrong on a gut level, as it relates to her child.

She can not precisely explain why a situation she is having an intuition about feels right or wrong. It just does. 

If she ignores her gut instinct, that nagging feeling and a small voice in the back of her mind will linger. On the other hand, if she trusts and follows her motherly instincts, she will feel relief and at ease.

Is Mom Intuition Real?

These concise explanations of intuition and mom intuition sound like a lot of woo-woo; however, there’s more to it.

When someone has a strong intuition, it’s usually because they know a lot about the subject or situation that they are having that intuition about. They usually have a background or personal experiences dealing with the issue they are having intuitive thoughts and feelings about.

So rather than thinking of intuition as inherent or innate knowledge a person has, I think of intuition as the result of acquired knowledge and experience that has been organized in a highly complex and subconscious way.

Without consciously realizing it, their brains and bodies are recalling and synthesizing all of their relevant past experiences and knowledge to form a strong impression of a given situation.

Because it would be too complicated to try and unravel the pathways and thought processes our brains have traveled to get to their conclusion or intuition, we simply have to take a leap of faith in these cases. We have to trust that our intuition is based on helpful information that our brain has processed. 

What Makes Mom Intuition Special 

A mother’s love for her child forms one of the strongest connections between two humans that exist. This strong connection is fuel for intuition, and this is why a mother’s intuition is so powerful. 

Most moms are highly sensitive to anything that pertains to their child’s life. They also spend a lot of time around their children, so they know a lot about their kids; their likes, their dislikes, their sensitivities, their strengths, and their challenges. If a child shows a behavior change or is off-kilter, moms notice.   

This means that moms gather and store a ton of practical and emotional information about their kids. Their brains and bodies are tuned into their kids’ brains and bodies, and this strong connection is where maternal instinct is born. This instinct is like a sixth sense.

So when a mom gets an intuition about a situation regarding her child, there’s a good chance there’s something to it. From the moment a fetus starts to take shape in the womb, an incredibly complex and deep connection forms between a mother and child.

Mom Intuition Versus Motherly Anxiety

It can be difficult to distinguish mom intuition from mom anxiety. 

Many women experience heightened anxiety and become more cautious when they become mothers. They are always on high alert for any potential danger that might put their babies in harm’s way.

What a mom might think is a real intuition, could just be an anxious thought taking over.

Here are a few ways I distinguish between intuitions and anxious thoughts and feelings;

An anxious feeling usually has anxious thoughts that come with it. On the other hand, an intuitive feeling is not usually accompanied by specific or clear thoughts. 

Anxious feelings can also often be assuaged by logical reasoning. An intuitive thought or feeling will remain the same, even after justification has been given as to why it should not exist.  

Intuitive feelings are also usually immediate and can be likened to first impressions. Meanwhile, anxious feelings often start small and grow over time.

Trusting My Mom Intuition

Intuitive choices do not always make sense in the moment. I have found though, that after I make a choice based on intuition, it’s usually pretty easy to confirm it was the right decision after the fact.

I know my children better than anyone else. I have spent every day of their lives with them. I trust that my brain has picked up on a lot of information about them that I am not even consciously aware of. 

So when I am in a situation that makes me feel uneasy, or I have a strong feeling about something being good for them, I know I should probably trust those feelings. 

Of course, I’m not always going to be right about what is good for my kids, especially as they get older. But for now, I am responsible for their safety and wellbeing. If my mother’s intuition is sounding the alarm, I’m going to listen. 

What If I Can Not Access My Mom Intuition?

Intuition is not always going to be able to guide parents. Sometimes we have not accumulated enough knowledge or experience in a certain area to form strong intuitions about similar scenarios.

In these cases, we have to make our best educated guess about what the right decision and thing to do is. We can then use whatever results from this decision to fuel future intuitive decisions.

For example, I noticed that my mom intuition was very active after the birth of my second child. It was so easy for me to know exactly what my baby needed if she started fussing or crying. I did not have this flowing spot-on intuition with my first child.

With my first, I often felt like I was just guessing and trying things out. I think this experience is common for first-time new moms. They are still in the beginning stages of collecting and synthesizing a ton of information about their babies. They will use their accumulated knowledge and experience to make intuitive decisions the next time they have a child and as their kids get older.   

So despite the immediate and strong birth connection that happens from day one, it can take time for a mom’s intuition to develop. At least this was the case in my experience.

Steps To Connect With My Mom Intuition

While I am still learning to tune into and trust my mom intuition, I feel like it is getting stronger as time goes on. Here are some of the ways I connect with my mom intuition.

1. The first step I take when connecting with my own intuition is acknowledging the deep love I have for my children.

2. Next, I assess whether I am having anxious thoughts and feelings, or whether I am having true intuitions (see above for ways to differentiate anxiousness from intuitiveness).

3. I sit with my feelings for a moment and notice how my body feels. I also take note of any thoughts that are coming and going, or lingering. 

4. If I have determined that I am indeed having an intuition, then I remind myself that I can trust my intuition. 

5. I take a leap of faith and know that my intuition is right if I feel a sense of relief and ease after following it.