I was on my last year of PT school when I got mad at a pediatric patient’s mom told me she didn’t do the exercises that I instructed her to do at home because she didn’t have time. At dinner, I was furious telling and asking my mom how come a mother didn’t have time to do exercises on her own baby, knowing that those exercises were going to improve her baby's quality of life. I remember that my mom looked at me and said: “No mother will do anything to hurt her kid, no mother do anything wanting to do wrong. She is doing her best.” I didn’t understand it at that time, I just thought how sad it was for the patient to not have the care he deserved. Fast forward a few years. I am now an Au Pair, taking care of two little girls under two years old that are 15 months apart, one of them has Down Syndrome and guess what? Needed daily PT exercises! I was so excited! I made a schedule that included therapy time, play time, bath time, meal time and menu, everything… And right on my first week I was barely able to set a nighttime routine! Exercises? What is this? If the oldest was awake, she wanted to play, to get some attention. If she was sleeping, I had to prepare their meals, or do laundry. And when the oldest was sleeping and everything was done, sometimes the baby was also sleeping, or she didn’t want to do the exercises. Conclusion: I was not able to do the PT exercises every single day. And I didn’t realize that until the day I took her to therapy and as soon as we got there, the therapist asked me: Were you able to do the exercises with her this week? My mind went right back to that mom that I was sure wasn’t doing enough and I finally understood. It finally hit me that moms are always going to do what they can, and what they think is the best for their child. ALWAYS. No matter what you do, YOU ARE A GOOD MOM! Doesn't matter what people tell you, doesn’t matter if they judge you for the type of birth you chose, about how you feed your baby, if you stay home or go back to work, if you homeschool or put them early in daycare… You are doing your best, and this is all your baby needs! #goodmom #empathy #choices #support

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