As mums, we are always trying to shield our precious little babies from harm. We’d rather hurt ourselves than let our babies be hurt.
So imagine this mum’s nightmare when she was unable to stop her baby from getting badly hurt…
Mummy dropped her baby on his head
Mummy Liz Mannegren recently posted on Facebook about one of her most painful memories – the day she dropped her baby on his head.
She recalls that horrible day 2 years back, “The day had started out like any other: full of Cheerios, teething toys, and lazy, morning feeds on the couch. I carried my son across the living room towards the kitchen, same as I had done a thousand times before, same as I would do a thousand times after.”
And then, something she had never imagined happened, “With all the strength and speed of a tiny acrobat, my son flipped backwards out of my arms and onto the floor. In mere seconds, a perfectly normal day turned into an absolute nightmare.”
One can only imagine Liz’s state of panic, “We rushed to the ER with a whimpering baby and this mama in tears.”
“The doctors called for an x-ray, and they discovered the injury that I had dreaded the most — a fractured skull.”
PHOTO: FACEBOOK / MommyMannegren
Liz remembers feeling super guilty, and frustrated that, as a mum, she had failed to protect her baby, “I was angry at myself for letting this happen, for somehow not predicting this and catching my son.”
“My little boy had trusted me to protect him and to keep him from harm, and I’d quite literally let him down.”
“I felt like the world’s worst mother.”
Believe me, when I say, I feel you, Liz. I once tripped over a suitcase, and it sent my 6-month-old baby flying out of my arms on to the floor.
I wished I hadn’t gone to the room, I wished I could rewind and set things right again, and I hoped and prayed that no harm had befallen my baby.
But we cannot change the past, so all we can do is, learn from our mistakes and move on.
These words of Liz are so true and relatable, “Try as we might, we cannot protect our children from everything. There will be days when we fall short.”
“Days when life is difficult and complicated. Days when we feel unworthy and broken. Days when our kisses aren’t strong enough to rub away the pains and hurts our children carry.”
It is important to regain your composure and calm, to get over your past, for your baby needs you; to get rid of your guilt and move on, for nobody is perfect, and nothing matters more to your baby than your love and care.
Deep within you lies the very essence of love, strength and joy, “Today we might feel like a failure-of-a-mother, but we are more than our bad days.”
“Accidents happen. Life is fragile. It’s moments like these that remind us to never take these days for granted but to soak up each and every snuggle, each breath, and each precious laugh.”
And the truth is, “I look at myself and see a woman who failed to grab her son in time. My son looks at me and sees “mom” — the one who comforts and holds him when he falls.”
“Today does not define your motherhood. Today may be horrible, but that DOESN’T mean that YOU are.”
Thank you Liz…we so needed to hear that.
Also READ: Dear mummy, who suffers from mum guilt, this is for you…