Have you experienced your first mom fail yet? As a first time mom I spent months preparing for the arrival of my daughter. I wanted to be prepped and ready to go, and feel like I “knew what I was doing” as best I could. Conquering a dirty diaper- no sweat. Researched best ways to soothe a baby? Check. Purchased ultra safe car seat- you bet.
Have a total mom fail moment with said car seat? Wait, what? That’s a story for another time.
Mom Fail Moments
I quickly realized that even the most prepared mama is destined to experience some ultra #momfail moments.
Yes, that probably means you will, or have, experienced the same thing. But we are in this together right? If we are all experiencing similar moments of horror and shame, how come we don’t hear about them from other moms?
In the Instagram-perfect world we live in here, its sometimes seems like modern motherhood consists of sparkling moments with perfect hair and a sarcastic tee. Don’t get me wrong, I love to think I have some of those myself, and maybe want to be just like those moms some of the time (heck, a lot of the time!). But the reality is that “OOPS” moments happen, and though it seemed like the end of the world at the moment, I made it through.
And so will you.
Here is the first of my major #momfailmoments, so you know you are not alone. 😉
The Dreaded Cell Phone Drop on Baby’s Head
My cell phone was a life saver for those late night nursing sessions that quite literally lasted all night long at times. Learning to juggle my cell phone in one hand was probably only second to learning to latch for what helped me settle in for a 45 minute feeding, allowing me to harness the power of Pinterest to keep my eyes open.
I can’t even tell you how many times my phone almost slipped and dropped onto my baby’s sweet angelic face. Every time I would silently curse and thank my lucky stars it didn’t hit her.
Until it did.
It was like a bad slow motion scene in a movie. In a pitch black room, with the only glow coming from my phone as I nursed a half asleep newborn in my arms. My fingers went from scrolling on the screen to the agonizing feeling of metal slipping away from me, with gravity pulling it directly towards my baby.
Dropping and hitting her directly on her head.
And not even just her head- DIRECTLY ON HER SOFT SPOT.
The tiny spot of less than 2 inches across with a perfect bullseye.
I’m pretty sure you can guess what followed. Panic ensured as I was certain I had just caused my baby’s demise. I furiously checked her head, her eyes, her limb movements, checking everything without actually knowing what I should be checking for.
Did I mention she was less than a week old?
I thought about calling 911. Surely this was an emergency right? She might stop breathing or her brain might be damaged, or maybe its like some sort of shut off button she won’t turn back on from?
So sweet, yet I was so afraid I might break her
I stayed up the rest of the night watching her sleep, equally panicked and grateful for every stirring sound she made. My number was the first call answered at the doctor’s office the next day, where the nurse assured me she would be fine. 2 days later at her week check-up I was ridden with shame as I confessed my mom fail to my doctor, who laughed and told me if he had a penny for every time he had heard that. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had encountered the dreaded drop of doom.
You’ve got this Mama.
I am in no way encouraging you to drop your iPhone on your sweet babe’s forehead. But if it happens, or if something else totally awful and unspeakable occurs, try not to be too hard on yourself (after the unavoidable momentary freakout of course).
After all, it happens to all of us. <3