Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.  ~Cicero

“Just ignore her in the middle of the night.  She will be sleeping through in no time,” I remember my friend saying.  Natalie was hungry frequently.  The advice just didn’t feel right to me.  I was an inexperienced mother, so what did I know?  I have a sick feeling in my stomach as I recall vividly the morning after I tried this sage advice.  Natalie laid in her crib, not crying, limp, cold and clammy.  Her eyes were open, but the shine was gone.  What had I done?  She was almost too weak to drink her bottle.  Something was wrong.

Why didn’t the doctor believe me? Why did she think I was an excessively concerned first time mother?  How could I get someone to listen?   Natalie had a big belly that made it difficult for her to sit when she was 8 months old.  Sometimes I made her wait over two hours to eat, and then when she did eat, she was ravenous and would often fall asleep mid mouthful.

I took Natalie to the pediatrician for her MMR.   I expressed my concerns to the doctor again.  With frustration in her voice she said, “If that is what YOU want Mrs. Tremelling! I will order a blood work up for your daughter.  I honestly do not think there is anything wrong.”  Hours later I received a phone call from the pediatrician telling me it was imperative that I get Natalie to Children’s Hospital in Boston immediately.  Somebody listened!

Lesson Learned:   Listen to your heart