You Know Better: Trusting Your Inner Wisdom in Early Motherhood

Becoming a mother is one of the most transformative experiences in a woman’s life. For many of us—especially first-time moms—the early months can feel like stepping into a vast ocean of information, opinions, and expectations. The internet offers endless advice, often contradicting itself. Family and friends share their own experiences, sometimes helpful, sometimes confusing. With all these voices around you, how do you find your own way? How do you stay grounded in a time when you feel most vulnerable?

New motherhood brings both incredible joy and real emotional stretching. Your schedule, your identity, your body, your relationships—everything shifts. And because we all want the best for our babies, it’s easy to slip into anxiety, perfectionism, and constant comparison. But here is the truth we often forget: you are built for this.

The Inner Wisdom We Overlook

Many psychologists and pediatric attachment researchers describe something called maternal intuition—an instinctive ability to read your baby’s cues and respond with sensitivity. Studies show that new mothers experience heightened attunement to facial expressions, sounds, and emotional changes in their infants. In simple words: your brain actually adapts to help you understand your baby.

This is not magic. It is biology, emotion, and deep, human connection working together.

Motherhood opens a new sense—a quiet superpower. Suddenly, you notice subtle cries, tiny gestures, shifts in energy. You feel things in your body. Your heart reacts before your mind forms words.

So many moms later say:

• “I knew something felt off.”

• “I felt it… why didn’t I listen?”

• “I had a feeling I should have done this differently.”

• “I wasn’t comfortable, but I ignored it.”

That tiny discomfort? That hesitation? That warmth in your chest when something feels right? Your body knows before your mind does.

These are signals—your inner guide trying to speak.

An Example: Mary and Her Son, Lue

Mary, a first-time mom, spent hours reading about sleep schedules. Every article had a different “best” method. One night, Lue kept waking up crying, and Mary felt torn—“Should I let him self-soothe? Should I pick him up?” The internet said one thing; a friend said another.

Instead of overthinking, Mary paused, took a breath, and asked herself quietly, “What feels right for us?”

Her chest softened. She felt a little warmth. She knew: “I want to hold him.”

So she picked up Lue, rocked him, and he settled immediately. In that moment, she felt relief—not because she found the “correct method,” but because she followed her own truth.

You know your baby better than anyone else.

Gather information when you need it. Ask for help when something is new or scary. Use professional guidance for health decisions. But in the rhythm of daily life—feeding, cuddling, soothing, playing—remember this:

You know your baby better than anyone else.

You are the expert on your family.

Your inner comfort is a compass.

You already have what you need.

Motherhood doesn’t require perfection.

It requires presence.

And a gentle belief that your heart is wiser than you think.

Natali Ittenberg, group facilitator