A parent’s intuition

Kelli Calderwood says she listened to her instincts and insisted daughter Amelia (pictured) be tested for food allergies when something didn’t seem right.

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies from the perspective of a first-time mother. If you have baby stories to share, leave a comment under this article or email [email protected].

I was out finishing some holiday shopping when my toddler twins’ school called my cell phone. They were to be there for another hour that day. “That’s odd,” I thought to myself.

I answered and said, “Hello?” It was the school director. My heart started beating quickly. Why was she calling?

“Cash had a little fall on the playground,” she said. She said he was fine but had a gash he would need checked out. I rushed there.

I realized I had to make some game-time decisions. What should I do when I picked him up? Take him to the doctor or go to the emergency room? Should I veer slightly out of the way and drop his twin sister off at my sister’s house? That would tack on extra time. My husband was calling my cell phone asking if he should leave the meeting he was in and meet me.

I had to follow my mom intuition, which was telling me to drop off his twin sister and go to his pediatrician’s office, and also tell my husband to meet me there.

I am glad I did because they got us right in. The doctor determined he did not need to see a plastic surgeon to stitch it up. She cleaned it and sealed it with dermabond. We’ll be applying sunscreen to the scar for the next year (one more thing to remember before we leave the house).

A parent’s intuition is, at times, strong and innate. In fact, a research team from The University of Oxford says they have evidence it exists. A region of the human brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex, part of the brain that involves decision-making, has been found to be responsive around infants only, and not adults. 

But is it that, or is it just the simple fact we know we are in charge of their well-being? Either way, a parent’s gut instinct is often right.

Recently, I had some conversations with other Buzz parents about times they had to follow their gut with their kids.

Kelli Calderwood, mom to Amelia and a team runner for Luke’s Locker, and her husband Christopher, managing partner at Calderwood Guven & Co., followed their intuition when something wasn’t right with little Amelia.

The couple had breathed a sigh of relief with Amelia’s healthy delivery at 36-weeks gestation. Kelli’s pregnancy had been touch-and-go for the final four weeks, with a diagnosis of polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid around the baby). Amelia arrived, a healthy 5 pounds, 7 ounces, the first granddaughter of the family.

Then, suddenly, when she was around 1, she became ill. “She started to get sick, vomiting and diarrhea, but only at night time when she was sleeping,” said Kelli.​ “She would vomit so forcefully that it would be all over the room. The diarrhea would saturate the crib. It was horrible. During the day, she was fine.”

Savanna Bowman, here with 1-year-old Elizabeth, husband David and 2-year-old Ava, says her child’s cries tell her if something is really wrong. (Photo: Tiffiny Gist Photography)

The perplexed mom took her into the pediatrician. The doctor informed her it was a bad stomach bug and would eventually pass, but Kelli’s parent intuition told her otherwise.

She thought to herself, “A stomach bug would continue during the day too?” Something was not adding up.

Kelli said, “After going to the pediatrician four times in one week, that fifth time, I walked in and said, ‘She has a food allergy. Test her for food allergies.’”

They drew blood and sent it off to the lab. Not even 24 hours later the phone rang. They told her that Amelia’s immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels were elevated for eggs.

A few days later, the couple visited the Food Allergy Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. There, they were told that Amelia had a life-threatening food allergy to eggs and anything made with eggs. Amelia also had FPIES (Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome) to raw soy.

“The reason she was getting sick at night is because she was drinking a sippy cup of soy milk before bed,” said Kelli. “At daycare, she would have cow’s milk.”

After the diagnosis, Kelli decided to stop working full-time so she could closely monitor Amelia’s allergies. “She’s only had one exposure on my watch, and it’s because she ate a kibble of dog food,” said Kelli. “Our dogs are now egg-free.”

Savanna Bowman and husband David Bowman, associate director at Macquarie Group, are parents to 2-year-old Ava and 1-year-old Elizabeth and are expecting a third this June. Savanna says she pays attention to her children’s cries to determine if something is really wrong.

She recalled a time last summer, when the girls were playing outside in their front yard. “I called them for dinner and noticed Ava was crying,” she said. “At first, I assumed it was her general pre-dinner tantrum, but something was different. [I listened] to my intuition.”

Even with no visible or physical signs of an ailment or injury, she packed up the kids and headed to an urgent-care clinic. There, she learned Ava had developed a painful condition called nursemaid’s elbow, a common yet painful injury in toddlers where the elbow joint partially dislocates and slips out of place.

“In 30 seconds the doctor was able to correct it, and Ava was immediately back to her normal, happy self,” said Savanna. “I was so glad I listened to my gut. Always trust yourself – mothers are usually right when it comes to the needs of their children.”

David says he has learned his wife has good instincts when it comes to caring for the children. “It’s a team effort raising children, but I think mother knows best.”

Editor’s note: Was there a time in which you had to follow your gut instinct as a parent? Share your story by commenting below this article at thebuzzmagazines.com.