It didn’t take long for me to realize, that there truly is such a thing, as a mother’s intuition. It did, however, take a long time for me to learn to trust it.

A close friend and I have had many conversations over the years about the subject of our mother’s intuition. Last week she called to tell me how it saved her grandson’s life.

With only 25 weeks to grow in the protection of the womb, Dylan was born fighting for his life. Weighing in at only 2 pounds and 4 ounces, it became worrisome when his weight plummeted to a mere 1 pound and 11 ounces.

But weight was the least of his parent’s worries. A heart problem, a perforated bowel, and fragile lungs put this 13 inch miracle on a helicopter to Springfield- for his first life saving operation.

Prayer was answered when the news came; he had survived the surgery that repaired his bowel- a major accomplishment for one so young.

The situation was obviously critical. It’s in times like these, that parents are forced to trust strangers. They must believe that these are caring people and capable professionals, as they hold life and death in the palm of their hands.

But there are two sides to this story. Likewise, those professionals have to believe in the healing power of a mother’s love, and trust her intuition; even when it doesn’t register on their machines.

With the whirls and twerps of machines humming his lullaby; Leslie stood beside her sleeping infant. Patches of wires covered his little body, as he lay in the clear plastic bed, with knees tucked under his tummy and a tiny bottom covered with what could have been a Kleenex.

“I hear something” Leslie told the nurse.

“No, all you hear is the machines.” The nurse said as she brushed by.

Another nurse came over, “I hear something” Leslie said again, but her concern fell on busy ears.

Finally, the Physician’s Assistant walked by. For the third time the young mother tried call attention to the noise that seemingly only she could hear, and once again, she was dismissed.

Leslie’s mother-in-law, unable to get too close to the baby, watched from across the room. When she caught the glimpse of terror in Leslie’s eyes, she went over to her and asked what’s wrong.

" I hear something.”

“What do you hear?”

Leslie then made a raspy gargling sound deep in her throat attempting to explain.

Dylan’s grandma immediately went for a nurse, grabbed her by the arm and said, “His mother hears something. This baby needs to be checked. I want him checked now.”

For the first time, a nurse actually listened to his chest with her stethoscope, and heard the same sounds his mother had described.

Alarmed, the nurse began calling for help, the ventilator was removed, and a new tube inserted. A team of nurses managed to extract a blob from his tiny, paper thin lungs. Immediately, he began to breathe easier, and his heart rate that was hovering around fifteen, began to rise.

Relieved and furious all at once, Dylan’s grandma turned to his mother and said, “If you ever think something is wrong with your baby, don’t you let ANYONE shrug you off. This is your baby.”

Her voice carried, and the nurse that responded chimed in addressing the crowd of nurses who had gathered to assist her she added, “That’s right. A mother’s intuition has saved many babies’ lives. And this mother’s intuition saved her baby’s life. ALWAYS listen to the mother.”

One out of four actually listened to this young mother. It took another mother, a grandmother, who had learned through the test of time to stand on her own intuition, to trust her daughter-in-law’s and harness the help they needed to save this baby’s life.

The moral of the story: Good doctors, nurses, teachers and babysitters are all vital in a child’s life—but all their knowledge can only be enhanced by a mother’s love and intuition, but it can never replace it.