See I think that's the thing: Not every "mom" has that instinct. And how old is Jace now? I don't think she will ever have that instinct.
Sometimes it may take a minute for it to set in. It was honestly a couple days for me after having a emergency c section and the drugs wearing off and she was brought into my room and looked at me and I swear it sounds crazy, but she looked at me as if to say Hi Mommy. and it hit me and I still weep up thinking about it today almost 13 years later.
But Jennelle, she just doesnt seem to have that instinct. When she left the house a couple episodes ago, she didn't take him. wow, no instinct at all.
I totally understand about emergency c-sections, had one myself. Actually the entire day went from not knowing I was in labor to walkign in the hospital and being told, your goign to have your baby in a few hours. After a failed (natural) attempt, I was wisked into the OR for a c-section. Then I needed a blood transfuson a day and a half later, and I was "out of it" for nearly two days after DD was born. I was also in the hosptial for a week. Then, I tried b****feeding and that wasn't working out and even got tot he point after we arrived home, that I felt DD had bonded with everybody else except me. I knew I was starting to go into a dark place (all because she wouldn't b****feed) so I made a choice that Bfeeding had to go.
However, with all of that, and being depressed for a week and half, and feeling like DD had bonded with everybody else and hated me, I still would have jumped out of my hospital bed, in the depths of anemia (lack of energy) and protected her if anyone had come in the room to harm her. Even with the thoughts of her hating me (I know it sounds so silly for a newborn to hate you, but remember I was depressed, in the hospital, weak, and very much out of it), but even with those thoughts I knew that I was there to be there for her.
Now I know that PPD is very serious, and I really do beleive I was heading that way -- three days after arriving home my husband talked to me about getting help -- we lived in the middle of nowhere, so available resources were only in the city 45 mins away -- and I screamed at him that there was nowhere to get help and that it didn't matter. I was lucky that I recognized EARLY that my feelign weren't right and I recognized that I was beating myself up about b*****feeding. I knew DD would be okay on formula, so I finally came to the decision 2 days later that my emotional health wasn't worth losing, over something I was beating myself up about. I know many who suffer from PPD aren't as "lucky" in that extent of recognizing things aren't right that early on.
HOWEVER with all of that, Jace is at an age at which by now, Janelle should be able to recognize him, protect him, and have that "instinct" that he is her son. Custody or not, she is still his mother.
And I do agree, as another poster mentioned, that Janelle's mom, never gives her the opportunity to do things, and constantly critizies, belittles, and takes over whatever Janelle is doing with him (changing clothes/diaper, bathing, or playing). On the other hand, HA to Janelle's mom who was watching Jace, and he opened the cabinet under the kitchen sink -- get some baby locks Grandma!