AIBU to expect my mum to cancel her gym session to look after my kids?

[Mkxxx]

For context: I (34F) have two boys (3 and 11m). I have help from my mum once a week on a Tuesday. 8am-5pm she’s at my house. All the other days I get no help and no help from my MIL either. I have managed my maternity pretty much on my own with my husband in the office 5 days a week. It has been hard with a baby and a toddler. My son only recently turned 3. Anyway I never bug my mum to come outside of a Tuesday because honestly it’s just hard work and not worth it. However right now I’m very ill. She knows I’ve been unwell too. I don’t ask anyone to help me unless I’m desperate. So I asked my mum last night to come today. She said she can’t come until the afternoon when most the day has gone because she has the gym. I asked if she could miss it this once since I never ask like this and she said no. Now im feeling so much anger because the lack in inflexibility shocks me. If my child had asked me for help I would go! Also she doesn’t work and retired to ‘look after her grandchildren’. So am I wrong for feeling annoyed and upset?

To add, the OP never claimed she was on the verge of ringing 999. She just said she was ill enough that it would be challenging for her to look after her small children. That would be ill enough for most mums to help out.

You don’t need to present an effing doctors note! “Mum, I’m ill and I’m really struggling. Please can you help?” is enough.

And I will as soon as I’ve been to the gym session I’ve booked, see you this afternoon is sufficient from the DM as well.

Not fair to expect someone to cancel plans to look after your kids if your husband didn’t think you were ill enough to cancel work.

There's probably a difference between what ill enough means in those contexts. She might not be ill enough to risk her husband getting into bother at work, but she might feel ill enough to ask for support from her mum who is retired.

In which case she is well enough to wait a few hours until she can get there!